“Bible Corner” — Recently I recommended that if you were beginning to explore the Bible you should take one book from the Old, one from the New and one Psalm a day that you could use as a prayer. The suggestions for the two books were Ruth from the Old Testament and Mark’s Gospel from the New. When you finish those don’t be afraid to replace them with another book. When you finish Ruth pick another Old Testament book that you have heard of and try it. The same when you finish Mark’s Gospel, choose another from the New Testament and see how it goes.
The Psalms are used for prayer by millions of people — they address all aspects of life and all emotions. They are of different lengths, written from different perspectives and tease out the bond between God and his people. We all have favourites and there are some that are heard regularly and others rarely. “The Lord is my Shepherd” (Psalm 23) is probably one of the most used. The opening line of Psalm 22 was quoted by Jesus on the Cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We find it in Mark 15:34 and Matthew27: 46. ’ The shortest of the psalms is Psalm 117. It is two verses long. In the Jerusalem Bible there is a title under the number of the Psalm — “Summons to praise” and the text of it is as follows:
Praise, Yahweh, all nations,
extol him all peoples,
for his faithful love is strong
and his constancy never-ending