With a new year come new challenges and what better way to face them than by committing to reading and praying the Bible! The idea behind the challenge is to study the Psalms this coming year.
Psalms is a rather large book and can seem daunting to approach. Not to mention it’s ancient poetry that was written in a different language than English. In this post you’ll find lots of different ideas for studying the Psalms in a way that fits your desire to study the Word and your general busyness in life. Let’s dig in!
Why Psalms?
Why not? It’s music, poetry, passion, prophecy, prayer, and art all in one place! The book of Psalms is the most wonderful emotional book of the bible. In it we see anger, joy, happiness, sadness, despair, longing, and much more. In this beloved song book we have the prayers of saints who have come long before us and yet encountered the same emotions we have. When we study and pray the Psalms we see examples of how to communicate to God through our emotions to align ourselves with His will. In short, these prayers help us worship God.
On a more personal level, it’s been a dear companion in my walk with God. The first time I got excited over reading the Bible was at 12 years old when I had to read Psalm 150 for an assignment in an AWANA book. Many of the songs that saw me through my tumultuous youth are based on the Psalms. As a musician and student in a Christian college it was my bread and butter that kept me stayed on Jesus through the sleepless nights, the pressure, the busyness, and the hardships with people. In these last 10 years since college, the Psalms have been there for me to pray when there were no words for the joy or the pain. I pray that others would learn to cherish the Psalms as much as and even more than I do. Just as the Psalms have been there at my spiritual growth spurts, I’d love for others to discover the amazing treasure they have for growing deeper in their relationships with God.
How Does the Challenge Work?
The goal is to study the Psalms this year. I am nowhere near an expert on this book so I’ll be doing the challenge right along side anyone who wants to join. I have read through and done studies on the Psalms, but I find the lack of Evangelical resources on the subject very discouraging so this hopefully will also be a great place to share many resources. To accept the challenge, just choose a reading plan below that suits your busy schedule and get started! (I hate to self-promote, but you also might consider subscribing to the blog for a weekly reminder on what to read)
When Can I Start?
If you’re reading this blog mid year, no worries! Jump in to a reading plan starting with the current date. Luckily the Psalms are a collection of poems so chronology and context of what comes before and after don’t matter as much as other books of the Bible. There are many themes that carry through, but any time you read a Psalm you should be able to enjoy it right away.
Resources & Inspiration
READING PLANS There are multiple options for you to dig into Psalms this year. Feel free to choose your own as well!
- Read One Chapter A Week (the chapter will be revealed in the blog post each week)
- Reading Plan to Complete Psalms in One Year but only 5 days a week
- Reading Plan to Complete Psalms Once a Month all Year
- Reading Plan to Complete Psalms in One Year & Once a Month All Year
- Read a little each day for 365 days using Timothy Keller’s devotional book, The Songs of Jesus
- Click this link for YouVersion Bible App Recommendations
BLOG POSTS There will still be monthly themes and the weekly Sunday blogposts will continue. The focus will just shift slightly from prayer to Psalms, but prayer will still always be included. The blog post will have a new template with weekly insights and challenges. I will be reading one week ahead of everyone else so the new post should aid you the following week. New things include one resource(book, article, video, or YouVersion Bible app plan), songs, favorite verse, favorite chapter, something to watch for as you read, etc.
LINKS TO OTHER RESOURCES There are so many other people through the centuries that have given us insight into the book of Psalms. I hope to curate big lists of music, videos, articles, and tips for praying the Psalms. I’ll be adding new content each week so click a link below to check out the lists:
- Music of the Psalms
- Books about the Psalms
- Videos about the Psalms
- Articles about the Psalms
- Praying/Memorizing/Meditating the Psalms
- YouVersion Bible App Reading Plan Recommendations
PERSONAL PLAN My plan is to do the combined reading plan that takes you through Psalms one time every month and goes through the Psalms in a year by little amounts on weekdays. I love big picture context so I couldn’t imagine not going through the Psalms each month. But I also need to get better at digging deeper into small sections. Other resources I will use on a mostly daily basis will be this ESV journaling Bible, Timothy Keller’s devotional book The Songs of Jesus, and Dane C. Ortlund’s devotional book In the Lord I Take Refuge.
RECOMMENDATIONS Do you have resources to recommend? Email perpetualfelicitiesblog@gmail.com
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!
-Psalm 150
Perpetual Felicities 
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