Writing a Psalm of Remembrance

Overview
This practice will help you grow in your trust and love for God, by giving you a way to fix attention on who He has shown Himself to be in your life. By purposefully writing a brief, powerful summary of His faithfulness from your past experience, you will find it easier to depend on Him in present and future difficulties. You will be following in the footsteps of His people, who for centuries have written songs and poems to celebrate specific ways God showed His power on their behalf. For more from the Bible, look at Exodus 13:3; 1 Chronicles 16:8-13; Hebrews 2:1; Exodus 15:1-21; Psalms 78, 114, 116, 135.

For a 3-minute video introduction to this practice, visit www.fbcslo.org/pages/online-resources

Practicing
The Bible is full of calls to remember. Over and over, the leaders of Israel, the prophets, and later the apostles and early Christian writers counsel us: Remember what God has done! Gods people would often set up an ebeneezer, a stone of remembrance, which would serve as a reminder to those in generations long after of specific ways God proved faithful. (In fact, the entire book of Joshua can be read as a lengthy explanation of a number of monument stones which, generations later, still stood in Israel.) So, in this practice we join in a long line of Gods people who have sat down, considered the events of their past, and told a story of Gods goodness. And, in so doing, we offer God worshipbecause we acknowledge Him as the one who is good, from whom every good thing comes (James 1:17). By doing this purposefully, we begin to develop a habit of looking for Gods character in our lives. We begin to expect that our current predicament will turn out to show that God is faithful. Every day becomes a chance for God to show Himself faithfuland we look for it. Begin by reflecting on your own life. Can you think of a difficult situation that God helped you overcome? Jot down some thoughts about it, as a way of brainstorming. Here are some questions to help you begin: How did it feel at first, when the hard circumstances began? What were your prayers in that time? How did God comfort you in that time? What happened that got you through? What did you learn about God? What truth do you need to remember? Now, spend some time writing a psalm of remembrance. Its helpful to follow a form to organize your thoughts, especially if you dont write poems very often (or ever). You might consider using the following structure: 1. Praise God for the character trait you learned about Him from the experience 2. Describe the specific situation, especially how you felt (try to use metaphors!) 3. Write how God specifically helped you 4. Repeat what you learned about God from the experience, briefly 5. Offer thanks, and invite others to celebrate with you! Before you begin, here are some practical pointers to help, especially for non-poets: There is no reason this has to rhyme or sound good! The point is to celebrate God, not get published. You might start by writing out the specific events in the form above. Then, go back and add how each made you feel. Metaphor is really helpful. If you felt sad, did it feel like a balloon burst? Or like the darkest shade of blue enveloped everything? or like you were a wilting flower? Or.... you get the point. This helps you be more specific about what was it was like for you, not just what events happened. That way when you say what God did to save you it will be far more powerful.