Heart of the King

HEART

OF THE

KING

Encountering God’s Steadfast Love and

Faithfulness in the Psalms

Matt D’Angelo

Published by Heart of the King Press

info@heartoftheking.net

This book is about my favorite thing—and I want to share it with you.

The purpose for which we were created is to know God—so I suppose I should say THAT is my favorite thing. But the very idea that God can be known, and that He has prescribed a path we can take to realize that promise is what makes my heart race.

You see, God speaks to me at a personal level. Not out loud, but when I read His Word and I pray, He joins me intimately, links His Spirit to mine, and brings His Word alive as He leads me from one passage to the next. He faithfully encourages and teaches me as I seek Him—and He abundantly responds with a flow of Himself that leaves me energized and fulfilled. THAT is my favorite thing—and it makes me want Him more.

So now you may wonder “why Psalms?” That’s a good question.

For much of my life I think I had a poor impression of Psalms that might be common to many—a poetry book, an emotional center—but not necessarily a place to find strong doctrine or a pathway to God. But for the last several years I’ve spent a lot of time working though Psalms and have come to realize that impression is a mistake.

I no longer think of Psalms primarily as a book of poetry—I think of it as the journal kept by believers as they encountered God. They describe their personal journeys through joy, tragedy, rebellion, repentance, and worship, and their stories show how they wrestled to trust God day by day. Its honesty gives us an intimate perspective on walking with God that is unique in Scripture—and it is easy to see myself in the writers.

These writers talk about how God acts toward them in love, compassion, and mercy. They know how He responds to their frustration and fear. They honestly cry out when He seems silent, or when they are wronged, or when they need forgiveness. These writers are not just talking about God—they seem to walk with Him intimately and know His heart.

One of the central themes you’ll see through this book is that our continued heart posture before God profoundly affects our experience with Him. You will see writers come to God time and again, humbly trusting Him—and this is what He wants from us. He has already made promises to us about His character, His love, and His commitment to His people. What He wants from us is to believe Him enough to humbly trust Him for it.

You will also see glimpses of the strong connection to Jesus in the Psalms. As Christians, we have the benefit of the blessings of the Psalms through the work of Jesus on the cross. But you will also notice that quite a few of His teachings are rooted in the same themes as the Psalms. In fact, Jesus quoted the book of Psalms more than any other Old Testament work, as recorded in Scripture. Even while on the cross, Jesus quoted the Psalms repeatedly.

My hope isn't merely that you'll understand the Psalms better. My prayer is that you'll discover what these writers discovered—that God delights to make Himself known. We have a chance to walk miles in the shoes of some giants of the faith as we become more mature in our walk with Christ. Be prepared to be mentored by the likes of David and Moses, and it is my prayer that as you work through the book, God will ignite your passion to know Him more.

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