I was listening to music yesterday at the church while working on various projects. I have playlists on YouTube, Amazon Music, and my iPod. Yes, I still have an iPod and a classic version, no less. My playlists reflect my varied musical tastes; from gospel to classical to Meat Loaf, and more. I have playlists for meditation, walking, exercise, and Christmas.
This morning, I was reading from a short book on the psalms. Today’s focus was on the psalms of David (the vast majority). If David had a playlist, it would be wild. One track would be a full-on lament (“How long, O Lord?”), another would be a celebration anthem (“Bless the Lord, O my soul”), and another a midnight lullaby (“I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me”). He jumps from sorrow to laughter, from grief to rejoicing, from doubt to faith, from anger to trust. In other words, he’s human.
The Psalms remind us that faith is not a single note of a musical score or a single song. It’s a whole playlist of emotions—joy, sorrow, anger, fear, gratitude, confusion, hope. It’s a complex musical composition that soars one minute, sinks the next, and then soars again. And the amazing thing is that God was there in it all and even welcomes it all.
Most of us are uncomfortable with such raw honesty, especially publicly, when it comes to our faith, but David’s psalms are full of complaints, groans, and even arguments with God. They give us permission to stop pretending. If David could rant about enemies and dangers, we can certainly tell God when we’re frustrated about traffic, deadlines, or relationships.
At the same time, the Psalms always circle back to praise. The playlist never stops on a sad track. When the anger or grief clears, they inevitably move toward trust and gratitude. On his worst days, perhaps especially then, David holds on to God and his faith. Our prayers can sound the same: honest enough to admit our struggles, yet hopeful enough to end with praise.
If your faith playlist this week has been heavy on the laments, that’s okay. Just remember, God is big enough to handle every song you bring. Honestly share what you’re feeling and then hold onto the God who is holding onto you.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for hearing every note of my life’s playlist. Teach me to pray honestly, whether I’m singing joyfully or crying out in pain, and help me trust that you are always listening. Amen.
