Lesson 25: “Let Every Thing That Hath Breath Praise the Lord”

The book of Psalms is a collection of poems originally sung as praises or petitions to God. Many were written by David. This book is like a hymnal from ancient Israel. Many psalms prophesy of Christ’s mission as the Messiah.

The PURPOSE of our lesson this week is to help class members show their gratitude for the Savior and for the many blessings that he and our Heavenly Father have given us.

I found a Primary Sharing Time lesson in the Friend that I think is worth posting. There is something really beautiful about the simple message prepared to teach our little ones.

Sharing Time Lesson: David was a righteous shepherd boy who fought and killed the giant Goliath. By defeating Goliath, David saved his people, the Israelites, from war. David eventually became the king of Israel.

Besides being a good shepherd, warrior, and king, David was a good musician. His music brought peace to those who heard it. When King Saul was unhappy, he asked David to play his harp. The scriptures say that when David played, he helped bring peace to the king, that King Saul “was refreshed, and was well” (1 Sam. 16:23).

David also sang and played on his harp to bring peace to himself. He wrote his own songs—both words and music. He became famous for his Psalms, which are songs of praise to the Lord. Many of the Old Testament Psalms were composed by David. They are about times when he was happy, when he was discouraged, when he felt thankful, when he needed help, when he wanted to celebrate, or when he needed to feel peace.

In some ways we are like David. We sing certain songs when we are happy, are sad, feel thankful, or want to celebrate. And, like David, we can be blessed with peace when we sing gospel songs.

One reason gospel songs bring us peace is that they speak of spiritual things that have the power to make us happy. You can write a psalm, as David did! (Judy Edwards, “Sharing Time: The Songs of the Gospel Bring Peace,” Friend, Jul 1994, 12)"

The psalms bear powerful witness of the divine mission of Jesus Christ. They also remind us of the great blessings that he and our Heavenly Father have given us. And they suggest ways we can express gratitude for those blessings.