Why The Psalms Are Like The App Store
I have an app addiction. Anytime I come across an interesting app, I have to download it. Sure, I tend to only use said app for roughly 13 seconds before burying it in a folder somewhere deep within the recesses of my phone, but that’s beside the point. The genius of the “app explosion” is that there is an app for virtually everything you can imagine - money management, tracking calories, reading blogs, tracking tasks - you name it, and "there’s an app for that".
I think the book of Psalms has a lot in common with the App Store. In the Psalms we find language to relate with God in every circumstance imaginable. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you're going through, the Psalms present a picture of a person in the same place. Regardless of what it is, “there’s a Psalm for that.”
This ancient hymnbook contains 150 poems covering wide-ranging subject matter such as love for God, sorrow over sin, confusion in the face of suffering, trust in the midst of trial, and devotion to the Word of God. This makes the Psalms one of the most practically helpful books in the Bible. As a result, I would argue that the Psalms should be an almost daily part of the Biblical diet of every Christian.
I don’t know where you’re at or what you’re going through, but I’m here to tell you, there’s a Psalm for that. Don’t believe me? Here’s a list of some of the most necessary themes you and I need to be reminded of on a daily basis and a Psalm that speaks to each. I pray it’s helpful…
Repentance - Psalm 51
Deliverance - Psalm 6
Thanksgiving - Psalm 9
God’s Love - Psalm 52
God’s Goodness - Psalm 34
God’s Greatness - Psalm 145
God’s Presence - Psalm 37
Discouragement - Psalm 42
Protection - Psalm 46
God’s Help - Psalm 54
God’s Victory - Psalm 68
Weariness - Psalm 71
Weakness - Psalm 73
Renewal - Psalm 85
Worship - Psalm 95
God’s Holiness - Psalm 99
God’s Glory - Psalm 115
God’s Word - Psalm 119
God’s Presence - Psalm 125
Heartbreak - Psalm 147
