Breathing Deeply

A few days ago I found myself settling into a mindset to be more intentional about the discipline of reading the Psalms.  Anyone who reads the Bible reads these Spirit inspired writings of David.  There are some people who memorize the whole collection of 150 Psalms, but most of us have memorized but a few and they are usually our favorites.  Of course, the 23rd Psalm is probably the most memorized of them all.   I have still not forgotten my embarrassment the Sunday morning in my first church when I was leading the congregation in "The Lord's Prayer" and somehow wandered into reciting the 23rd Psalm!  

While I have read and studied the "The New Revised Version"  of the Bible longer than I can remember, I must confess that my spirit wants to return to the old "King James Version" when I start reading the Psalms.  Another preferred option for reading the Psalms is "The New Jerusalem Bible."  The  newer and more contemporary versions of the Bible with their propensity for the trendy and familiar just seem to miss out on the cadence of the more ancient renderings.  

The Psalms are poetry for the soul.  They are not to be read hurriedly.  Some suggest reading them aloud so that the mind not only reads but hears.   When we slowly become immersed in them, they have a way of settling into the cracks, fractures, and broken places of our spirit.  They have such healing power which is why we find ourselves returning to them again and again. Maybe my spirit is not the only one being drawn back to these sacred words which have the power to heal, to lift our hearts in praise, and slow our hurried pace so we can breathe deeply one more time.