Psalms were not always a place I’d go for understanding and healing in recovery. The Psalms can overwhelm me with declarations of personal righteousness, clean hands, and so many imprecatory pronouncements. But, the Psalms show me a God who listens – which means I can talk to Someone who will hear my cry. (Psalm 61)
It has taken me a long time to feel comfortable reading them. In some ways, the Psalms are a foreign country; I don’t speak the language. Oh, I may have understand a phrase or two, but most of the words were Greek to me. (Pun intended)
However so was the language of sobriety and serenity.
But, the more frequently I visited the Psalms, and the more I listened to what others said about them, the more fluent I became. Just as meetings and working the steps have made me understand the language of recovery.
Psalms are becoming my home, as the world in which I live becomes increasingly foreign.
For instance, years ago, when I read Psalm 119, a section became personal; I have highlighted the verses that showed me answers to plaguing questions:
Suddenly that passage in Psalms became personal – a clear path to get through each day, especially when drinking seemed preferable to what was in front of me.
My troubles turned out all for the best—
they forced me to learn from your textbook. (Psalm 119:71 The Message)
Maybe I was like the mule that needed that bit and bridle.(Psalm 32:9) I can still be mulish, So I still need daily guidance and good orderly direction.
So, as this Psalm 119 has become a help in recovery, I can sayAmen to the prayer from this morning’s devotion, that I include for your heart and recovery this morning:
Lord, you call yourself teacher and Lord, but I am a slow pupil!
I grit my teeth through my troubles as I wait for them to pass.
Instead, every time something bad happens, help me to ask, “Is there anything I should be learning here?”
Show the way. Amen. (The Songs of Jesus, Timothy Keller& Kathy Keller, page 312)
Love in Christ,
Sober and Grateful
PS: You might like (Getting Back in My Right Mind is NOT a One-Man Job)
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