The Language of the Heart: How the Psalms Help Us Faithfully Express Our Deepest Feelings.
Where did you learn how to express your feelings?
Was it from your family, who taught you to hold everything inside? Or maybe from a friend who showed you the power of venting your anger over a cup of coffee? Perhaps you learned from TV shows or social media, where emotions are often exaggerated or dramatized. For many of us, the way we express our feelings is shaped by what we’ve seen, heard, or experienced in the world around us. But do these ways of expressing our emotions deepen our connection to God—or to those around us?
The Psalms offer us something different: a divinely inspired pattern for expressing the full range of human emotions—joy, sorrow, anger, fear, awe, and love. The psalmists show us how to bring our honest, unfiltered emotions to God, not to suppress or overindulge them, but to allow them to strengthen our faith, trust, and connection.
In this series, Language of the Heart, we’ll discover how the Psalms not only teach us to faithfully express our deepest feelings to God but also equip us to bring those feelings into our relationships with others. Together, we’ll learn to say “Wow,” “I’m Sad,” “I’m Angry,” and “I Love You” in ways that cultivate honesty, humility, and deeper connections—with God and one another.
Class Overview
Join us for Worshipful Wednesday evenings beginning February 5 for a four-week journey into the Psalms. Each week, we’ll explore a specific emotion or theme and how the Psalms give us words to faithfully express them to God and to one another.
Wow: Awe and Wonder (February 5)
In this introductory session, we’ll dive into the background of the Book of Psalms—its structure, purpose, and role in worship—and reflect on psalms of praise that express awe and wonder for who God is.
I Love You: Joy and Adoration (February 12)
We’ll look at psalms of praise and thanksgiving, learning how they teach us to express love and gratitude to God for God’s goodness and faithfulness.
I’m Sad: Grief and Lament (February 19)
This session will explore psalms of lament, helping us understand how to bring our sorrow and confusion to God in ways that lead to hope and trust.
I’m Angry: Righteous Anger and Justice (February 26)
We’ll delve into imprecatory psalms, examining how they model bringing anger and the desire for justice to God while trusting God to act.