For such a time as this: #apsalmaday

When I started the #apsalmaday video project back in February, I had no idea it would inspire people from all over the globe to read the psalms with renewed interest. 'Refreshing and enlightening', are comments I receive regularly. I have collected many other comments, messages, and emails, and I like to share a few with you.

Rasa Klein (Lithuania) is very faithful in sharing the videos on FB, she wrote to me:

I listen to your #apsalmaday videos every day and I like it very much. You know, I am sharing them on FB because I think they are very valuable and it is a great encouragement for every day.

I read the Bible every day and spend some time in prayer. 👉Your short encouragement message helps me to find the strength for everyday life. So I am glad to know you and to have the possibility to listen to your encouragement. God bless you!

Martin Podolák (Slovakia) helps with the English subtitles and also provides subtitles in the Slovak language. He is such an encouragement to me. He wrote:

A #psalmaday is such a good project for these days. We Christians know that the Bible is the living Word of God, but here it is so encouraging to see it in practice. 👉Marja's daily messages show that it is possible to get a fresh message from God's Word every day.

Her messages often give me light for the day, lead me to prayers, and motivate me to read the Word on a more personal level. Such reading is the basis for a deeper relationship with God, therefore I encourage you to join this journey and be touched by the Word of God.

Kenny Edmunds (Michigan, USA), whom I have never met in person but only know through mutual friends in Ukraine on FB, consistently shares the videos each day. Sharing is caring! He sent me this message:

The Psalms are powerful songs, that apply to any situation in life. 👉Reading them aloud, my heart is calmed and filled with praise and thanksgiving.

Sylvia King (Texas, USA) has been responding to the daily videos on YouTube, picking a verse and sharing her thoughts. Although I do not know her personally, I am encouraged by her comments. She wrote:

#Apsalmaday stays with me all day. 👉I Love giving myself more time to not just read the Psalm, but let it, as you say, speak to me. And, fun to see which verse speaks to you and others. I was telling my husband Terrence, who does YouVersion every morning, what a plan your Psalm-a-day would be on that platform! Just the way it is on YouTube. Perfect!

Needless to say that such comments make me happy and thankful. Although most of us are not traveling at the moment, we are on this journey together... a journey through God's Word, the journey of a lifetime!

If you want to share what #apsalmaday is doing for you, let me know!

Oh soul, disturbed within me

Now that I reflect daily on the psalms for my video project #apsalmaday, it strikes me once again how appropriate in this day and age, how recognizable, how timely they are.

One day, as a reader, we can identify with the joy of the psalmist, the next day with his grief or frustration. 👉Whatever the case, crying out to God is the common thread running through all psalms.

The other day we arrived at Psalm 42, a very well-known psalm but at the same time so refreshing! Verse 3:

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God ...

Oh, I recognize that, it is the cry of my heart! Don't get me wrong, God knows me and I know Him. He is in my life, He is in my heart. But that only increases the longing, the desire for more of Him, for more of His Spirit, for more of His Father's heart. The crazier the world gets, the more I seek Him, the more I want to learn from Him, the more I listen ...

The psalmist asks a good question: Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Do you experience this disturbance, this restlessness in your soul? I do. But I also learned (by reading the Psalms, among other things!) that it is nothing to worry about. That restlessness, that thirst in our soul might be a sign,

• that we should spend quality time with the Lord, He wants to speak to us
• that we are in a season of change and God wants to show us new things or the next step
• that we should schedule a time to fast in order to regain our focus
• that God is revealing Himself to us in a new way, in other words, that we are going to learn something new about His eternal character
• that it is time to refresh our worship practices
• that we should pick up or pursue praying in tongues again

Hopefully, this list will help you. I am curious... is there anything particular that appeals to you in Psalm 42?

About prayers and frustration...

With everything that is going on in the world right now, I struggle with praying (yep). I am frustrated with my own prayers. I admit it and I know I am not the only one 😁

I find myself struggling on a daily basis. Should I pray as David prayed? Lord, kill the wicked. Wipe 'm off the face of the earth! Sometimes I feel like doing that, but somehow it does not satisfy my soul. 

Well, maybe it is better to pray a nice prayer... Lord, forgive those who oppose You, for they don't know what they are doing. Hm, quite a humble prayer, based on the words of Jesus when He prayed for His accusers. However, under current circumstances, it seems passive to me.

Or maybe I should pray a prayer of love, simply because love will never fail. Lord, thank You for being love. Show Your love to those that hate You. Well, something like that. But I find this quite difficult when my heart is restless and frustration and anger are rising up regularly.

I don't know how you handle prayers for the world's situation these days, but I have decided that the Lord's prayer is probably the best proclamation prayer, 👉 and I put emphasis on this verse:

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

It doesn't really matter how I think or feel. This is what I need to proclaim over every possible situation. I hope it is your prayer as well!

Do you have a particular prayer, you have been praying lately?