Day 134

This week I read an article by a woman who had been keeping a journal for 20 years.  She said it seemed natural for her to continue when her father suffered a major stroke.  She described the benefits of her journaling during the five years she cared for her father until his death.  She observed, her daily entries provided her with perspective and a unique sustenance.
I must admit I am not the most faithful, but I see many benefits to journaling.  Within this week’s passages, we will see how it benefited Solomon as he keeps records of people and situations (and later writes 3,000 proverbs and 1,005 songs).  We will read of men whose responsibility it was to record the blessings and actions of God for the people of Israel.  We will read David’s journaling as he uses words to worship God meditatively.

Psalm 103, 108-110, 122, 124.  “Like Painting a Sunset”

While painting a sunset I use various colors to bring out an accurate illustration of the real thing.  In a similar fashion, David uses various descriptions to illustrate the real thing.  David writes of God’s love, strength, compassion, and more.  Yet, he adds still more dimension to the illustration by adding examples of His love, strength, compassion, or whatever the focus.
The quality of an artistic piece is determined by its “depth.”  Whether it’s sculpture, paint, or song, a greater piece has greater depth.  That is the element that David continues to add to the word pictures of God.  
For instance, as he describes the love of God in Psalm 103, he tells us what God does for us and how that illustrates His love: “He forgives, He fills my life with good things, He will not constantly accuse us, He does not deal with us as we deserve, He understands our weaknesses,” etc.
David did the same thing for illustrating God’s strength in Psalm 108.
From your personal experiences, what elements of depth could you add to one of God’s characteristics?

General Questions for each day:
Summarize the day’s Bible passage in your own words.
What thoughts, actions, attitudes or beliefs are addressed in the passage?
How is the Holy Spirit leading you to apply this passage to your life today?