The Psalms are a collection of songs written over 5 centuries. They figure prominently in Jewish worship: Jesus Himself sang them (“When they had sung a hymn… Matthew 26:30).
During the Middle Ages, with literacy rare and books painstakingly hand-copied, the Psalms (Psalter) were the only scripture available to lay people. At that time, Benedictine monks and nuns followed a weekly cycle of all the Psalms, chanted or sung at 7 daily services. (This would, of course, result in complete memorization.)
The Psalms speak to us through the full range of human emotions, from anger and grief to joy and peace. They make a sympathetic companion on the journey into the unknowns of this new year.
Ready to travel?
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Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him. Psalm 1: 1-3 New Life Version (NLV)
This gateway Psalm speaks of life-choices. Personally, I don’t want to walk, stand, or sit anywhere I’ll be exposed to sin or untruth. But there is such a whirl of anger and negativity surrounding us these days it feels impossible to avoid. However, we are each have the right to choose what to see, read, hear or think about. For me, this year, I want to choose what I put in my mind through books, shows, movies, etc. I want recognize and avoid bad advice and bad behavior, things that are dark and toxic for me. I want to focus on living well in God’s truth and the joy of the Lord. After all, anything I miss now won’t matter even next year . . . and my spirit matters forever!
Toxic thoughts leave no room for truth to flourish. And in the absence of truth, lies reign . . . The more we read God’s truths and let truth fill our minds, the less time we’ll spend contemplating untruths and toxic thoughts. – Lysa TerKeurst, President of Proverbs 31 Ministries and New York Times best-selling author