Swiss Army Knife - When Life Is Confusing and Raw

Saffrin, Bob. Psalms, the Sunrise of Hope. Village Media / CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform 9/19/12 ISBN-10: 1479282316 ISBN-13: 978-1479282319 ASIN: B0097WVXUS 220pp List Price: paperback $12.95, e-book $3.99

Psalms, the Sunrise of Hope looks at ten psalms with a common theme of finding hope in the midst of difficulty. The author defines Christian hope as conviction that God is in one’s life now and forever, and nothing can remove one from God’s love.

True hope, then, is resting in an unending care of one’s creator, expecting Him to move on one’s behalf. “Hope is a soldier that fights for us as we wait for the goodness of God to accomplish His will in and for us.”

Bob Saffrin describes the psalms as Hebrew poems meant to be set to music. They were and are used for worship, prayer and expressing emotions. Saffrin’s purpose is to change one’s attention away from problems; to move one’s attention toward God.

In Saffrin’s meditations, he includes the back stories of the psalms. He draws experiences that focus one’s attention from the Historical and Prophetic Books of the Bible, the New Testament. Saffrin speaks from his own experiences, and the experiences of others.

Rather than asking “Where is God?” One should ask “Who is God?” For each psalm, Saffrin includes a Life Lesson. He lifts portions of the psalm contrasting the world’s view with God’s perspective and includes questions to consider and discuss.

In all of these lessons and meditations, Saffrin encourages discovering God’s presence in the middle of one’s situation. If you recognize the presence of God, you go through distress, but distress does not go through you.”

For Psalm 3 he also includes a Bible exercise for the application of the psalm. It is a masterly example that one could use to create exercises for the other psalms.

www.bobsaffrin.com 

The ten Psalms included in this book are Psalm 3 (Hope for the Sleepless), Psalm 8 (Hope for the Insignificant), Psalm 13 (Hope for the Hopeless), Psalm 23 (Hope for Lost Lambs), Psalm 40 (Hope for the Shattered), Psalm 42-43 (Hope for the Depressed), Psalm 84 (Hope for the Homeless), Psalm 91 (Hope for the Vulnerable), Psalm 107 (Hope for the Unloved), and Psalm 139 (Hope for the Poor in Spirit).

Other books by Bob Saffrin:

         Moses, Steps to a Life of Faith

         Elijah, Steps to a life of Power

         *Psalm 23, Help for Lost Lambs

         *How to Sleep Like a Baby, a Meditation on Psalm 3

*These are updated and included in this text as bonus content.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author for my unbiased review.