3 Things to Know about the Psalms of Ascent
What should God’s people sing as they travel to worship?
It’s a great question to consider because heart preparation is vitally important and necessary. Meeting with God’s people calls us out of the regular activities of life, and it reminds us what is truly meaningful. Each gathering is unique because the circumstances of our lives changed since our last gathering.
We need frequent spiritual reorientations in our life-long journey.
During the month of Advent, College Park Church will be walking through selected Psalms of Ascent. We’ll use these psalms as a way to help us slow down, prayerfully learn, and recalibrate our hearts.
Here are three things to know about the Psalms of Ascent:
For centuries, the Israelites used fifteen psalms (Psalm 120-134) as they traveled to Jerusalem during one of the annual festivals (e.g., Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles).
The psalms take their categorical name from the geography of Jerusalem. The City of David is built on a plateau. Travelers would begin walking up an incline as they approached the city.
The pilgrimage and ascent were important opportunities for spiritual reflection. The Psalms of Ascent provided a variety of spiritual perspectives and biblical truths.
“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1–2)
The Psalms of Ascent aid our discipleship even though our journey to corporate worship looks quite different than the people of Israel. Eugene Peterson writes:
There are no better “songs for the road” for those who travel the way of faith in Christ, a way that has so many continuities with the way of Israel. Since many (not all) essential items in Christian discipleship are incorporated in these songs, they provide a way to remember who we are and where we are going. (Eugene H. Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, Commemorative Edition (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2019), 13–14).
As we conclude 2022 and consider the Advent of our Lord, it seems fitting that these psalms should become our own. We’re not literally walking up an incline to worship. But the last year has not been entirely easy.
These psalms help us know what to sing on the long and up-hill journey of life.
