TO CHEW ON: "Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Psalm 23:6
Do you keep a journal or diary? Have you ever read someone else’s, like The Diary of Anne Frank? You can tell a lot of things about someone by reading their journal. You can tell whether they’re mainly a happy or sad person. You can tell how they feel about others like family members and friends. And you can tell the things that make them scared, excited, discouraged or hopeful.
David, the boy Saul anointed king, kept a kind of journal. We still have it today. His journal was made up of poetry or songs called psalms. Many of David’s writings are found in our Bible book of Psalms (though not all the psalms in it are written by David). Since we know that David was someone who pleased God, it’s a great thing to have these personal writings of his.
Like most journal writers, David wrote about everyday things familiar to him. He was a shepherd and knew about sheep and looking after them. In Psalm 23 he wrote about sheep. But his heart was also so full of thoughts about God that he put God in his world. He called God his shepherd and pretended that he was a sheep.
Suppose you didn’t know anything else about David except that he was a shepherd. By reading this psalm, what can you tell about:
1. The things David liked.
2. The things that made David afraid.
3. Who David trusted in.
4. How David felt about God.
PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the Bible and especially the Psalms which help us see inside the heart of David and others who knew You well. Amen
MORE: Your own journal
If you don’t already keep a journal, you may want to start one. Your journal doesn’t have to be a fancy book. A school scribbler works just fine. Here are a few journal points that will help make yours a treasure long after the book is full:
1. Date your entries.
2. Write about the everyday things in your life.
3. Write about God, or to God, or the things you hear God say to you.
4. Write regularly, even if it’s just a line or two.
5. Reread your journals later to remind you of the things you’ve learned and how God has been with you.
Answers
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS are available too at Other Food: daily devo's.
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