Let's take a break from the narrative history and break into song... oh . . .I mean PSALM!
Later on, today, I will be posting about Psalm 1! Here we will have only 6 verses to really CHEW on and digest.
Here is a great MP3 by the person who taught me much about meditation:
Jim Downing on Meditation (It is 1 hour and 15 minutes)
Jim Downing on Meditation (It is 1 hour and 15 minutes)
He wrote a book called Meditation: The Bible Tells You How that I still have on my shelf.
In addition, you might like to try one of these other ways to meditate depending on how you are "wired":
1) Write a Poem
2) Write a Song
I have posted a few Michael Card songs as we have studied Genesis. Many of his songs were written after he would meditate on a passage from his pastor’s sermon. During the week, he would write a song and teach it to the congregation on the following Sunday. I have done this periodically throughout my life with the Lord, and those songs are so meaningful to me now. For example, here is a poem based on Psalm 23 that I set to music back in 1982 when I was lonely and living in Spain:
3) Illustrate
You may NOT be artistic, but this shouldn’t stop you from trying this fun way to meditate on Scripture. My old roommates and I would meditate this way together, and we would decorate the walls in our stairwell with our artwork! Years later, I did it with my children as we “meditated” through The Beginner’s Bible when they were three and five years old. It was so much fun. Break out the colored pencils or crayons and enjoy God’s presence in pictures. Use color and creativity and even get others involved!
Psalm 1, is great to illustrate! Give it a try, take a picture, and send it to me, and I will post it on the blog!!!!!
Another variation of this is to use magazine pictures and cut and paste your meditations or take a picture in nature that illustrates your meditation. I know many of you take great pictures too!
4) Pray Responsively
Praying through the Scriptures brings the Word to a personal level. We can read a small portion and respond back in prayer. John 15:7 says that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us we can ask whatever we wish and it shall be done for us. Praying Scripture is definitely His will. Here is an example of praying Colossians 3:12:
Enjoy!
In addition, you might like to try one of these other ways to meditate depending on how you are "wired":
1) Write a Poem
2) Write a Song
I have posted a few Michael Card songs as we have studied Genesis. Many of his songs were written after he would meditate on a passage from his pastor’s sermon. During the week, he would write a song and teach it to the congregation on the following Sunday. I have done this periodically throughout my life with the Lord, and those songs are so meaningful to me now. For example, here is a poem based on Psalm 23 that I set to music back in 1982 when I was lonely and living in Spain:
I can feel the love of God surround me as I go;
Through peaceful fields, by waters still, on high paths and on low.
The things I fear all disappear; each snare each enemy!
God’s love directs my every step, surrounds me and sets me free. (Poem from Sing a Song of Gladness: Selected Psalms for Children)
You may NOT be artistic, but this shouldn’t stop you from trying this fun way to meditate on Scripture. My old roommates and I would meditate this way together, and we would decorate the walls in our stairwell with our artwork! Years later, I did it with my children as we “meditated” through The Beginner’s Bible when they were three and five years old. It was so much fun. Break out the colored pencils or crayons and enjoy God’s presence in pictures. Use color and creativity and even get others involved!
Psalm 1, is great to illustrate! Give it a try, take a picture, and send it to me, and I will post it on the blog!!!!!
Another variation of this is to use magazine pictures and cut and paste your meditations or take a picture in nature that illustrates your meditation. I know many of you take great pictures too!
4) Pray Responsively
Praying through the Scriptures brings the Word to a personal level. We can read a small portion and respond back in prayer. John 15:7 says that if we abide in Him and His words abide in us we can ask whatever we wish and it shall be done for us. Praying Scripture is definitely His will. Here is an example of praying Colossians 3:12:
"Lord, thank You for choosing me and making me holy and beloved because of Jesus. Because I am beloved by You, I want to love others with that love! Please help me to put on my 'love clothes.' I want to be compassionate, kind, humble, and gentle with my kids. Give me patience as Paul interrupts me while I type this" (Paul was five years old when I wrote this. He is better now.)The Psalms are great to pray through alone or with a friend! The first devotional time I ever had with my discipler in college was praying through a psalm. Take turns reading a couple of verses and then responding to God in prayer.
Enjoy!
7 comments:
Yes! I am so ready for a couple of Psalms! And I love your suggestions, too.
I am reading along in the Bible and thinking about what I've read... :0... and reading comments here, but I haven't had much time to post.
Hi, Carol & others ~ I just finished reading all that's been shared so far here at the 3 Year Bible Book Club. I'm enjoying the insights offered! I smiled at Carol's remark that God is a God of the action verb. I never thought about it in those terms, but it's certainly apropos. : )
The first few chapters of Genesis raise some challenging, oft-posed questions that haven't yet been discussed here ~ probably because no matter how much we try to wrap our pea brains around these mysteries, we simply can't fathom the mind of God.
The age-old question, for example, of why God, who is not the author of sin, allowed (some would say created) sin in the first place. Or what it means to say that God "was sorry that he had made man on the earth" when God himself anticipated the course of events. Questions like these and others revolve around the free will sticky-wicket, of course. God allowed sin's existence (whether or not one wants to consider it "authoring" sin). If we accept His omniscience, we accept (imo) that He knew the story beforehand. And that in turn makes it difficult for some to respond with awe and gratitude for the subsequent redemption.
Just some general thoughts as I reread the beginning of His Story.
Hey, Colleen, good to see you here.
I'm honestly not sure I want to step a toe into the murky waters of these sticky wickets (yes, I'm a chicken!) so I hope it's okay if I reserve the right to retreat at any moment, but I'd like at least to see if I'm getting where you're coming from. Essentially the question you're raising is one of blame--is that right? So if God allowed sin, created it, or even knew about it in the first place, (whichever variation on that theme one uses) the buck has to stop at his desk; he is ultimately responsible for sin and therefore it's understandable that people would be less than gaga with appreciation when he comes along to rescue them. That would be like someone letting a dirty pig into my bed and then, knowing that the pig had crapped it up royally, still allows me to crawl into the mess, and then expects me to be all thankful when he or she comes and pulls me out and shoves me in the shower. (The analogy breaks down quickly because it's not like pigs are the only ones crapping the place up while I am Miss Pristine, but you get the basic point I'm making, I think.)
So then if that is the reality of the matter (God's foreknowledge/permissive will means he is to blame for sin) the question is how one escapes the logical conclusion that he is like the nasty person who let the pig in my room and how one can summon up respect, love, admiration, or gratitude for such a one who knowingly brings me pain/sorrow/difficulty/death and then wants credit for removing it. Is that the gist?
Lol, Rachel, I love your analogy. I think I'll wait for Colleen's response to say anything myself! But I am tracking here and will be back.
I adore praying the Psalms -- I try to read through all the Psalms each month through the BCP Psalter. I don't always read every Psalm every month but catch most of them, and I pray portions of them aloud. I have such a passion for the poetry and heart of the Psalms! I am so glad that we'll be taking "Psalm breaks" throughout our time here. Yay!
Hehehe...yes, Rachel, that's it, essentially. While we can't necessarily come up with answers, and while we need to refrain from being confrontational with God, I can't help but ponder these questions because they are such stumbling blocks for so many ~ believers and unbelievers alike. When God expresses dismay at having created man in the first place, for example, one wonders, "Is he surprised at man's capacity for evil?" Given that he knew the plan in advance ~ the temptation that would arise, the fall, and the subsequent scarlet thread of redemption ~ why are we given the impression that He is disappointed? Yes, one wonders...
My husband had been illustrating 23 stories from Scripture that are about the Scarlet Thread. I liked it so much that I had him share them with our community!
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