A Psalm A Day

              God’s Word is powerful.  We need to develop a habit of reading God’s Word.  It will change our lives.  I have my favorite daily devotional readings.  Sometimes they speak to a specific issue I am struggling with that day.  I love these readings that are sometimes explanations of who God is, exhortations to obey Him, or reminders of how much I mean to God.  But there is nothing to replace the power of reading God’s Word and receiving His message from His sacred book.

              If you are new to the word of God, may I suggest that you start by reading a Psalm a day and choosing a word or phrase to take with you into your day.  When you finish the Psalms, pick up the same pattern in 1 Corinthians which includes instructions to the churches about how to order your life so that you make a deep connection to God.  I recommend that you begin a habit of reading like this first thing in the morning, before you set out on your day.  Make it a habit.  Even if you don’t understand how that word or phase relates to your day, keep writing it down and keep it with you.

              Just this morning I awoke feeling overwhelmed with a sadness that was disturbing my soul.  I blew my nose and grabbed my coffee and sat down in my winter devotional place and opened the Word.  I have read God’s Word as my daily devotion since I was 16 years old, so I have learned the beauty of connecting with God and have accepted that sometimes in my fallenness I don’t understand what He is trying to say to me.  This day was different.  The word or phrase came from Jude 1:20—build yourself up!  There was no mistaking God’s direction for me.  Later in my devotion books I read about not following my emotions, finding my true identity, living in the truth and many other encouraging words about God and me.  Yet, there is no substitute for allowing the Holy Spirit-inspired very words of God that will last for eternity to enter my soul and intersect with my life.

              I encourage people to see Bible reading like taking a vitamin every day.  This is especially true for those who are struggling with mental wellness.  God’s Word can transform your mind.  God took so much care to highlight His sacred book above all others by having it written over so many years by so many different authors, yet carry-on a sacred theme from Genesis to Revelation.  In itself it is an incredible history, literary, psychological, and theological study of the world.  It contains mysterious tips on maintaining health while living in a community—laws given to the Hebrew people. 

              One of the main messages of the Bible is the explanation of what went so wrong in this beautiful creation and how we must all constantly fight against the powers of darkness that have brought death, deception and embezzlement.  As Jesus told us: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). 

              The world is constantly leading us to the path that steals our connection to God, kills our souls and destroys our peace.  The Psalms are written to guide us back to God and to wholeness.  They remind our souls that in spite of the reality that sin exists all around us, we have God who can hold us in our pain and who has a good plan for our lives. 

              Let me close this reading with Psalm 119:105: “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”  Allow God’s Word and the Psalms to guide your path to abundant life.

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