Read the Psalms in November...with LBF

By Dan Franklin, Pastor of Teaching 

This past July we finished up a year-long Bible Reading Plan at LBF. We wanted to do something formal to encourage everyone to taste and experience the benefits of God’s Word. Several hundred of you chose to take us up on the offer, and we had a great time reading and discussing what God was saying to us. This month you will have another opportunity to dig into God’s Word with your friends at LBF. For the month of November we are going to dig into the Psalms. Why Psalms? Three main reasons:

1. During November we will be talking about prayer each Sunday morning. The Psalms are prayers. They are songs being sung to and about God, and many also serve as personal prayers to God. They model to us what authentic prayer can look like. 
2. Reading one psalm each day will give us the opportunity to read and respond to God’s Word without getting lost in reading too much content each day. It will be a great way to put your toe in the water if you are not a regular Bible reader, and it will be a great way to slow down if you regularly read larger chunks of God’s Word each day. 
3. On December 1, we will follow up our “In Jesus’ Name” series and the Bible Reading Plan with a Deeper event that will springboard off the subject of prayer. This will serve as a great resolution to both the series and the plan. 

As you prepare to approach the Psalms, you can know that you will be exposed to a number of different kinds of prayers. Here are just a few:


Thanksgiving. Psalms of thanksgiving remind us of the blessings we have received from God. When we are struggling through debt and poor health and the stress of parenting, we can forget how blessed we are. Psalms of thanksgiving point us toward God’s presence even in tough times.

Praise. The Psalms remind us of who God is. There may be nothing more important in life than remembering who God is. He is good. He is powerful. He is wise. He is gracious. He is compassionate. He is forgiving. He is righteous. He is jealous. Our view of God determines the reality in which we live. The Psalms will help us view the world through the true reality of God.

Confession. Many Psalms are filled with confession of sin and cries for forgiveness and healing. They reflect the experience of people who know that they are broken and know that only God can bring forgiveness and healing. These Psalms remind us that we are not alone in our need for God’s grace and compassion. And they remind us that when we humbly come to God, we always get grace from Him.

Longing. The Psalms reflect a longing for God. They reflect a longing for Him to act, for Him to heal, for Him to save, and for Him simply to be present. The psalmists long to be with God and to know that He is with them. Our greatest need is not for health or family or money. Our greatest need is for God Himself. The Psalms point us to the only one who can meet our deepest needs.

On our website and in the bulletin each Sunday at church, you will be offered a reading plan for the Psalms in November. You will be invited to read and reflect on one Psalm each day for 30 days. You will have a chance to interact with others about this on Facebook and through personal conversations. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to taste the benefits of God’s Word and to grow in your experience of communion with God in prayer.