Key Events/Passages in today’s reading:

• Save Me, O God (Psalm 69)
• I Envied the Arrogant (Psalm 73)
• Will the Lord Reject Forever (Psalm 77)
• Better is One Day (Psalm 84)

Verse that stood out: Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name – Psalm 86:11.

We’re almost half-way through the Bible. I can honestly say I have not missed a day. That doesn’t mean every day’s effort has been equal in quality. Some days have been more about getting the reading done. Other days have been more meditative and reflective. The Psalms seem to demand this latter kind of reading. Poetry demands a slower approach. As such, I’ve found the Psalms to be a bit more of a challenge. You can’t just speed through them.

I have been gleaning some verses from the Psalms that I hope to commit to memory and use as centering prayers. A centering prayer is a simple prayer, usually no more than a phrase or two that is used to quiet one’s heart before God. A common centering prayer is called the Jesus prayer and is an adaptation of the publican’s prayer found in the gospels. It says simply, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Often before other types of prayer or when I find myself scattered during the day or just when I have a few spare minutes between meetings I’ll repeat this prayer slowly as a way of bringing my thoughts back to God. I’m going to try using Psalm 86:11 this week in a similar fashion. I let you know how it goes. I thought there were several verses out of Psalm 86 that could be used in this fashion.

What verses in the Psalms have stood out to you?

For tomorrow:

• Cover to Cover: Psalm 88:1-Psalm 107:17
• Key Passage: Psalm 88
• Verse of the Day: Psalm 88:1-2

“Psalm 73” sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey. This is an example of how congregations have sung the Psalms throughout the church’s history.