Listening in 2024

How can I incorporate the Psalms in 2024? Looking ahead I challenged myself to read through the Psalms in 2024. After thinking about that, I realized it’s not exactly much of a challenge. How about meditating through the Psalms in a year?

The post, The Lion, Mr. Strickland and The Silver Chair, described meditation, both the simplicity and the value of meditation or listening to God. As Richard Foster pointed out, by assimilating God’s word into our thinking and living, it infiltrates our spirit and our soul. It becomes part of our lives.

In that vein, I’ve shared a reading plan below to meditate on the Psalms over the course of the year. Unlike many reading plans, this plan is divided into weeks, which provides more freedom but also gives more time to chew on the individual Psalms. The readings are a reasonable length so that they can be repeated enabling the reader to think about that scripture throughout the week. There are fifty weeks which allows for a two week break.

You might come across verses that resonate with you, that you highlight or underline and that you want to commit to memory. You can also journal as you read through the Psalms and see how God speaks to you.

I invite you to join me in meditating the Psalms for 2024. There is a link to download a pdf version, or scroll further to see the entire schedule. Blessings for 2024!



Psalms Bible Reading Schedule

Week 1 – Psalms 1-3Week 26 – Psalms 76-78
Week 2 – Psalms 4-6Week 27 – Psalms 79-81
Week 3 – Psalms 7-9Week 28 – Psalms 82-85
Week 4 – Psalms 10-12Week 29 – Psalms 86-89
Week 5 – Psalms 13-15Week 30 – Psalms 90-92
Week 6 – Psalms 16-18Week 31 – Psalms 93-95
Week 7 – Psalms 19-21Week 32 – Psalms 96-99
Week 8 – Psalms 22-23Week 33 – Psalms 100-103
Week 9 – Psalms 24-26Week 34 – Psalms 104-405
Week 10 – Psalms 27-30Week 35 – Psalms 106
Week 11 – Psalms 31-32Week 36 – Psalms 107-108
Week 12 – Psalms 33-35Week 37 – Psalms 109-112
Week 13 – Psalms 36-38Week 38 – Psalms 113-116
Week 14 – Psalms 39-41Week 39 – Psalms 117-118
Week 15 – Psalms 42-44Week 40 – Psalms 119
Week 16 – Psalms 45-47Week 41 – Psalms 120-123
Week 17 – Psalms 48-50Week 42 – Psalms 124-127
Week 18 – Psalms 51-54Week 43 – Psalms 128-131
Week 19 – Psalms 55-57Week 44 – Psalms 132-134
Week 20 – Psalms 58-60Week 45 – Psalms 135-136
Week 21 – Psalms 61-63Week 46 – Psalms 137-139
Week 22 – Psalms 64-67Week 47 – Psalms 140-142
Week 23 – Psalms 68-69Week 48 – Psalms 143-145
Week 24 – Psalms 70-72Week 49 – Psalms 146-147
Week 25 – Psalms 73-75Week 50 – Psalms 148-150

Source: https://www.smore.com/5tkf-psalms-in-a-year

After Disappointment

We can learn a lot about a person’s character by how they handle disappointments and successes in life. Some people allow success to go to their head. Others use their success for the benefit of others. Likewise, there can be a contrasting response to disappointment. Some people become bitter and resentful. Others choose to learn and grow from these experiences. 1

(10 mins. reading time)

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The Doppelganger

I get excited when I find one passage of scripture that’s virtually identical to another written by different authors at different times. In the case of Psalm 1, Jeremiah wrote exactly the same words to warn the nation of Israel. Was he copying the psalmist? I don’t know. But it makes me think that this piece of wisdom is very important.

(6 mins. reading time)

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The Music Room

A heavenly messenger takes a young man, Christian, on a trip through time and space to meet and learn from biblical characters. The content for this post comes from Gene Edwards, The Inward Journey. 1

(Reading time 3 mins.)


“Wait here,” ordered Messenger.

Christian paused and looked down. They were on a narrow ledge high on a mountainside. A craggy precipice lay just beneath his feet. Sighing, he leaned back and pressed hard against the mountainside.

“Who goes there?” came a frightened cry.

“A friend,” replied the calm voice of Messenger. Christian edged forward, straining to glimpse the mysterious encounter that was taking place a few feet beyond his view. The sight of this meeting would be denied him. Christian could only listen.

“Are you of the king’s court?” came the second question.

“None of this earth,” was the steady reply of Messenger.

“Then who are you?”

“A friend,”

“How did you find me? Do others know of this place?”

“Your secret is ours alone and will remain so.”

“What do you want of me?” came a slightly more confident voice.

“A moment ago, as we approached, were you singing?” inquired Messenger of the man squatting in front of a small cave on the side of the mountain ledge.

“Yes, I often do. There is little else I can do.”

“But there is surely reason beyond that.”

“Things I feel here, deep inside me, I often write them down.”

“The contents of the goatskin bag beside you, are they your writing things?”

“Yes, along with some stale meat.”

“May I borrow the sack from you for a moment? I have a young friend with me whom I desire to show them.”

“You are a strange person … with a strange request,” said the man as he handed the cracked leather sack to Messenger.

“I will return them to you in a moment,” said Messenger as he turned back, effortlessly making his way along the narrow ledge toward Christian.

“I have reason to ask you to look at these,” said Messenger as he handed the bag to Christian.

“Here? On this ledge? Now?” came Christian’s disbelieving response.

“The man beyond the corner lives on this ledge, young Christian. Besides, I doubt you will fall.”

“Read,” continued Messenger in an unmistakable command.

Christian balanced himself carefully as he squatted precariously before the open bag of scrolls. One by one he opened them and read. At first, he read each scroll in its entirety. Soon, though, he was doing no more than unwrapping them, glancing at the opening lines, and replacing them in the sheath.

Christian dropped the last scroll back into the bag, stood, and looked intently at Messenger.

“It’s the entire book of Psalms,” he declared, as he watched Messenger for some hint of explanation.

“No. Not at all. Perhaps one-third.”

“Why have you shown them to me?”

“No great reason,” came the reply, as Messenger lifted the sack and turned away. “Although,” he added almost in an afterthought, “I thought you might be interested in seeing the music room in which they were penned.”

Up Next

Moving on from the previous post about hell, the upcoming post looks at heaven!



Notes:

  1. Gene Edwards, The Inward Journey – An Introduction to the Deeper Christian Life Volume III (Jacksonville, Seedsowers Publishing, 1982), 17-19.

The Lion, Mr. Strickland and The Silver Chair on Meditation

How do we listen?

David delighted in meditating on God’s words because they brought him closer to his creator. What images come to mind when you hear the word meditation? Is it someone sitting on the ground cross legged with their eyes closed? That’s what typically comes to my mind.

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