Psalms

"A Psalm in the morning and a Psalm at night". That's what my friend told me to read.

I haven't had a good structured devotional time for years. Years ago I bought study guides from the bookstore and followed them in a group. You know how it works? Read the study guide, read the Bible passage and answer the questions. That was ok. But it seemed like "homework".

Looking for ideas, I asked a bunch of guy friends what they do for devotions. Of the six I asked, only one has a devotional life. And his devo is hardcore, putting me to shame. But he inspired me, knowing that at least one guy is connecting with the Lord every day.

My devotions are part-journal. I note something good happening to me, or some place I went, or my emotion for the day. Then I have three categories:

Reading: I write here the Bible chapter, or another non-Biblical book I'm reading.
Listening To: I write here a specific song I'm hooked on.
Thinking About: I write a few things that are on my mind.
Praying: I write a list of requests and I always try to include something to be thankful for.

This format can last half an hour if I'm soaked in it, or if I'm rushed, it can be embarrassingly short. I journal a few times a week but I tend to skip it on those days when I'm cranky.

When I refer back to the journal I see my times of pain and my moments of thrill. Kind of like the Psalms, right? Days filled with praise. Days feeling attacked.

So - "a Psalm in the morning and a Psalm at night". No matter how tired, no matter how rushed.