Greetings!
The reading and praying of the Psalms has deeply formed and reformed the piety both of individual Reformed Christians and also of Reformed churches.
The Psalms are, of course, the hymn book and prayer book of the Bible. From them we learn to pray and to sing. This is who we are. I invite us all to join in reading and praying them.
Dr. Richard A. Ray, Presbyterian minister and friend of the Foundation, once suggested to me to urge elders and deacons to read three Psalms a day. "After a while," he said, "they will read some of the rest of the Bible, too. But you will be amazed at how much difference it makes in the life of a church over a period of years for the elders and deacons to be reading three Psalms a day."
Dr. Walter L. Taylor, pastor of Oak Island Presbyterian Church, Oak Island, North Carolina, and leader of one of our ministerial study seminars, recently recommended to me a new printing of the Psalms. I bought it, and I have not been able to put it down.
This new volume contains only the Psalms. Each Psalm begins on a new page. They are printed in a single column, the width of the page, so that there are many fewer line breaks. The margins are ample. The paper is of a high quality, and the print on front and back is aligned. The type is eleven points tall, which my old eyes welcome. All of the footnotes have been removed, and even the verse numbers are way off to the left, so that engagement with the text is unimpeded.
And I had not realized how engaging it would be for the Psalms to be printed and presented in this way. I have not been able to put this book down. I commend it to you highly.
The volume is named The Psalms, ESV. The translation is English Standard Version (ESV), an essentially literal translation. A description of the volume may be found at this link from Crossway, the publisher:
The Psalms, ESV
It is also available in other bindings and from other booksellers.
|
 Let us all read and pray the Psalms every day.Grace and Peace,
Dr. James C. Goodloe IV, Executive
Director
Foundation for Reformed Theology
4103 Monument Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23230
Better Preaching, Teaching, and Pastoral Care
|
