Reading the Psalms on Friday Mornings
Do you know that a group of ladies meet regularly on Friday mornings to study the Bible? Carrie has been a part of this group that have been meeting for years now, even before COVID. She shares some of the lessons and encouragements from reading the Psalms together.
John Calvin said of the Psalms, “I have been wont to call this book not inappropriately, an anatomy of all parts of the soul; for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror.”
Indeed we see a myriad of emotions expressed in Psalms: love and adoration toward God, grief over sin, dependence on God in desperate times, struggle with fear and trust, devotion to God, thankfulness to God for His care etc. The writers of Psalms give us a peek into hearts that are devoted to God, repentant and transformed through personal encounters with Him, resulting in praise and worship of God.
The Friday Ladies Bible Study group has been reading the Psalms from the second half of September, though not all 150 psalms. What is different about this series? Instead of Jena leading it, each of the sisters takes lead on the psalm that speaks or encourages her. The sessions so far have been uplifting and edifying as God's grace can be seen so clearly in the personal experiences and struggles of these faithful sisters. These ladies have shown their unwavering trust in God as they persevere through the storms of life that don’t seem to abate. As in the quote by John Calvin above, every emotion is represented in the psalms. The ladies have experienced different circumstances and emotions, but we've found that the psalms have been relevant and encouraging again and again. Each time we meet to read, the psalms never fail to invoke worship and praise of our Almighty God, leading to singing of the psalms. We've even made a playlist of worship songs!
In our session last Friday, one of the sisters who is in her seventies led us through Psalm 146. She got us to reflect on how the psalms that we each had led find their connection in Psalm 146. The reflections that ensued amazed us all. The themes of the psalms that we did in previous weeks were also relevant to Psalm 146. There was a deeper appreciation and understanding of not just the psalms but of God, our Heavenly Father. We were awed and marvelled at how accurate the psalms depict our different experiences.
We end this short reading of psalms this Friday with one of our oldest member leading us in Psalm 23. I’m certainly looking forward to receiving the encouragement and blessings that come from reading the Bible together with these sisters, living out Ephesians 5:19-21:
"...addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."
Lord willing, the Friday Ladies Bible Study group is embarking on the book of Jeremiah in 2023 and we invite women of all ages to join us in growing in the Lord together on Friday mornings at 10.00am in church. If you're interested to find out more or join, you can contact Jena (ptjt0201@gmail.com)!