The ocean is vast and cold and mysterious, but there are small treasures on the beach—treasures to pick up and take home and touch and feel and remember.
The book of Psalms, like the ocean, can be overwhelming. It is, after all, the longest book in the Bible. It can be mysterious, with its blend of grandiose praises and heart-wrenching cries of despair. But, like the seashore, Psalms is full of treasures. And not just beautiful treasures, but useful words and patterns and habits to enrich our communication with God.
Beachcombing the Psalms is not a Bible study–it’s a prayer study. We’ll read the whole book of Psalms, but we won’t take a scholarly exploration of every word in every chapter. Instead, we’ll walk through Psalms and talk to the Lord as we do so, using the treasures that catch our eyes today.
We’ll begin by simply choosing verses that appeal to us—verses we can treasure and use in our prayers. We’ll move on to looking for specific topics in Psalms, learning what the Psalms say about God and how he interacts with us. I’ll share personal experiences and the prayer exercises that have helped me to respond to this ancient book of prayers. Every week or chapter contains five days of study and prayer, and one day of worship. The worship day is a time to slow down and remember who you are talking to—the living God who is our salvation, our Rock, our Refuge. A brief quote from the New Testament will show you Jesus, the living Word, bringing these descriptions to life. Mark’s worship poetry will invite you to slow down and savor the concepts you’ve learned.
The book of Psalms has been my prayer guide through seasons of loss, depression, anxiety, hope, joy, and change. There is truly something here for every day—prayers from every emotion you can imagine. Join me on this journey of Beachcombing the Psalms.
The book is available at Amazon right here: link.
Ruth J. Leamy 