When I read my Bible cover to cover (Genesis to Revelation), I tended to rush and not really savor these wonderful words. When I was over half way through Psalms, I felt sad I had so little left to read from this comforting book.
This year I decided I would savor the book of Psalms, and I have no regrets. I now read and re-read the Psalms that I find on the two pages of my open Bible. I may spend a few days on these 2 pages. I learn so much more now that I meditate on these verses and really ponder them. I added a Bible commentary to help me understand the historical context of the verses. I also think about how God is speaking to me now. I have found many verses that I chose to memorize. With bigger passages, I have pulled up the verses on Bible Gateway (I am enjoying the New Living Translation right now). Then I copy those verses, raise the font to 20, print them and put them somewhere I can look at them over and over all day long.
My readings became deeply meaningful when I began to use a technique from Dr. Charles Stanley. He recommends a reader write down a passage (usually one or two verses, although I sometimes find such encouraging verses, I write several down). Then she prays over that verse (I write my prayers in my journal). Then she shares with someone how these verses impacted her. Finally she works out (or lives) the Bible verses in her day.
I love this technique. Between savoring the Psalms through ultra slow reading meditating, and re-reading the same passages and using Dr. Stanley’s technique, I have found great joy. This is rare and powerful right now, because my girls and I have experienced trials in January of 2022 (recent at the time of my writing this), and we are still dealing with the pain of those trials. Yet because of my meditating on the Psalms, memorizing, writing, sharing and working out these Scriptures each day, I have been able to sleep well. (Psalm 119:11 “Your word have I hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you.”) Plus, I have a profound joy in my peace, even though the trials are not yet fully over (we are in a temporary lull, but more is to come). Psalm 119: 92 “If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.” I have always been a joyful person, often cheerful, but I am also a nervous person, too prone to worry. I have suffered anxiety during past trials (some of these included abuse I suffered and tragedies). In the past, I had to work so much harder (while praying, of course) to overcome my anxiety during the intense trials I faced. I lost sleep; I lost (or gained) weight. I had ulcers. I struggled! Yet this time, God brought me a joyful peace that buoyed me within days of the onset of these problems. I have been joyful in good times in the past. I have had peace, despite trials. But rare is this joy and peace together while in the midst of unresolved problems (large ones).
I am convinced this triple impact (joy, peace and trails) came because of the intensity of my pursuit of God. I cannot take the credit, because this was his gift. I was just feasting on his word, and he worked out these qualities in my heart. He promised this in the Psalms, and I believed, and he credited me with this joyful peace. (Psalm 97:11 “Light shines on the godly and joy on those whose hearts are right.”) I cannot even say I have mastered my weaknesses. I do still have tendencies to worry or have fleshly impatience (in traffic or elsewhere), to have fleshly anger (I don’t yell, but I can get tired and grumpy and grumble in a quieter anger that is still not righteous). So I cannot say God gave me this joyful peace because I am perfect. (Psalm 116:10-11a “I believed in you, so I said ‘I am deeply troubled Lord.’ In my anxiety I cried out to you…”). God gave me this joyful peace, just because he is generous.
Oh, God is good, good, good. He is rewarding my hunger for Him and his word, and still gently guiding me when I sin. He is like the good earthly Dad who loves his affectionate, adoring children and still gives them gifts and hugs even when they disobey multiple times in the same day. He sees how much his children want to be near him, want to hug him, talk to him, listen to him, draw pictures for him or give him gifts, and then he forgives their childish and foolish acts of disobedience in the day when they try to do things their own way, against his will, and they fail and fall. (Psalm 119:49-50 “Remember your promise to me; it is my only hope. Your promise revives me; it comforts me in all my troubles.”). God adores us and wants us around him all the time, even when we sin (though he does want us to repent).
Now I am not advocating sinning and expecting God to condone it. I plead with God, daily, to guide me and keep me from sinning. I do sin less now than when I was younger. It is just that the closer I get to God, the more I see my sins and the worse they seem to me. So I ask God to reveal my hidden sins (Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?”)
My understanding of God’s forgiveness just adds to my joy. God loves me, despite my sins. He is helping to weaken sin’s hold on me. And when I do still sin, I get to keep coming to him, daily (and throughout the day) and love him and bask in his love for me. I always “knew” this, but maybe I never practiced it as much as I do now with all this memorizing of and meditating on Scripture.
Truly we can trust in the Lord, as he gives us so many promises. We can memorize his word and pray it back to him, because he promises us peace and joy. I wanted to share this good news with you (just like my practical post about my success at the DMV), because I want to encourage each of you to not feel guilty about taking as much time as you want to read and re-read favorite passages. Soak in all that love God promises. This is not the indulgence of over eating chocolates and feeling badly later. Psalm 119: 103 “How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey.” This is an indulgence that will bless you. God is so good! May he bless you this week!