Walking Through The Psalms

Now that you've completed the Proverbs Challenge, you're ready to dig deeper into the word.  The Proverbs Challenge gets you into reading the Bible on a daily basis and you should continue to read Proverbs on a daily basis.  You will continue to be amazed and what comes to light each time you read them.  The Psalms offer us a new challenge.  There are 150 Psalms and there are still roughly 30 days in the month, so if we read 5 Psalms a day, we will get through them by the end of the month. 

This challenge goes hand in hand with the Proverbs Challenge.  You should continue to read one chapter in Proverbs and in addition read five chapters in Psalms.  It's not as hard as it sounds and the Psalms are (for the most part) shorter than the Proverbs chapters.  Plus, each chapter in Psalms is dedicated to an idea, a concept, a concern or a fear.  

The Psalms are mostly written by David and express his concerns as he faces the realities of life.  Remember, David faced some very trying times.  The Psalms capture his songs of joy and his cries for help.  The Psalms are David's prayers that express his feelings emanating from his heart and soul as he pours them out to God.  Let the honesty of the Psalms guide you into a deep and genuine relationship with God.


The Psalms are organized into five books:

Book One:     (Psalms 1 - 41)
The first collection of psalms discusses how mankind was created, blessed, fell into sin, and redeemed by God similar to the book of Genesis.

Book Two:     (Psalms 42 - 72)
This collection of psalms describes the trials of the nation of Israel as it was ruined and then recovered.  In the same way God rescues Israel, God rescues us.  This is similar to the book of Exodus.

Book Three:  (Psalms 73 - 89)
This collection of psalms praises God for His deliverance, His power and strength, and His holiness.  It shows how we can turn to Him for our deliverance and how we should praise Him always.  This is similar to the book of Leviticus.

Book Four:    (Psalms 90 - 106)
This collection of psalms discusses the relationship of the nation of Israel to the surrounding nations.  It often compares this relationship to our relationship with the Kingdom of God since we are ultimately citizens of His overruling Kingdom.  This is similar to the book of Numbers.

Book Five:    (Psalms 107 - 150)
This collection of psalms are anthems of praise and thanksgiving for God and His word.  Most of these were originally set to music and used in worship.  Our hearts should sing as we read through these psalms.  This is similar to the book of Deuteronomy.


Your faith journey is about to be stepped up a notch.  As you continue reading through the Psalms, God will continue to highlight areas in your life that need to be addressed, or cleaned up.  Be sure to ask Him for direction and guidance as you explore what actions to take.  He will guide you down His path.  This will be an exciting and adventurous endeavor.  You will begin to feel yourself being drawn closer to God as you spend more time in His word.

I have to tell you, I'm very excited for you!!  And I'm here for you if you have any questions or comments, please post them.  I want this to be an open discussion or forum for anyone to present their thoughts.  I will post my thoughts as we go through this together.  Along the way, I'll try to provide additional resources, videos, study guides, and other media that may be helpful in your journey.

Enjoy!


The Shepherd



Let's get started