No plan ever failed...?

Jury Nel once said, “No plan ever failed due to adequate planning.”  I'm a planner and sometimes those plans succeed and sometimes they fail.  But if they fail, it isn't because I failed to plan! Actually, planing can be a blessing... and at times, a curse.  It certainly is a blessing however in relation to my devotional times.  

Each November I start praying about the direction my quiet times will take me in the coming year.  Last year I spent in the Psalms and reading a dozen books (see post by clicking HERE) about drawing close to the Father.  I had relationship, I needed intimacy.  It was a year of deepening, of worship, and of expression.  I needed last year.  

So as 2017 approached I began to pray about where God would lead me in the coming year.  Heather mentioned that she was going to focus on worship this year.  I nearly jumped on the bandwagon but decided I still wasn’t quite satisfied with my study of the Psalms in 2016.  Towards the end of the year I discovered a couple of resources to help in my study of the Psalms that I wished I had used the entire year.  So, this year I’m back in the Psalms, with a little different angle.  

Here are the books that I will be using to help me move forward in my devotional time this year:

The Bible- Obviously, but just so I have it listed.  I know each person has their own preference and there are certainly strengths and weaknesses to each translation of the Bible, but the first translation I reach for in my quiet times is the ESV (English Standard Version).  

Be Worshipful Psalms 1-89 by Warren W. Wiersbe- I will read this commentary as I read each Psalm.  Wiersbe brings a depth of understanding and application to each Psalm that is easily grasped by the reader. 

Be Exultant- Psalms 90-150 by Warren W. Wiersbe- (Same as above, only for Psalms 90-150).

The Wiersbe Bible Study Series: Psalms  This book offers questions to ponder on selected Psalms.  I wish this included a section for each Psalm, but it does a good job on asking questions to stimulate thinking on the Psalms it addresses.  

The above books will be used daily in my quiet times.  I will read the following two books as well in my quiet time this year.  Both of them are short and teach the reader how to pray through the Psalms.  So I anticipate reading them in January and spend extra time the remainder of the year putting into practice what I have learned.  

Psalms by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.   Bonhoeffer here gives one of his secrets behind the powerful witness of his own life. He had learned to pray the Psalms and from them drew on the power of God in his years of imprisonment. In this introduction, Bonhoeffer discusses the various types of Psalms and how they can be used to enrich our prayer life. 

Praying the Bible by Donald Whitney- Offering us the encouragement and the practical advice we’re all looking for, Donald S. Whitney, best-selling author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, outlines an easy-to-grasp method that has the power to transform our prayer life: praying the words of Scripture. Simple, yet profound, Praying the Bible will prove invaluable as you seek to commune with your heavenly Father in prayer each and every day.

Feel free to comment below on your Spiritual Growth Plan for this year or if you have a book recommendation that covers the Psalms I would love to hear it as well!  

-dp