A Study of Psalms

Instead of going through the Come, Follow Me: Old Testament study, I have decided to study the book of Psalms this year. 

There were a few thoughts that led to this decision. 

Number One: I wanted to get back into using my “real” scriptures rather than digital form. The convenience of digital scriptures is delightful! No more taking heavy bags to church and searching any topic at your fingertips right in the middle of a lesson is so nice. And yet, I was feeling less connected to the messages, the words, the meanings of what I was reading. My retention seemed to lessen. I just wasn’t “feeling it,” if you know what I mean. 

Number Two: I am halfway (or more than halfway) through my life. Yes, that magical milestone birthday is just around the corner. With this in mind I thought, “I could keep skimming the surface of every book of scripture, or I can take each year to go deeper in one book.” My mind is tired of discussing the same topic over and over again in every church lesson. At some point we need to realize we’ve all graduated from primary! So, to push myself to acknowledge just that, I chose Psalms. 

Why Psalms? 

Honestly, there is no reason for choosing that one book. I’m not particularly interested in Ancient History and so I guess I wanted to get past those first few books. 

I love do love poetry and eloquent writing. So, maybe that was the draw I had toward Psalms. 

And with so much turmoil in the world, I didn’t want the demented stories of the Old Testament to add to my already heavy heart. Though there is plenty of hell and damnation in the Book of Psalms (more than I was aware of!), the main message of Psalms is the praise, sing, rejoice and trust in the Lord, Jesus Christ. So, I guess that’s what I hoped to get from a deeper study. 

My thoughts so far — it’s working! 

Studying three Psalms a week has been a highlight of my year thus far. I feel myself opening up to trusting more fully — not only God, but myself.  Despite David’s struggles in life he is constantly and consistently turning back to God every time. And though he did not write every Psalm in the book, the pattern is the same throughout. 

A couple of thoughts on the tools I’m using: 

# I ordered this Bible study to guide me and give me a little more context.

# I use this BYU scripture database to enhance my studies. 

# I am primarily in the King James Version, but I love the NIV as well, so I use that as well. 

I invited some friends of mine to accompany me along the journey! So, (almost) every week these beautiful ladies gather with me to discuss their thoughts on the reading. I love this so much! I love connecting with others through thought and scripture. 

Anyway, these are my rambling thoughts about what I’m doing with my scripture study this year. 

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“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, 

only makest me dwell in safety.” 

— Psalm 4:8