GROW WITH THE PSALMS

GROW 1: PSALM 77

In this world you will have TROUBLE? The value of Lament

In session 1, we looked at Psalm 77. The psalmist, Asaph was depressed, not over a loss, but life was not as it once was. Whatever pain or ache you are experiencing takes away your joy.

Using Psalm 77 as a guide, consider what your “lament” would sound like.

Lament is defined as “loud cry, a howl, a passionate expression of grief.” Lament “gives voice to the strong emotions that believers feel because of suffering.”

Use Asaph’s words or your own, or read a variety of translations and choose one that resembles the way your heart would give voice to lament. (I like the New Living, The Message or the Passion Translations)

Verses 1-6 Complaints or laments
Verses 7-10 Laments directed toward God
Verse 11-12 Choice to Pivot: remember God, recall his works, meditate on them
Verse 13-15 Turn your eyes toward God - what do you see?
Verse 16-20 When is another time in your history that God showed up BIG?
What was your response to him then?

Write your Psalm. Keep it somewhere you can find it easily. Share it with a friend or family member to share where you have seen God show up in your life.
I would love to hear from you as well. Just email kathy@kathyburrus.com

GROW 2: Psalm 84

The Trouble with JOY: the Journey from honesty & lament to Intimacy & Joy.
What do we actually know about joy and how do we become ‘joy-full’?

Often times we read through scripture with more of the left side of our brain - logically focusing our attention on the task before us and the discipline we have committed to. We are then fulfilled by the accomplishment of completing the exercise and journal about what the Word said to us with only brief attention to how it might transform us. (Do I sound sarcastic? I lived this way for awhile. I know it well.)

I invite you to use a dialogue with God through Scripture called Lectio Divina that includes the whole self: thoughts, images, memories, desires, etc. The movements within lectio divina involve reading, listening to, responding to, and resting in the Word of God. It can be practiced alone or with a community.

In our journey to learn to become joyfull, I invite you to read through Psalm 84. I have included it below for you in the Passion Translation. Feel free to read it from the Bible version you prefer, however, reading from a different translation than you are familiar with, may help you listen in fresh ways.

Read through Psalm 84 three times: (or choose a portion of it to begin with)

The first reading: Prayerfully ask the Lord to help you see words or phrases that speak to you in the moment. Just sit with them for a time and let them soak in.

The second reading: As you re-engage with this same text, allow the word or phrase to wash over you and permeate your thoughts and feelings. Let this become an open dialog with the Lord.

Read the text The third time: Pray! What is God saying to you in these words? What do you want to say to God? What feelings do these words raise up in you? Share your answers with God.

What gift has God given you to take away from this prayer? What is God be inviting you to Be or Do as a result? Thank God for this gift and invitation as you conclude your prayer.

Psalm 84 (The Passion TRanslation)

1 God of Heaven’s Armies, you find so much beauty in your people!
They’re like lovely sanctuaries of your presence.
2 Deep within me are these lovesick longings,
desires and daydreams of living in union with you.
When I’m near you, my heart and my soul will sing
and worship with my joyful songs of you,
my true source and spring of life!

3 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, my King and my God,
even the sparrows and swallows are welcome to build a nest
among your altars to raise their young.
4 What pleasure fills those who live every day in your temple,
enjoying you as they worship in your presence!

Pause in his presence

5 How enriched are they who find their strength in the Lord;
within their hearts are the highways of holiness that lead us to God’s holy presence.
6 Even when their paths wind through the dark valley of tears,
they dig deep to find a pleasant pool where others find only pain.
He gives to them a brook of blessing filled from the rain of an outpouring.

7 They grow stronger and stronger with every step forward,
and the God of all gods will appear before them in Zion.
8 Hear my cry, O God of Heaven’s Armies!
God of Jacob, listen to my loving prayer.

Pause in his presence

9 God, your wraparound presence is our defense.
In your kindness look upon the faces of your anointed ones.
10For just one day of intimacy with you
is like a thousand days of joy rolled into one!
I’d rather stand at the threshold in front of the Gate Beautiful,
ready to go in and worship my God,
than to live my life without you
in the most beautiful palace of the wicked.

11 For the Lord God is brighter than the brilliance of a sunrise!
Wrapping himself around me like a shield,
he is so generous with his gifts of grace and glory.
Those who walk along his paths with integrity
will never lack one thing they need, for he provides it all!
12 O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, what euphoria fills those who forever trust in you!

Would you like to know more about Lectio Divina?

My friend Nancy Booth wrote a great article to help you understand the process.
You can find it here. Or check out her book Want to Hear God? Connect with Him in Prayer https://a.co/d/4RIoWjp

GROW 3 Psalm 139

GROWING our JOY CAPACITY: Making Space to
COMMUNE intimately with God
and serve as a CONDUIT of his love in our world.

For this GROW challenge, engage the right side of your brain to create a piece of artwork depicting the message of Psalm 139. This can be done with words or pictures, drawing, painting, or your favorite way of creating art. You might use paper and supplies or find a way to create from your computer. Or perhaps you will use your skill of quilting or painting, or skilled work with your hands to make the message of Psalm 139 come alive, not just for you, but for those you share it with. As for the Bible translation you use, that’s up to you.

I know, for those of you who prefer tasks rather than creativity, this challenge can feel a bit daunting. I encourage you to stretch yourself to SEE God’s word in a new way that just might inspire JOY abundant.

Then email Kathy@kathyburrus.com and with your permission, we will find a way to showcase your art with the community.