[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, July 2019]
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path (Ps 119:105)
Have you ever read a novel and looked first at the last page to see how it ends. I have known some readers who do just that. However, I must confess that I have a book that I start at the last page and read towards the front .It is the Hebrew “Authorised Daily Prayer Book” and is printed in the Jewish manner, from the back to the front. Sadly I cannot read Hebrew but the book has a parallel English translation by Sir Jonathan Sacks who was this country’s Chief Rabbi until his retirement.
Reading the Jewish prayers and the commentary included in the book has given me insight into how the Jewish beliefs as fulfilled by our Saviour Jesus are the foundation of our own Christian faith. Many of the prayers are based on what we read in the Bible’s Old Testament, and especially the book of Psalms. In the Psalms, loved by many Christians, we are led to praise the creator God, find answers to our daily problems, question God as to why evil things go on in the world and in our lives today, and learn prophecies about the first coming of Jesus already fulfilled and those about His second coming that are still to happen.
The evangelist, Billy Graham, recommended reading five Psalms a day in order to read through the book in a month to help us through our daily life. The only problem is that some Psalms are much longer than others, and so reading all 176 verses of Psalm 119 together with four other Psalms on the same day takes a long time. For my own use I worked out a reading plan based on the number of verses in each Psalm so that I read about the same each day – some days less than five Psalms and other days more than five. Psalm 119, for example, is read on its own over two days.
Can I encourage you to follow Billy Graham’s advice and read the Psalms in a month? By using the following plan it is much easier, and can be used as a basis for your prayers.
| Day | Psalms | | | Day | Psalms | | | Day | Psalms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01: | 1 – 8 | | | 11: | 56 – 62 | | | 21: | 104 – 105 |
| 02: | 9 – 16 | | | 12: | 63 – 68 | | | 22: | 106 – 107 |
| 03: | 17 – 19 | | | 13: | 69 – 72 | | | 23: | 108 – 113 |
| 04: | 20 – 25 | | | 14: | 73 – 76 | | | 24: | 114 – 118 |
| 05: | 26 – 31 | | | 15: | 77 – 78 | | | 25: | 119 (1-88) |
| 06: | 32 – 35 | | | 16: | 79 – 83 | | | 26: | 119 (89-176) |
| 07: | 36 – 39 | | | 17: | 84 – 88 | | | 27: | 120 – 131 |
| 08: | 40 – 44 | | | 18: | 89 – 91 | | | 28: | 132 – 137 |
| 09: | 45 – 49 | | | 19: | 92 – 97 | | | 29: | 138 – 143 |
| 10: | 50 – 55 | | | 20: | 98 – 103 | | | 30: | 144 – 150 |
PS.If you really want to see how the Bible ends, turn to the back and read Revelation 21 and 22. It really does have a happy ending for those of us who believe in Jesus as our Saviour and Lord.
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Contributed by Michael Goble; © the Author
