This is a funny story...God is funny! Every year I feel that the Lord is wanting me to learn something, to grow in the knowledge of the Scriptures. Last year, towards year's end, I felt that the Lord was leading me to look deeper into Revelations and the "elect" mentioned in the Bible (more on those two subjects later). Anyhow, I try to be obedient to what the Holy Spirit is telling me to do, where He is guiding me towards and so I was super excited to see what He had in store for me in 2011!
I didn't have to wait much to find out what my first "assignment" for the year was. My family and I were visiting friends and family for New Years in the Los Angeles area. We were ready to start heading back home for our long 12 hour drive north when (while saying my good-byes to my dear friend Tammy) I was surprised with a gift. Tammy went to her bookshelf and told me that she had a book for me. I glanced at it, thanked her (told her I would read it), hugged her and headed towards the car in a hurry. When we got settled and started driving I took a better look at the book and couldn't believe my eyes... It was a 30 day study of the Psalms. Here's where I have to give you some background history.... I am a Proverbs girl! I LOVE the Proverbs. They are quick, to the point and almost always a "one liner" you can remember. I had never really enjoyed the Psalms-didn't get them. If you look at my Bible you would see just about all of the Proverbs highlighted (my faves get highlighted) and Psalms...wellll not much highlights there. So there it was...January 1st and my first "assignment" was the Psalm (told you-God is funny). Without great enthusiasm (but obedient never the less) I started the devotional as soon as we got back home and settled.
Words can not express how I felt after finishing my first day in this book. I can truly tell you that I fell in love with the Psalms! The book starts with Psalm 1 and covers 29 other Psalms. It literary dissects each Psalm with a question/answer format that digs deep into your soul. Although the title states that it's a 30 day study, the author encourages the reader to take as long as they want to finish it. I am doing about 3-4 Psalms a week. I like reading them, answering the questions and pondering on what I've learned for the next few days before I start on a new Psalms. This book has definitely changed my mind and heart on the Psalms-so much so that I bought the Lisa Harper study of the Psalms to keep studying and learning the beautiful words that have been written. Truly, the negative misunderstanding of the Psalms was all on my head. They are beautiful, insightful praises filled with emotions, human circumstances, valiant displays of faith and some of the most inspirational words I have ever read. God, in his ultimate wisdom, knew that I needed to see the Psalms for what they were and not for what I had so wrongfully depicted them to be. He used a dear friend of mine, Tammy, to bless me. I am and always will be so grateful to the Lord for giving me what I need, when I need it despite of the fact that I didn't ask. He knew what was missing in my walk with Him while I had not a clue.
I will be posting what I am learning in this devotional and what the Lord has so graciously revealed to me through the Psalms.
**if you would like to read this book and can not afford to buy it for yourself, please e mail me at tazzari@juno.com with your shipping information and I will send one to you**
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