Happy New Year, friends!
Here we are in the Official Resolution Making Season.
I won’t offer that. Consider this a suggestion. A fun one, hopefully. We can make it fun, that’s for sure.
Let me start with the why before the what.
The What: Loneliness.
We talk about it on the show all the time. It is an epidemic and not just in America. We’ve talked about the inexplicable “Secretary of Loneliness” in the UK. Imagine there being so many lonely, isolated people that it warrants a governmental department to address it.
Add to that another consistent theme on the show, which is what we pay attention to.
We have these little machines in our hands, pockets, and purses that give the illusion of “friends” or “followers.” But the algorithms assigned to us thrive on not only making us lonelier but adding copious amounts of anger and anxiety to our days and nights.
Ok, there’s the why. Depressing, I know.
Forgive me, but I needed to briefly address how bleak the picture is. This is in an effort to encourage you to consider what is admittedly a counterculture proposal.
Recently on the show, Brant talked about how to add some energy to your scripture reading this year. One option he gave was “Reflect on a Psalm a week.” We discussed several reasons why, the greatest of which is:
Psalms give you a picture of what a robust, complicated life with God lived out loud looks like. It also demonstrates what honest, transparent prayer can sound like and be like.
I love that.
Then I thought: What if we didn’t do this alone? What if we did it with friends? How much richer would it be?
It’s the difference between going to a Michelin Star restaurant alone and going with a group of people you love. The food is amazing, but it’s even more amazing when you share the food and the experience together.
So what if you did a month of Psalms With Friends?
It could look like this:
• Every Sunday for a month, you and a group of friends agree on one Psalm you will meditate and study for the week.
• Every day that week, you text whatever new insights, studies, personal experiences, or thoughts you have on that one Psalm.
• At the end of the month, have a beautiful meal together to talk about all you’ve studied and experienced together through the Psalms.
This doesn’t have to be a deep theological dive. It can be very raw. Very experiential. That is, after all, what Psalms actually is.
Maybe you like it so much you do it more than one month?
Maybe you switch the group of friends for the next month?
Maybe you do it with your kids or grandkids?
I’m smiling while I type this, thinking about how some of you will take this and make it your own.
The possibilities are endless, but may I leave you with a few possible outcomes derived from the Psalms themselves?
• Light
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
• A Life of Righteousness
“I have hidden thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Psalm 119:11
• Healing
“He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.” Psalm 107:20
• Joy
“Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.” Psalm 119:111
• Peace
“Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” Psalm 119:165
If, on your own, you commit to ruminating on one Psalm a week, I truly believe you can expect all of this and more.
But if you commit to doing it with family and friends? Well, I’ll let Psalm 133 paint the beautiful picture of hopeful expectation:
How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
Sherri Lynn
Midday Show Host, STAR 99.1 | Listen Now
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