3.236 Psalms Can Help Us Remember Him

In Matthew 5, Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, reminding us that our lives are meant to preserve, illuminate, and point others to Him. This season on Savory Salt, we'll walk through the Old Testament, one verse and one thought each day. Perhaps these moments will add greater savor and brighter light to our lives as we seek to truly live as Savory Salt.

Hello, my friends. It is a new day with new opportunities. Choose ye this day whom you will serve.

Let's just get right to it. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. My friends, how are Psalms treating you as you read ancient poetry and see what it looks like in your lives?

I've just shared with you our verse for today, which does not come from Psalms. It comes from 3 Nephi chapter 11, verse 10. Why did I go straight to the verse for today?

Well, I think it's interesting that these poems and songs and praises that we're reading through, though ancient in times, the Bible says speak and prophesy of a real, living Redeemer and Savior. Those that read the Old Testament some interpret as a Messiah that hasn't come yet. The Christian world believes that the Old Testament is a precursor to the New Testament and that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and the Redeemer, that He has come.

The Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ, the Bible says that Jesus Christ has this incredible moment of Jesus Christ visiting the peoples of the American continent and bearing witness there that He came, even telling them, "I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world." My friends, I don't think it's a small coincidence that from all of these psalms comes the most quoted book in the New Testament from all of the Old Testament. Psalms, while making up only about 10% of the Old Testament in terms of size, takes up about 25% of the quotations in the New Testament. I know it seems like I'm doing everything backward today, and maybe I am just a little bit.

As you go through the readings this week in Psalms, we're going to focus on 49, 61, 69, 77, as well as 85. I don't know if I'm going to repeat that every day. I want you to keep the context that these that are testifying, whether it's directly a psalm from David or one from his other hired songwriters and even anonymous authors that we have inside of Psalms, they testify of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

These prophets, these people that wrote these poems, they were looking forward to a day where they could turn to their Redeemer and find strength in Him. We too look forward to the day where we're able to have the Savior in our presence. Although those of us that have made covenants with our Heavenly Father are given the gift of the Holy Ghost, a measure of that very witness that we can have it daily in our lives.

My friends, I'm grateful for the Psalms and the opportunities to reflect in this poetry. It's not my favorite kind of poetry, I'll be honest, but it absolutely is an opportunity for us to see the ways that others reflected in their experiences and realize that though the human experience may be repeating itself and has repeated itself for all of time and eternity, one thing is also true in that human experience: The Bible says that we have a living Savior and Redeemer, someone we can turn to in all of our trials, our struggles, our difficulties, our sins, and say, "Help," and He will be there. I love the things we're reading and studying in Psalms.

I hope they are uplifting to you as well. And I hope you've taken an opportunity as challenged last week to maybe write one or two of them yourself as well. Excited for the week ahead, my friends.

That is all for today. You and I have come here for such a time as this. Step forward in faith, and let's be Savory Salt. We will be here tomorrow, and we hope you are too.