In 2018 I decided to read five Psalms and a chapter of Proverbs each day. I started on the 31st of December 2018, and through His Words, God changed my life in 2019. Here’s what I discovered through reading five Psalms and a chapter of Proverbs each day…

The themes of the Psalms are very similar
There are 150 Psalms, and one Psalm can be completely different from another. Which is why I didn’t expect this continuity. But in this vast landscape I see a unique unity found nowhere else.

I realised each and every Psalm was written with a real depth of understanding that God is real, that He created the heavens and the earth, that He is always listening to our prayers, and that I am nothing. 

The words and focus of each Psalm is different, some might be slight differences, others may seem like the difference is day and night. But they all see the same God. They see Him from different angles, and through different experiences, but it’s always talking about the God of Israel.

In a world where most of what I consumed is not written and spoken with a real depth of understanding that God is real, it was so refreshing to read something based on that foundation.

In that unity and understanding of God, I saw Christ. I realised that even though I know I’m part of one body, I needed to see the different aspects together. Reading through Psalms and Proverbs helped me realise that there is great unity in the body of Christ.

The many attributes of God are there
God is limitless. And although I thought I knew this, I really didn’t. In reading through Psalms and Proverbs I realised how much I don’t know.

I realised that God is not simply a God of love and faithfulness, but a God of judgement, wrath and justice too. As I read through Psalms and Proverbs I saw many attributes of God. Attributes like majesty, sovereignty, truth, glory, mercy, rule, power and righteousness. 

Knowing, understanding and feeling all these attributes gave me a deeper understanding of God. I see all of those attributes in Christ. And with this understanding I don’t see the New Testament as new, but a completion. 

The fear of the Lord is the foundation of discipline
Learning to love being told off is hard. But as I read I did, because my discipline came from God. He taught me gently and patiently.

And now I know that correction doesn’t destroy a relationship, but strengthens it. My relationship with God consisted of a few books, a bible study, and a weekly meeting with friends. I was definitely lukewarm, controlled by the world, idle and didn’t appreciate God.

But God taught me a lesson. I learned to love discipline, I learnt to grow. My growth as a believer came from a constant reading and meditation on His Word.

I learnt to fear God, a healthy fear of God woke me up to the value of Christ. In understanding the value of Christ, I understood the call of God in my life, the authority of Scripture and the power of the Spirit.

Psalm 119
Early in the year my bible study group talked about things we do daily with God. Through that conversation I realised a need for time with God before bed because I read Psalms and Proverbs in the morning.

By this stage I had read through Psalms twice and my favourite was Psalm 119. So I chose to read it every night. I asked others to join me, my family often joined me. Every night revealed a different verse to stop and meditate on.

In reading Psalm 119 every night I quickly saw the depth of trust, love and comfort it contained. 

And slowly God softened my heart. I got rid of the idols in my life and focused more on God. 

My favourite question is: “119?” And it fills me with joy when someone else reads it with me.

Simple habits
Reading Psalm 119 every night is a simple habit, and over the year it wasn’t the only one I formed.

Prayer. This is so important. Every time I humble myself before God is another chance for Him to teach me. I have grown in so much confidence simply by praying often and regularly. I start my day in prayer, and end it in prayer.

Open Bible. I developed a love for God’s Word, the bible comes with me everywhere. But I realised that just having it with me wasn’t enough, it has to be open. Because it is open in front of me it’s much easier to talk about it, find certain passages and commit Scripture to memory. 

Memorising Scripture. I find that as I have filled my memory with God’s Words they make their way to my heart. And from there they influence my thoughts, words and actions.

Recently I’ve started memorising Psalms specifically to pray. Many have short phrases that I can use to direct my prayers. And I’ll often start my prayers with a few verses of Scripture to pray around and align my heart with God’s.