In the morning I wake up, ready to start on my morning routine of yoga, Bible reading, and journaling. But many days I am distracted by the lure of quick and easy information hits over actually absorbing wisdom. Any Christian, I believe, would say that reading the Psalms is better for your heart, soul, and life than scrolling social media; however, our daily practices may show that we believe otherwise.
“I’m going to read my Bible this morning” I’m thinking to myself as I sleepily walk to the Keurig (another quick and easy favorite). But then the Siren song of technology whispers:
“I wonder if anyone sent me a text after I went to sleep last night?”
“Was there an emergency I missed while I was sleeping?”
“What’s today’s Wordle?”
“Have I missed any @sharonsaysso stories?”
“I’ll look at Facebook while my coffee is brewing.”
We Choose Convenience Over Depth
I have spans of time where I do really well not picking up my phone first thing every morning. But then I wonder back to old, easier habits. I wrote a blog post about technology and its effect on our relational well-being here.
It’s not just the daily keeping up with life things that draw us in. When terrible things happen, when there’s breaking news, we want to stay informed—keep up with the latest details, see how others are responding. What does Uncle Joe think? What is my favorite author saying? But it becomes all-consuming.
Recently, after the Uvalde shooting, I could not put my phone down. Curiosity, but also, a feeling of responsibility to keep up with what’s going on in the world lead me into rabbit holes of information and agendas. But I knew I couldn’t keep up that pace.
What is saving my life right now?
“What is saving your life right now?” This is a fun question that several authors answer from time to time on social media, blog posts, and podcasts. I love to hear the answers because they range from silly (cereal for dinner) to serious (my spouse).
Usually when I hear this question, my answer is more on the fun side: Dunkin’ Donuts caramel cold brew, books, the Sleeping at Last instrumentals playlist…
But when I was posting about this prompt on Instagram recently, two days after the Uvalde shooting, my answer was more serious. Because what was saving my life was reading the Psalms. One chapter a day from Psalms was giving me an anchor in my day when the world around me was chaos. Here’s why—
Psalms > Scrolling
Wisdom > Information
Lament > Numbing Out
God > World
There’s so much anger, hurt, arguing, and grieving going on in the world right now. And there’s all of that in the Psalms too—But the answer is always God. First, we tell God how angry and confused we are; then we receive clarity and peace so we can move forward.
Why do the Psalms feel important right now?
I think the Psalms feel important right now because in a world of distress (school shootings, war, inflation, sickness, dying), God is peace. When we feel hopeless, God is our hope. We are longing for depth over shallowness, wisdom over more and more information. Maybe we don’t have the words to express that, but the Psalmists do.
“How long, Lord?”
Psalm 13:1
I started reading through the Psalms at the end of May. I’ve been making my way through the Old Testament (for over two years) and I’m finally through the first half. Every time I read a Psalm, I want to share what I’m learning and how I’m processing God’s Word.
And guess what I’ve seen? At least two other writers are sharing a Psalms series this summer. Also my favorite podcast, The Next Right Thing, will be Psalms-focused for a few weeks.
I could feel intimidated by other writers like me sharing posts about the Psalms during these summer months. But I choose to join in and say “Read the Psalms with me.” I want to be a part of this movement, and not feel insecure that someone will do it better than me.
There’s a reason this idea is taking hold of so many creatives right now. It’s because we want permission to be vulnerable with God. We need to share our struggles with Him and know that He hears our cries when we feel wronged. We want to ask “why do the peoples plot in vain?” and we want to remember that God is close even if we wonder where He is.
The Psalms are full of heartache, but also full of praise. Somehow the writers of Psalms still believe in God’s goodness and His power, even when their bones are weak.
And I want that assurance, don’t you? I want those reminders. I want to remember that God, not the things of this world, is my inheritance. I could spend 30 minutes scrolling social media or I could spend 30 minutes reading God’s Word. I know which one will stress me out versus which one will bring me peace.
Join Me for Psalms for the Summer
Starting July 1st I’ll be sharing my thoughts from each chapter. One for each day of the month. We’ll be reading Psalms 1-31 to keep it simple.
So if you’re looking for encouragement to read your Bible everyday and you want more than just checking it off a list, I’d love for you join me. I’ll be posting daily on my Instagram and Facebook pages starting July 1st. Or you can follow along here on my website.
I hope you’ll join me and may we be blessed by God’s Word!
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