So here’s my journal entry for Psalm 65:
I’m making this post so you can see what my journal looks like for Psalm 65. I walked through each step in detail in the posts demonstrating how this process works, but you don’t need a whole book when you’re going through this process on your own. Most of my notes that I included in the previous posts were to help teach and guide you through the process itself.
If you’re just now tuning in, our study of Psalm 65 kicked off here: https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/11/small-group-a-new-season-of-faith/
We first examined the question of WHO?:
https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/12/small-group-psalm-65-who/
We next examined the question of WHERE/WHEN?:
https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/12/small-group-psalm-65-where-when/
We then examined the question of HOW?:
https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/small-group-psalm-65-how/
And finally, we wrapped up examining the question of WHY?:
https://hballinger.wordpress.com/2018/01/14/small-group-psalm-65-why/
It may seem complicated and like a lot of work if you look at the detail that went into my individual posts, but you can see that the process actually goes pretty quickly on paper when you aren’t having to walk through your explanation of each item. I encourage you to keep it simple, manageable, and enjoyable — remember, that the only point of this exercise it to get the scriptures to be come more real, more memorable, and more applicable.
Don’t make it a chore, make it a game — reverting to that child-like faith. We’re exercising our imagination, our mind to see things that aren’t right in front of us — and from my experience, intentionally practicing this opening up of sorts in our time of study — this allowing ourselves to get past the academic study and into something close an personal — will help us to begin seeing the Word of God come alive even when we aren’t actively “going through this process”. It will ignite the Word that is written on your heart so that it is brought to your remembrance more readily when you need it during the trials of life. And if you practice this regularly in your study time, you’ll find yourself more often meditating upon and contemplating scripture during your quiet times rather than dwelling on thoughts that might bring anxiety, worry, etc.
May the Lord bless you and keep you and may His spirit settle upon you and lead you, guide you, teach you, and even correct you, to walk in His way. Amen.
Harold J. Ballinger 