In athletics, physical growth takes time. Often athletes must commit long hours to training. Yet the little things count as well. Little habits throughout the day contribute meaningfully to their improvement.
The same is true with our growth in Christ. Those pursuing Christ-likeness must commit long hours to training. Yet the little things count as well. Small habits throughout the day contribute meaningfully to their growth.
In this series, I’ll share some of the small habits I practice regularly. Most take ten minutes or less.
#1 Pray Through One Psalm/Day
Each morning I pray one psalm out loud. Sometimes the psalm permits me to pray it verbatim. Sometimes I have to change some of the wording to fit my circumstance. Sometimes I rewrite the psalm in my own words (see the series on this blog “Prayers from the Psalms”). Sometimes I memorize the psalm, especially if it is short.
It only takes a few minutes but this often provides words for unspoken desires and struggles within me. On rare occasions when I can’t seem to find a personal connection to the psalm, I pray it on behalf of others (e.g., I pray the imprecatory psalms for those suffering from the unjust treatment of the powerful).
Usually I just go through the psalms chronologically, from1 to 150, praying one a day.
Try this brief and simple practice. I believe you’ll experience God and growth in new ways.
