The Chronicles Of…

I’ve just completed an assignment for the Psalms and Daniel subject I’m doing at Youthworks College this semester and I’m interested to see if the assignment is useful in practice…

This is the assignment:

A friend is haunted by an event that took place in the past. You don’t actually know what happened but you know that memory of that event triggers a cycle of anger, resentment and guilt. Choose three psalms that would help your friend who feels trapped in this cycle. Explain why you have chosen these particular psalms and explain how they might be used as part of a process of helping your friend move from victim to survivor.

I chose psalms 55, 32, and 124 in response (in that order). Here’s a short explanation of the psalms I chose:

• Psalm 55 is to help you express your hurt, pain and anger to God;
• Psalm 32 is to help you deal with any guilt you feel from the saga;
• and Psalm 124 is to help you celebrate freedom the hurt and express a firm dependence on God for salvation in all circumstances.

If you are someone who is still revisited by a painful memory of a hurtful event in the past that you haven’t dealt with, I’d be interested if these psalms help aid your process from victim to survivor. Please let me know.