Write it down…
Rise and Shine sweet friends!
If you are following along in our Daily Walk Bible, I hope you are soaking in the goodness of Psalms each morning!!
Ahh! I keep my pen and journal close by and write down some of these life nourishing Psalms. I need them etched on my heart forever.
The book of Psalm resonates with every heart. The longing, the lamenting, the anger, the bitterness...
Intermingled with much praise, worship, repentance, laughter, and joy....
Sounds like a day in our everyday life, doesn't it?
Oh, the emotions!!
Through these heart soothing Psalms, we are reminded to praise. Not just praise when we are happy, but to praise when things are not good. To praise when we feel the opposite of praising. To praise when we have been wronged and hurt and misunderstood.
But I will give repeated thanks to The Lord, praising Him to everyone for He stands beside the needy, ready to save them from those who condemn them. Psalm 109:30-31
Let them praise The Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them. Psalm 107:21
Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. May all who are godly rejoice in The Lord and praise His Holy Name! Psalm 97:11-12
These are just a few of the many I have scribbled down in my prayer journal. I need to be reminded daily, if not minute by minute, to stop what I am doing and PRAISE Him.
We are often wired to worry, to be anxious, to over think situations, to focus on the negative, to take things out of context....
Jesus wants to re-wire us through Praise.
I can tell you with 100 million percent certainty that a heart that praises is a heart full of JOY.
Years ago, I began writing down blessings in a little notebook. I was in my early thirties and my life just seemed like one big stressful pile-up.
I had gotten the idea from a book by Ann Voskamp called 1000 gifts.
My children were smaller and the many chaotic details of my days were overwhelming.
I began to write down everything I saw that was a gift from God....the smallest of things.
coffee in the morning.
wildflowers in my yard.
red birds.
children playing outside.
morning sunlight through my kitchen window.
messy floors. (yes, even this!)
Slowly, day by day, I felt this new Peace washing over me. A contentment and a joy that I had not felt in a while.
When my heart was focused on praise, my life changed. My attitude changed. My words changed.
Gentleness replaced harshness.
Joy replaced discontentment.
Mercy replaced unforgiveness.
Humility replaced pride.
I felt as if God had given me this secret....this secret of Praise.
Suddenly, I realized I had unlocked the greatest treasure box of all time.
The good news is, it is available at all times!
We just have to re-wire and re-train our brains to remember.
I am a big fan of writing things down. If I do not write it down, IT WILL NOT HAPPEN.
So, I encourage you, I challenge you...
Begin writing down Psalms you are reading.
Date them.
Read them.
Re-read them.
Keep a journal of your blessings.
Carry it around with you.
Your heart will began to soften. Your countenance will change. People will notice.
May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us...Psalm 67:1
If you have fallen off the wagon of reading your Bible, I encourage you to pick it back up.
Find some time in the early morning if you can....or whenever you can squeeze in a few minutes.
We need His Word like we need air in our lungs.
"He sent out His Word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death." Psalm 107:20
Would you mind sharing a Psalm that you love with me? I would love to know the words God is using to nourish your heart. You can email me at shinegirlsshine@email.com or text/call me to share!
Today, I am heading out to buy a new notebook. I want to fill it up with the many gifts that surround me each day. Will you join me?
Let's praise God and count our many blessings together, shall we?
counting blessings one by one,
jill
