How the Psalms Speak to All of Our Emotions

Covering a Whole Range of Emotions

The Psalms are in the Bible to give a us a full range of ways to approach God, to speak to him, to pray to him no matter what we're going through or experiencing. The Psalms are not just happy, and they're not just for those who are in pain. They cover the whole range of emotions—thanksgiving, the need for forgiveness, lament, and the need to confess.

The Psalms are in the Bible to give a us a full range of ways to approach God.

So the Psalms are deeply aware of the diversity of human emotions and experiences. They help us by giving us categories and language to approach God wherever we're at in our lives.

Dane C. Ortlund (PhD, Wheaton College) serves as senior pastor of Naperville Presbyterian Church in Naperville, Illinois. He is the author of Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers and Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners. Dane and his wife, Stacey, have five children.