Psalms for Easter, Psalms for life
The Easter season encompasses the fullness of life’s triumph and tragedy. From the celebration of Palm Sunday to the unimaginable heartbreak of Good Friday, we wait with anticipation for the redemption that lies ahead.
How do we approach such a Holy Week? How do we process such depths of despair and heights of hope? Perhaps God gave us an unexpected guide in the writings of King David. Like most heroes of faith, David's life is captured extensively in Scripture, but what sets his story apart is the Psalms. These masterful poems grant us a front row seat — not just to the facts of David’s life — but to the inner workings of his soul as he lived in search of God’s heart.
David’s story is legendary: an obscure shepherd boy on a journey to become the greatest king in all of Israel. When our creative team at Sight & Sound set out to begin writing the script for the new production of DAVID, the familiar storylines were immediately evident: Philistines, giants and epic battles. But it was the unexpected parts of David’s story that began to rise to the top. His high calling did not make him immune to his own failings and humanity. We watch his celebrations, sorrows and failures unfold in the Psalms as offerings to the Lord. It’s in this “sacrifice of praise” that we find a guide to our own personal journey with God, not only through Holy Week, but for our whole lives:
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- In moments of celebration and victory: Psalm 24, “Who is the King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle!”
- In our failure and repentance: Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence and take not your Holy Spirit from me.”
- Through our fear: Psalm 56, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God whose word I praise.”
- In the midst of deep sorrow: Psalm 38, “O Lord, all my longing is before you; my sighing is not hidden from you. My heart throbs, my strength fails me.”
- And great joy: Psalm 16, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Whether David was alone and on the run, celebrating victories, or broken in sin and repentance, what set him apart as king was his pursuit of communion with God. Even amidst extreme failure, he was known as a man after God’s own heart.
After four years of development, DAVID recently premiered in our Lancaster theater. As I watched this beautiful and broken story come to life on stage, I couldn’t help but recognize that the Psalms are not only an expression of David’s heart, they are a script for our own lives.
Holy Week is an opportunity to bring our sorrows and brokenness to the foot of the cross, knowing that the hope of Easter morning lies ahead. May we daily follow David’s example of pursuing God’s heart — trusting that in every triumph and every tragedy, God is with us, always.
Katie Miller is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Sight & Sound, a ministry on a mission to bring the Bible to life through live theater, television and film.?
