Ainsworth, Percy

The Threshold Grace: Meditations in the Psalms

The Psalms, with their beautiful language and poetic imagery, help us to understand how God works in myriads of ways in both the best and the worst times in our lives. Importantly they help us to express our emotions towards God in our everyday lives and prayers. Although we will not be studying Psalm 16, the quotation on the cover perhaps sums up David's attitude towards God. He sees God and his mercy in everything that is good, and nothing is good unless it comes from God's favour. May we come to this same experience! Reading the Psalms is different from reading many other parts of the Bible in at least two ways: (i) although we will learn much about God, his world and ourselves from the Psalms, nonetheless the Psalms are primarily prayers. So there is a sense in which they are God's people talking to God, rather than vice versa.