“You look just like your father.” We are very familiar with how traits are passed from a parent to a child through the artistry of genetics, whether physical features like eye color or even personality and demeanor. In the same way, humans were uniquely created after the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26). Sin breaks that, but Christ’s forgiveness and the Spirit’s help enable us to become more like God again. “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect,” Jesus preached (Matt 5:48). John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God…God is love” (I John 4:7-8).
The Apostles frequently drew on the Psalms to teach us what it means to look like our Father. When James 1:27 defined “pure and undefiled religion before God the Father” as “visiting orphans and widows in their affliction”, you can hear the echoes of the Psalms’ frequent proclamations of God as the “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows” (Ps. 68:5). Confronted with persecution, the Apostle Peter applied David’s inspired words from Psalm 34:12-16 as the way to live righteously so that God’s eyes will be on you and His ears open to your prayers (I Peter 3:10-12). If you have ever quoted the Apostle Paul’s instruction to “be angry, and do not sin” from Ephesians 4:26, know that he was quoting David from Psalm 4:4. When Paul described the cheerful giver as one who “has distributed freely” and “given to the poor” in II Corinthians 9:9, he was quoting Psalm 112:9’s description of the blessed man who fears the LORD. The Apostles not only found in the Psalms great insight into who God is but also practical guidance on how to be like Him.
When people see us, do they see our Father? As Christians, they should, and the Psalms show us what that looks like in everyday life. As we meditate, pray, and sing these inspired words, may we each start to look like that, too.
Are you ready to have your faith shaped by these powerful songs? Check out our sermon series, Climbing Higher: Songs of Ascents.