Book review: Worshiping on the Way
A secondary teacher at Central Baptist Christian School in Brandon, FL, USA.
Worshiping on the Way: The Psalms of Ascents by Jonathan Landry Cruse. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2025 (176 pages) £23.99.
Worshiping on the Way is an insightful study of the Psalms of Ascents (Psalm 120-134). Jonathan Landry Cruse is the author of this book and several others, including Church Membership (2024) and The Christian’s True Identity (2022). Cruse is a graduate of Westminster Seminary California’s Master of Divinity program and has been the pastor of Community Presbyterian Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA since 2017. Published on 7 January 2025, Worshiping on the Way is Cruse’s fifth project with Reformation Heritage Books.
This volume was developed from a sermon series that began under unusual circumstances. In the peak of the COVID-19 lockdowns during May 2020, the church was set to continue in-person services after weeks of online-only meetings. Cruse chose to expound Psalm 122, which has a rather appropriate first verse, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” This re-opening sermon blossomed into a series on the Psalms of Ascents, which is the foundation of Worshiping on the Way.
It is commonly believed that the Psalms of Ascents were songs sung by Jewish pilgrims as they trekked to Jerusalem. In this book, Cruse seeks to apply these psalms to the life of the modern believer in two main ways: Keeping one’s eyes on “the heavenly Jerusalem” and continuing to progress in one’s walk with Christ.[1] He asserts that “these psalms impress on us the need for a desire and determination for the things of God.”[2] This two-fold application sees the physical act of marching parallel to the believer’s spiritual journey, and it captures the feel of these psalms aptly.
Worshiping on the Way covers one psalm per chapter in a conversational and devotional style, each chapter being an appropriate length for a single sitting. Yet, enough depth is provided to satisfy mature believers. Three reflection questions can be found at the end of each chapter, making this book a good option for group discussions. An expanded section for discussion, application, and prayer for each chapter would be welcome in a future edition.
Cruse’s greatest strength is how he is able to convey the context and theme of each psalm in a way that is not intimidating. For example, the chapter on Psalm 131 is about the believer being content with God’s plan for their life. The author begins this section by discussing a trip that his family took to an amusement park. Readers are then gently transitioned from this story to the text of Psalm 131 through a comfortable segue.
Pastor Cruse has penned a helpful guide to this section of the Psalms. It comes highly recommended for those who are unfamiliar with this psalter within the Psalter and for church leaders who are leading classes that feature time for discussion. More generally, Worshiping on the Way is a great resource for any student of the Bible.
Footnotes
[1] Jonathan Landry Cruse, Worshiping on the Way: The Psalms of Ascents. (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2015), 5.
[2] Cruse, Worshiping on the Way, 6.
Book review: Numbers 1-19
Book review: Intimately Forsaken
Book review: Worshiping on the Way
The Trinitarian Resurgence?
The Weaknesses of Christ: Their Theological and Pastoral Significance
The God of Unchanging Glory: From Nicaea to Hegel and Back[1]
Faith and Reason: Reflections on Theistic Proofs
The Power and Personhood of God
Editorial – Issue 88