Kristen Grossman Prose

One of the things I miss most about homeschooling is morning Bible time with my kiddos. In the early years, the five of us would all snuggle on the couch to read together. In the past three years, there were only two of us. Sometimes we would use an actual Bible curriculum. Other times, Sammy and I would take turns choosing a morning devotional from the YouVersion Bible app. We would take turns reading aloud the devotional and the related Bible verses. Then, after discussing the message, we would each choose a verse from that day to write in our journals.

Currently, the morning scramble before our highschoolers head out the door at 7 a.m. doesn’t seem very hospitable to morning family Bible time. So, once the girls have made their way out the door, I will sometimes curl up in the recliner with my Bible and read to our dachshund. Rusty tends to sleep through the reading, but he seems to enjoy our morning meeting with God. He is always eager to hop up into the recliner with me.

It often strikes me how a piece of Scripture will seem to be just what my heart needed to hear. Whether I am looking up a verse mentioned in my morning reading, or just opening up my Bible and saying, “God, what do you have for me today?”, many times the Scriptures I read seem tailor-made for my needs at that moment.

In the movie, Chonda Pierce: Laughing in the Dark, comedian Chonda Pierce shares laughter and sorrow with the audience through the circumstances in her personal life. At the end of the film, Chonda prays a beautiful prayer which includes these words:

“It is because of Your Word that we have a foundation that gets us through the roughest days. Sometimes when I think you’re not talking to me, I just go to the Word and there You’ve printed it out for me to see.” Chonda Pierce

The Psalms are a beautiful place to meet with God. Here, the psalmist, often David, pours out his heart, both from the depths of despair and the heights of joy and thanksgiving. No matter which emotions I am experiencing, I can take comfort in the words found in the Psalms.

Fear

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?“ Psalm 56: 3-4

Loneliness

“Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:7-10

Sadness

“All night long I flood my bed with weeping
    and drench my couch with tears.
My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
    they fail because of all my foes.

Away from me, all you who do evil,
    for the Lord has heard my weeping.
The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
    the Lord accepts my prayer.” Psalm 6:6-9

Joy

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
    I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and rejoice in you;
    I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2

Whether I am with my family, on my own, or with my snoozing hound at my side, I am grateful to have the tangible Word of God to hold in my hands as I allow His message to seep into my soul.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you that no matter what circumstances I am going through, whether joy or pain, You walk with me. I thank you for putting Your words into printed form, so I can turn to them again and again, and see Your love for me on the pages. Amen.

Have you ever opened your Bible to find words that you felt were hand-picked by God for you to read at that moment? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments!