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- [00:02]
A
Hello and welcome to the she Reads Truth podcast. She Reads Truth creates beautiful, accessible Bible reading plans and resources to help you get into God's word every day. Each week here on the podcast, we talk about what we're going to read together as a community this week. I'm your host, Amanda Bible Williams, and my co host Rachel Myers is out today, but all is well. Our friend Tasha Calvert is joining us. Tasha is a Bible teacher. She is the host of the Digging in podcast and she is an author who has a new book coming out next month, set apart for more the transformative power of living your whole life for a holy God. You probably remember Tasha from past she Reads Truth Podcast episodes. Her enthusiasm for God's word and for studying and yes, digging in to God's word is so contagious. And I'm so thankful that she stepped in this week to walk with us as we continue our journey through the psalms. We're in the 90s now, y'.
- [01:02]
B
All.
- [01:02]
A
We are making our way through the book. We are over halfway through the book of Psalms and over halfway through the season of Lent. And it has been such a beautiful walk together. This conversation blessed me a lot and I know that it will you too. So let's get right to it. Tasha, welcome back to the Sheree's Truth Podcast. You're such a good friend to always say yes to our invitations.
- [01:26]
B
Yes. Oh, my goodness, it's such a delight. I look forward to it every time I get the email.
- [01:31]
A
It is fun, right? Like, it is one of those things. It's fun when people who are first time guests, it's always, I think they're always a little bit like they're not really sure what to expect, especially if they're not familiar with the podcast. And I'm sure it is probably a little disorienting to get a podcast invitation that says, and here's your homework.
- [01:54]
B
Hey, but it's good homework. It's scriptures. That's a good thing.
- [01:57]
A
Well, and that's the thing is at the end of every time we have someone new, so often after we finish recording, they're just like, this is fun. And I'm like, see? It is. It's fun. We love it.
- [02:09]
B
Exactly. And you can do this at home with your own friends talking about scripture.
- [02:13]
A
Yes. And please do that is we pray before every podcast episode. And we just did. The two of us and our team who is listening and helping. We just pray that those who are listening would, when they turn this podcast off, that they would open their Bibles. That they would open their reading guides. They would open a Bible app. Just this conversation is just a big old y'. All come. Everybody come read God's word. You can.
- [02:42]
B
You're invited.
- [02:44]
A
You're invited.
- [02:44]
B
Yes.
- [02:45]
A
Not just by me and Tasha. No, by the God who made you.
- [02:48]
B
Exactly. It's so. It's so important, and it's so life changing. That's. I mean, I think that's where the passion comes from, is. Yes, we know the difference it makes to know God's word, to read it, to pour it into your life and how it changes your perspective and the situation. And especially, I mean, not to jump the gun here, but being in the Psalms, I mean, big God, like, every time I open the Psalms, that's what I think. I'm like, oh, my gosh, God is so big. Like, why do we make him so small? The psalmist doesn't. That's for sure. Not in any of them. So it's really. It's encouraging.
- [03:27]
A
It really is. And I. Okay, so we always ask you, and I'm always grateful that you say yes to fill out. Can we ask some questions before you come on the podcast? And there was something that you said. Oh, I was looking at the title of your upcoming book, which releases. I mean, this podcast is airing in the middle of March, and so your book releases in a month. Congratulations.
- [03:53]
B
Yes, thank you.
- [03:55]
A
I want to hear about it, and I specifically want to hear. Because the title is set apart for the transformative power of living your whole life for a holy God. And the thing when I read that subtitle, I thought Psalms. The Psalms invite us to bring our whole life, all of the hard stuff, the ugly stuff, the stuff we don't understand, and the beautiful, the good stuff. So talk to us about that. Like, tell us a little bit about the book. But then how does that resonate as you're reading the Psalms?
- [04:29]
B
Well, I loved how you guys did it in the book this week about, like, we read the Psalms and then we go through. And what are some of the attributes of God that stick out to you? And what are some of the things, like, where did you go on a deep dive on the words? And I think all of Psalms just really paints a picture of someone struggling towards holiness. And what I mean by that is I know that, you know, David didn't write all the Psalms. We've got many authors. But the consistency of pouring out your heart in your life to God and asking him in various ways to fix it, that really is the struggle for holiness. It is saying, I Can't. I do not have what it takes to be holy. I do not have what it takes to be a success in this life, to control my emotions, to have victory over my enemies. I do not have the patience to wait. I mean, how many times do we see how long? Oh, Lord, please answer quickly. I mean, it is basically this dichotomy between our deficit and God's bigness, His sovereignty, his capabilities in our life. And it's he that enables holiness. And so I think if you look at the Psalms and you read them and you think, okay, I relate to the psalmist. I mean, I relate to the psalmist almost like even in the sense that I have enemies right now, they aren't going to battle and telling me to meet them in the parking lot at 3pm but I've got things that I battle against, that I'm asking God, give me victory over that, do something about that enemy. And I've got things that I want to look more like Jesus, and he does that. Holiness is enabled, empowered, enlivened by God. It's a divine attribute. And I think, though it's not spoken of overtly in all of the Psalms, I think it's kind of the overarching picture that we see the authors of Psalms struggling towards and the people, the communal aspect of struggling towards being holy, being aligned with God, keeping our perspective of him at the forefront. And so it's really like, it's near and dear to my heart. I know it is many.
- [07:01]
A
Yeah, yeah. I love that so much. And I love that image of the struggling toward and the. Because it just, it's just true. It's just true. Like in this world you will have trouble. Jesus said, but take heart, I've overcome the world and I am grateful because the Psalms. I don't think it's possible to read the Psalms and walk away thinking that we have a God who is aloof and who does not care about the intimate details of our lives. I agree. I mean, maybe if. I don't know if this was like if we had just happened upon David's diary. But like, it's not that. It is a collection of songs and prayers from God's people who not only lay all of that bare before him, but who also recount at the same time his faithfulness and who he is, who God is. And they know that because they have seen it and they have seen it in their own generations and they have heard the oral tradition passed down. They have read it in the prophets. And so they know that even though Circumstances around them and within them are dire, that God is still God and that he is still faithful and he is still all of his attributes all of the time. And so it really is. I'm just so thankful. I'm so thankful. And I think sometimes. Tell me what you think about this, Tasha. I feel like there have been long seasons of my life where I've neglect as a Bible reader, where I've neglected reading the Psalms.
- [08:56]
B
Yes, I agree. In fact, to be honest with you. So I think I told you I taught through the Psalms. Gosh, I guess it was about a year ago. It was in 2025, spring of 2025. And it was not something I wanted to do. But I was getting so much feedback from the women in our ministry that like, hey, we're learning so much. But like, we want some, we want to add some emotions. And my perspective is always, I would rather know things than feel things. And so the Psalms, they really make you feel things. And I'm sometimes hesitant to go there in preference to. I would just like to know things. And you know, where I think that stems from, for me at least, I don't want to speak this over everybody, but I think it's controlled. I think in my mind, if I know enough about God, if I know enough about His Word, it's almost like I can use that information to stay out of the ditches. And you know. Yes, in this world we'll have trouble. I know that.
- [10:05]
A
Right. Your head knows that.
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B
Surely if, yeah, surely if I have enough knowledge and I'm doing all the things, that's going to count for something. And I think the Psalms really kind of just wreck that false understanding of a relationship with God. And so this is so good because
- [10:28]
A
it resonates so deep in me, what you're saying.
- [10:31]
B
Yeah, yeah. Because it's just like, okay, David, you know, first of all, such a problematic main character, I mean, you know, just in general and mess has such big epic failures and then is described as someone with a man after God's own heart. And so I think it's. It's messy and complicated and that's probably exactly why we should be reading it. And I, I'm just going to go on and say it. I love that we're reading it for Lent, looking towards the cross, looking towards the death, burial and resurrection, because, woo, it's easy to see why Jesus had to come when you look at the mess that we are.
- [11:21]
A
Yes.
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B
And yeah, it was. It's just been a really sweet, sweet season in the Psalms.
- [11:27]
A
Yeah, There are some very Lenten moments in the Psalms we're reading this week. I mean, I've. It happens every week. Like, every week that we're reading through the Psalms, there are moments where I go, oh, this is Lent. This is Holy Week. And that. Yeah, it happens a lot. And the one. I was just flipping through my reading guide to find the one that just came to mind as you were talking. And it's from that toward the end of the week, I think we'll get it on Thursday. Psalm 106, which is a long one, but verse 43 says he rescued them many times, but they continued to rebel deliberately and were beaten down by their iniquity.
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B
I've got that one highlighted as well.
- [12:15]
A
Yeah. And I was just like, this is Lent. This is the Gospel.
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B
Right.
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A
That we rebel. We are our own worst. You talk about enemies. We are our own worst enemies sometimes. And, you know, when it comes to our hearts. Yeah. Save us, Lord, our God. This is it. This is the story. And it's just so beautiful.
- [12:42]
B
It's funny, Amanda, because I was looking back at Psalm 106, and so when I taught through the Psalms, one of the things that we did was try and put them in categories. And I mean, you know, sometimes the Psalms don't fit neatly in categories. And so when you were reading that, because. And I'm looking at it in my Bible, my. She reads Truth Bible, by the way, and.
- [13:06]
A
Amazing.
- [13:06]
B
I couldn't see where I had put it because it was on the page before. And I would have thought that was probably royal and prophetic Psalms, which, by the way, many of the Psalms that we're reading this week are royal and prophetic. But this one, praise.
- [13:21]
A
Yeah.
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B
And it's so interesting. Of course, it is a really long chapter, so that does lend itself to having kind of more components in there. But I love the idea of praise to God accompanying, you know, what we're seeing. That is very Linton to your point. That is very much foreshadowing what is to come. And in fact, it was kind of funny because with all of these prophetic Psalms, when I was teaching it, one of the questions I had was, do the authors of Psalms know that they are being prophetic? Because, you know, a lot of times it has very tangible meaning in the there and then. You know, what would have been happening? I mean, they were in a kingdom, David was a king like this. These were very literal analogies, not necessarily figurative. But it's just so beautiful how the pattern of psalms is so Messianic and So easily able to point forward and just speak so much. You know, every day during the week, one of the questions for reflection is, you know, what attributes of God stood out to me? And I think every week, every day, I put the sovereignty of God. Because you. How do you weave that together so seamlessly, so beautiful, if not for the hand of God being right there?
- [14:47]
A
Yeah, yeah.
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B
It's just honestly remarkable.
- [14:51]
A
Yeah. Well, we've talked over the past few weeks, and in the past, when we have read portions of the Psalms, we have talked about how the Psalms, as a book of the Bible, it's broken up into five smaller books, which is a logistical matter. There are 150 of them, and there's not a scroll that big. And so it is. You gotta break it up into volumes. But we start this week, which is week five of our Lenten series, where we are reading the Psalms for Lent, which, by the way, Tasha, this is the first time that we as a community have read the entire book of Psalms together.
- [15:27]
B
Really?
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A
Yeah.
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B
That's amazing.
- [15:30]
A
Fourteen years. Yeah. Isn't that cool? So it's really sweet, but we start on Monday with the start of book four. And I love the start of this week's reading because we get Psalm 90, which is the only psalm attributed in the text to Moses. Now, some translators think that 91 through 99 are also of Moses, but it doesn't say that in the little byline that we get. But Psalm 90 is a prayer of Moses, the man of God. I love that. And the title, which, you know, is not canonical, but it's eternal God and mortal man. I mean, talk about Lent, but it's basically about the fact that our lives are short and God is eternal. And it's just beautiful.
- [16:26]
B
It's absolutely beautiful. And, you know, one thing that I loved, when you were kind of setting us up for the week, you used the word recount. And I was just thinking of, like, remember. And recount literally always reminds me of Moses because, you know, the first conversation you and I ever had was in the book of Deuteronomy. And Deuteronomy is basically this series of, like, three sermons, if you will, kind of to put it in modern language. And so much of it is remember, remember, rehearse, recount, like, so much of that. And so it is kind of fitting that this week we start at 90, because Moses does anchor us in remembering who God is. And it also just is reminiscent of the first five books of Scripture, which he authored. And for somebody who has been so immortalized in Scripture and Kind of understood in relationship to God. It's interesting to see that even he has this perspective of brevity and smallness. Because really, if we were to look at him, I would say, yeah, he's kind of a big deal. He lived a long life. He got, you know, he didn't even really get called into major action until he was 80. Like, talk about somebody who really kind of had the fullness of all of it, and yet he is still so mindful of his smallness and how short life is. So it's really. It's instructive and comforting to me, I think.
- [18:11]
A
Yes, I agree. It's a beautiful psalm. It's very sobering. It's also very orienting, I think, like, grounding, too. I mean, verse seven. For we are consumed by your anger, we are terrified by your wrath. Like, this is just the reality of what it's like to be a human before God without the saving mercy of Jesus Christ. Right. Verse 8. You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence. I love that line. Oof. It's so beautiful and poetic, and it's also very sobering. Our secret sins in the light of your presence, for all our days ebb away under your wrath, we end our years like a sigh. Our lives last 70 years, or if we're strong, 80 years. Even the best of them are struggle and sorrow. Indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away. Who understands the power of your anger? Your wrath matches the fear that is due you. Teach us to number our days carefully so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.
- [19:24]
B
That's so good. I love verse 12 saying, teach us to number our days carefully so that.
- [19:31]
A
That's right.
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B
We may develop wisdom in our hearts.
- [19:34]
A
Yeah. It's not so that we can be afraid. You know, it's not to live in fear. It's to develop wisdom, to grow in wisdom and in the ways of the Lord. I mean, next week we read Psalm 119, which is the longest chapter in the Bible, and it is devoted to celebrating the wisdom and instruction and word of God. So I think that tells us something about what true wisdom is.
- [20:03]
B
Absolutely. And then verse 13, right after that.
- [20:06]
A
Amanda.
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B
Lord, how long?
- [20:09]
A
How long? I circle it every time.
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B
I know. Every time.
- [20:13]
A
Because if that is not a cry of all of our hearts.
- [20:16]
B
Yeah, yes, yes. No, so, so good. And some of the devices that we see, you know, just having taught this, there's this consistent theme of the morning and the evening, like, give us the mercies, like, go before us, satisfy us in the morning, you know, rejuvenate us and then protect us at night.
- [20:38]
A
Yeah.
- [20:39]
B
And I love to just see that consistency throughout because it's just a really beautiful picture of almost a parenthesis around us during our waking hours of God meeting us in the morning and keeping us in the evening. Yeah, I love that.
- [20:57]
A
I have really been feeling convicted and compelled to start taking scripture memorization seriously, which I will just confess is just not something my memory. In fact, I almost find it cruel that I find this conviction now, which maybe this is why or how the Lord has brought this conviction top of mind and heart for me is because my memory is starting to like, show signs of age, like, you know, mid-40s. And just like sometimes there's a word and I just can't quite get it. I just can't quite, you know. But so many verses through this, through the Psalms, as we've been reading for Lent, I just keep marking, like, memorize star. And I'm like, okay, so now I'm saying it out loud, like, I know I won't memorize all the ones I've marked, but I have some really great candidates here that like, I need to start working on. But this is one of them. Verse 14, right where you stopped. Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days. Make us rejoice for as many days as yous have humbled us for as many years as we have seen adversity.
- [22:12]
B
That's so good. I'm underlining it right now.
- [22:14]
A
I just love it. Like, I just want it. This is one that, like, I want, want it to hang on the wall of my heart. You know how like, sometimes we hang scripture in our homes like I want. There's just some verses that feel, you know, really personal to me and they change over time, but I want to be able to recall these encouragements and truths. Yeah, that's another one.
- [22:41]
B
That's so good. And you know, one thing I was thinking of, I was thinking of as, you know, because I work on the. A church staff and so, you know, people that maybe don't. On a church staff don't know how much effort and intentionality and planning and prayer goes into Easter. I mean, you know.
- [22:59]
A
Yes.
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B
So much the behind the scenes stuff is always like, that's our Super Bowl. You know, that's kind of. That's kind of how church leaders think about Easter Sunday. And you know what gets a lot of our attention during Easter services is what songs what worship songs are we going to sing to celebrate, you know, the resurrection? And I was just thinking how beautiful it is that this year for Lent, you know, this community, we're reading through songs almost to prepare us for the good news. Because why is that? Well, songs evoke something in you that takes your knowledge from your head to your heart, that allows you to experience what you're singing about, what you're learning. There's a communal aspect to it. I mean, you know, there is something different. We can listen to, you know, Chris Tomlin or whomever on our phones all day long, but there is something different about the embodied communal singing together. So it's really honestly just such a fitting and beautiful immersive experience to be in our Psalms as we look forward to the resurrection.
- [24:27]
A
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- [25:46]
B
Hey friends, quick pause on our conversation about the Psalms to remind you that as women in the Word of God, every day, every time we close one book, we open another. And so this is your reminder that when we finish reading Psalms as a community on Easter Sunday the following Monday, we will open the Beatitudes as a community reading April 6th through 19th.
- [26:06]
A
This reading plan is called the Beatitudes Blessings in God's Kingdom. And Jesus teaches us what it means to be blessed as people who are living in the kingdom of God. And that involves promises for Those who endure suffering, which is all of us. So we invite you to join us as we spend two weeks reflecting on the eternal hope of God's kingdom. You can order your Beatitudes reading guide right now@shopshereadstruth.com use the code BEATITUDES. 15 for 15. 15 off. The BEATITUDES collection. That's spelled B E A T I T U d e s. 15 for 15 off over@shopshereadstruth.com all right, back to the conversation. So Monday's reading, which y'.
- [26:56]
B
All.
- [26:56]
A
I mean, you see how long we can sit and talk about one psalm and you're reading. Oh, I don't know. How many are we reading? 20. I didn't count this week. The sky is the limit for how much you want to dig in here this week, right? But I encourage you. I encourage you to do the reading and talk to someone. Have someone else, even if they've never heard of she reads truth. Just say, hey, will you read Psalms 90 through 118 with me this week? And, like, can we talk about them? Or even if you just choose, you know, fewer than that. But it is. It really is like having someone hand me a journal that is about me but that I didn't write. That's how it feels, right? I mean, because the ca. Like, to your point about singing and songs, the cadence, the poetry, the repetition, all of these devices that are used even when we're not singing them, we're just reading them in. It is designed to sink into our hearts and the fact that it is God's word. I really encourage you to do that. But this. So Monday's reading. Our team was given the impossible task of giving a title to each of these days, which is to take the collection from each day and just kind of identify one theme. Not the only theme, but a theme. And so the one for Monday I loved because it's give thanks to the Lord. And then when you read through the psalm, each psalm kind of has its own theme for, like, why we give thanks to the Lord. And so I just made a list. This is just for Monday. This is the list I made. Because you are eternal. We give thanks to the Lord because He's eternal. We give thanks to the Lord because He protects us. He's our refuge. We give thanks to the Lord because He is faithful. We give thanks to the Lord because He reigns forever. We give thanks to the Lord because He is just. And we give thanks to the Lord because He is worthy of worship. And I was like, every single Day feels like a mic drop moment. They're just so, so rich.
- [29:07]
B
Okay, do you know one thing I would add to your list is that. Okay, can I add to your. Listen, 94, verse 14. The Lord will not leave his people or abandon his heritage. And I love that because, you know, speaking of recounting and remembering, I forget way easier than I remember.
- [29:29]
A
You don't say.
- [29:31]
B
Yeah, yeah, you too.
- [29:33]
A
Me too, me too.
- [29:35]
B
But just the reminder, it just reminds me so much. Like I have granddaughters now, which is the best. Oh my goodness, it's the best. But just how often, like, you know, you walk out there. They were here with me recently, both of them. And my, my little 18 month old granddaughter, she's at that stage where if you walk out of the room, she melts, you know, and so you're like, baby, I'm not leaving, I'm not leaving. Like you're not going to be able to see me because I'm going around the corner for a minute, but I'm not leaving. And it's just, it's just so sweet of the Lord to remind us, like, hey, he's not going anywhere. He's with us. And he sometimes feels like he is out of our view or he feels far. And especially in the Psalms, cause we're dealing with our feelings, but truth is, he's near.
- [30:26]
A
That's right.
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B
Love that.
- [30:27]
A
Amen. Oh, I love that. That's such a good analogy too, like bless her heart. And also I love that, Tasha, because you think about your granddaughter crying out and saying like, where are you? And that's a lot of the Psalms. Is the psalmist going, where are you? Did you leave? Don't leave. And so I love thinking about the posture of God towards us where he's like, I'm not mad at you for wanting to see me. I'm just, you can't see me. Like, you know, like you don't have the understanding to know that I'm still here. But he doesn't resent that about us. He gives us assurances and comfort and he doesn't leave. He doesn't abandon the work of his hands. He doesn't abandon his covenant, his promise. And so I love that. I love how the Psalms teach us that we can say to God, God, here's who you are, be this kind of God, like, you are good, be good to me. You are faithful, be faithful. Remember your covenant, you made it. Your promises, remember those. And there's such an intimacy about that in that kind of exchange because there's a Vulnerability on our part to say, you know, to admit the way that it feels. He already knows, but he wants us to express it for our sake and for the sake of our relationship with him, so that we don't build up these walls where we think we are somehow, to your point earlier, Tasha, that we're in control or that we aren't feeling the things that we're feeling Right. And that is not a healthy place to be right.
- [32:24]
B
Well, and you know what? I do think there is something, you know, when you think about the psalms, I was just thinking as you were talking, Amanda, psalms typically are songs. And what do you do with songs? You say them out loud. And you know, when I think of like Adeline, my granddaughter, I don't go and say something like, hey, I'm still here until she cries out to me. And I do think there is something beautiful about us taking what we're feeling to the Lord, expressing it outward. Because what I can tell you about myself and human nature, and this is one of the things that y' all ask every day, which I love that which is, you know, how do I connect with the human experience expressed in today's psalms? And one of the things that I can tell you is if I don't express my feelings, it's not like they are neutral. They don't just go away. They don't just have no consequence. I mean, the reality is the things that I keep stuffed inside that you would never guess about me still make their way out in not great ways. And so I think the psalms kind of model for us this pattern of taking whatever it is that we have inside, whatever fear, whatever hope, whatever anger, whatever vengeance. I mean, you know, so much of the trust. We have a couple of trusted imprecatory psalms this week.
- [33:54]
A
Yes, we do.
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B
I think those are always the ones that somebody like me, who is a little spicy, I relate with those sometimes a lot because it's like, yeah, God, get em, yeah, yeah. But I think that's the proper way. I think that's what we see modeled is if you've got it in there, if it's ruminating inside of you, don't deal with it. That's pride. That's me saying, I got this, I'll process it on my own. You get that stuff out, but get it not to. Don't make it a Facebook post. Don't tweet about it. I mean, maybe the Lord will lead you to that, but take it to him because he is big enough to handle it and he will then Respond just like when Ada's like, ah, I'm freaking out. You know, like, where'd you go? It's like, then the response comes, then the comfort comes. And, you know, often we've said this a hundred times, but the primary way God's gonna speak to us and answer us is going to be through His Word.
- [35:00]
A
That's right.
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B
And so what's important, that second step that's important is not just express it, not just take it to him, but then give him a chance to respond often in His Word. So open your Bibles. There we go, full circle.
- [35:13]
A
I love that little. Thank you for that plug, Tasha. Okay, you used a word. And let's back. I want to talk about it for a minute. Because they're probably those listening who are like, what does that. What are you talking about? So imprecatory psalms. And I always feel like it's hard for me to say. Imprecatory, right?
- [35:32]
B
Yes.
- [35:33]
A
Imprecatory. Imprecation is what's happening. And so it's these psalms. And you're going to see it. Like, I marked one. There's probably more than one this week. But the one I marked was Psalm 109, which the subtitle is. It's a Psalm of David, and it is prayer against an enemy. And it is. It is against a specific human enemy. Right. But there is this whole section. I mean, it's like the first half of the Psalm is like David asking God to punish this person in multiple. In just various ways. And he lists them, and not just him, but children.
- [36:16]
B
Yes. Verses 6 through 15. I literally have it, like, in parentheses in my Bible. And I wrote ruthless. Like, it is almost uncomfortable to read.
- [36:28]
A
Yeah, I agree. I think it is uncomfortable to read.
- [36:31]
B
Yes.
- [36:32]
A
And, like, talk about, like, feeling like you're reading someone's diary, but let's talk about that, because it happens in the Psalms multiple times. So it's important to remember that the Psalms are prayers of humans to God. Right. And so this is not God saying what he's gonna do to this person. This is David saying, here is my real enemy, who is doing actual evil to me or wants evil toward me, and he is calling out to God.
- [37:11]
B
Yes.
- [37:11]
A
Yeah. So like, how when you taught through the Psalms, did you talk about this and, like, how did you frame that for people who are maybe new to, like, that kind of literature in the Bible?
- [37:24]
B
Right. First of all, I think it's so good that we have it, because I just don't know a person. I mean, even if they're the sweetest person in the world that has not at some point felt the weight of an injustice around them. And the reality is that is there is a purpose for these feelings. Like in one of the purposes is it should make us long for things to be made right. It should make us long for a day when God is going to restore the order that was designed by Him. But I think where people get messed up is that when you see these things, when David is taking this to God, what we have to understand is God then is not going to be silent in the aftermath of that. So, like, David takes all of this. But at the end of the day, part of what David does by getting this out there is he lays it. He transfers it into the hands of someone who is going to be just. And he's saying, okay, you know, in essence, here is everything I'm feeling. Here's what I would do.
- [38:39]
A
That's right.
- [38:39]
B
But you're in charge.
- [38:41]
A
That's right.
- [38:41]
B
And you're just and you're merciful and you hate evil more than I hate evil.
- [38:47]
A
That's right.
- [38:47]
B
And you see things I don't see. And I think the key is for us, not that we need to stifle or try and talk ourselves out of feelings of injustice, but that we need to be able to hand them over to God. And then if he invites us to respond in a way, it has to be under his leading. I think the posture here, that's probably the best way to say it. The posture has to remain that I am giving this to the Lord. I am trusting him to be just in this situation. I am trusting that he sees it. I'm trusting that he cares about it more than I do. And I'm not going to act on this until he has directed me to act. But, yeah, I mean, you know, I think all of us would read Psalm 109 and think, okay, wow, like, David had a little right. He had some animosity, I guess we could say it that way, towards His
- [39:52]
A
Scripture calls us to hate what is evil.
- [39:55]
B
Yes.
- [39:56]
A
And so I think to voice that hatred of evil and injustice and unrighteousness to God and give it to him to deal with. And again, it doesn't mean. I'm saying this is the posture of our heart. It doesn't mean that we don't take action in our own ways. But I do think we don't exact revenge because that's what. It's God's. It's God's.
- [40:28]
B
Exactly, exactly.
- [40:30]
A
And calling on God's justice, like all of that is appropriate. A couple weeks ago, Ellie Holcomb was our guest and she was talking about. I don't think we were talking about this so much as just other feelings that we have and emotions that we have and just, just laying it all before the Lord. But she talked about the image of just like throwing it onto, like tossing it to the cross and like, like we were joking about like tossing a football. It's just like. Because when we were. Some of the psalms we were reading and, and I found myself like physically like throwing my hands forward. Like this is. Take this, Lord, take it. You know, and that's what I see here too. It's just like David going, if you need some ideas, I have some. Here's what I think you should do. But I think what's key is that this is not what David is doing. He's saying, let a creditor seize all he has. Let strangers plunder what he has worked for. He's not going to go plunder this man. But he is saying to the Lord, this is what he deserves because of the evil he has done. In my human eyes, Lord, I, David, think this is what should happen, but then ultimately he is giving it to the Lord. And then what I love about this is if you keep reading in Psalm 109, David is not turning a blind eye to his own sin and to his own position of dependence on the Lord's mercy. So verse 21. But you, Lord, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake, because your faithful love is good. Rescue me, for I am suffering and needy. My heart is wounded within me. That is a self aware statement right there. My heart is wounded within me. I fade away like a lengthening shadow. I am shaken off, off like a locust. My knees are weak from fasting. My body is emaciated. I have become an object of ridicule to my accusers. When they see me, they shake their heads in scorn. Help me Lord, my God, and save me according to your faithful love. And this, I love this so much. Verse 27. So they may know that it is your hand and that you, Lord, have done it. Yep, I love that. It's not so that I can be made the thought much of or so that I can resume power. It's not that. It is for the Lord's name, so that they can see and know that the Lord has done this right.
- [43:15]
B
You know what it reminded me of when you were reading that was that phrase that gets tossed around all the time. Hurt people, hurt people, hurt people. Yeah, it just reminds me when, like, we have to look at verses 6 through 15 and even a little beyond that in through the lens of verse 22. For I am suffering and needy, My heart is wounded. And so I think that's exactly right. Like, when parsing through Scripture, we have to read the entire context. And I think really everything that we were trying to say and commenting on, making sure the vengeance and the justice gets tossed over to the Lord to exact. I think that's exactly why. Because when you get down to the heart of the matter, the heart is wounded. He's admitting, I'm not. I am wounded. I'm weak, I'm upset. And that's exactly why we need Jesus. And so it's really beautiful.
- [44:15]
A
I love that we are just really hopping all over the place. So those of you who like it when we go straight through, you have my apologies, but I want to go back now to Wednesday's reading. Psalm 103. This was another one. So this is another one of David, but this is another one that felt very Lenten. I mean, the title of it is the Forgiving God. Can I get you to read that for us? Some of it.
- [44:41]
B
Absolutely.
- [44:43]
A
Honestly, I would love it if you go through verse 14, because verse 14 is as Lenten as it gets.
- [44:50]
B
Absolutely. Okay. My soul, bless the Lord and all that is within me. Bless his holy name. My soul, bless the Lord. And do not forget all his benefits. He forgives all your iniquity. He heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the pit. He crowns you with faithful love and compassion. He satisfies you with good things. Your youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord executes acts of righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. He revealed his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love. He will not always experience, accuse us, or be angry forever. He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For he knows what we are made of, remembering that we are dust.
- [46:11]
A
Wow. Dust. Memento mori. We talked about that with Elise Fitzpatrick a few weeks ago. Remember that you'll die like. Yes, it feels morbid. But also it's not. It's just reality. And it's also a very grounding and orienting reality. I mean, for any human, but for us as believers to know that like our time on earth is short. Our time, you know, with the Lord is eternal and our time, you know, with the family of, with the household of faith is eternal. I mean, the new heavens and the new earth. But like there's something tender, I mean, about that reminder of like he knows what we're made of. We're made of dust. I mean, he formed us right from dust.
- [47:04]
B
Do you know what? Also, you know, because we are doing this in a Lenten season, it is remarkable to me how much understanding the Old Testament prophets and authors and people of God had of his character and who he was. You know, I think we so often want to separate the Old Testament God and the New Testament God, which is of course ridiculous. But you read this like this could be New Testament passages because it is the understanding of God's forgiveness, of his mercy, of his salvation, of his faithfulness, of his compassion. And it's really, it's just so sobering is a word you used earlier. And I think that's so good to understand that God has always been a saving, forgiving, merciful, kind, strong, compassionate God.
- [48:06]
A
Yes.
- [48:06]
B
Slow to anger, abounding and faithful love. Yeah, we have a long history.
- [48:14]
A
Yes, we do. And a life giving God, that's something else. I just felt like, kept popping out as I was reading of like, you know, this week and into next week, so many references of the Lord giving life and through creation. And then, you know, in creation, praising the Lord, just, you know, he gave life in that he is the Creator and He gives life, but then he continues to give it by his mercy and his goodness and his faithfulness and his forgiveness, which is, you know, what that psalm is focused on that there's life in, in that. And I just love that. I love that reminder about who God is, that he is the life giver.
- [49:02]
B
Absolutely. Well, and I think something else that stood out to me in here when it was talking about he's not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities. There's this personal aspect to that. So, you know, there's the communal aspect which I think we often read the Psalms as. And then there's this personal aspect that you see David and Moses and they have this, you know, we always think of him as he dealt with them as a community. And on a whole that is true. But there was still this understanding of he is personal to them. And I feel like there's kind of an echo of that over in Psalm 105. And I have it highlighted. And let me just read kind of where I was I highlighted. I believe it's beginning verse. This sad. I can't see those tiny little numbers. It's verse 16, verse 16, and says Psalm 105, verse 16. He called down famine against the land and destroyed the entire food supply. He had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with shackles. His neck was put in an iron collar. Until the time his prediction came true, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent for him and released him. The ruler of the peoples set him free. He made him master of his household, ruler over all his possessions, binding his officials at will and instructing his elders. And of course, this is referring to who we all know about Joseph from, you know, Genesis 50:20. What man meant for evil, God meant for good. And I was just thinking, like, the personal aspect that we see referenced all through God, like personal people. I mean, Psalm 103 references Moses. We see David. We see, you know, him referencing Joseph and Jacob. And, you know, like, God sees. God hears. And yes, he sees our nation, and yes, he saw Israel, and yes, he sees, you know, the oppressed, but he sees Amanda and he sees Tasha, and he sees our listeners by name and has things that he is working out for their good. But also, there are times he's going to test us. And I love how it says the word of the Lord tested him. And I just think that is so interesting.
- [51:35]
A
That is. Yeah.
- [51:36]
B
That, you know, and I would have to. I don't want to speak out of turn here, but, you know, if just a plain understanding would be that God's words that he's impressed, imparted to us, that we have access to, they should test us in some way. And. And so whereas I'm trying to control them most of the time and get as much information and guidance and whatever. You know, it just reminds me of what you hear pastors say all the time, that, you know, we read Scripture and Scripture reads us. Yeah, it really does something for us.
- [52:09]
A
Yes, it really does. Okay, before we close, we have to talk briefly about Psalms 106 and 107, because I actually, 105 to 106 was interesting to me because 105 that you just read from is kind of a history of, you know, God's faithfulness to his people, which I love that about Psalms. I love that we get a poetic history lesson. It's just amazing. But then Psalm 106 is like the same story about God's relationship with Israel, but from the angle of Israel's unfaithfulness to God. So in 105 we get God's faithfulness to Israel, and in 106 we get Israel's unfaithfulness to God. And it was such a powerful juxtaposition, I thought to read those kind of back to back, which they are back to back in the canon, I recognize. But I hadn't done that in a while. That's part of the beauty of reading the Psalms at the pace that we are, is that you begin to see these connections and these themes.
- [53:20]
B
Right. Especially on the heels of verse 45, Psalm 105. 45, all this happened again so that they might keep his statutes and obey his instructions. Hallelujah.
- [53:33]
A
That's right.
- [53:34]
B
So, yeah. And so then right after that, their unfaithfulness.
- [53:39]
A
That's right.
- [53:39]
B
So that did not work.
- [53:41]
A
It did not. But in verse 8 of Psalm 106, yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his power known. All of this is part of the grand story of God is pursuing his people, saving his kids, bringing them home not for a moment, but for eternity. And that is the story. And so I love that. And I love. Psalm 107 has been tender to me since I think it was kind of in my early 20s. It was that, you know, generally, and I'm just going to generalize here, but for myself and a lot of my friends at that age, you're just sort of all over the place in one sense. You know, the world is your oyster and like, you don't have as many commitments and you don't have. Not as tethered to certain things as you may be later in life. And on the other hand, it can feel a little bit like Psalm 107, which gives, you know, imagery like wandering in the wilderness or being on a boat in a storm or whatever. And so I feel like the Lord really kind of captured my heart through this psalm at a young, a younger age. And then the way that it has changed is I have changed and I have aged. I just love it so much. And I love. I'm gonna let you all can do this on your own. But as you read through Psalm 107, you'll see, you'll start to identify a rhythm, like a structure of how there's like we talked about this in a Seminary class I took last year, that was a pastoral care and counseling class. But our professor, chaplain Eva Bleeker, she was talking about, like, it presents, like, the wreckage. Like, there's this narrative of, like, wreckage. And then how God reframes the story with his presence. And then there's the refrain of, let them give thanks to the Lord for his faithful love and his wondrous works for all humanity. And then it happens again. But the common thread here. Well, there are a lot of common threads, but one of them is this line, Tasha. They cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. It happens at least four times. I might be missing one.
- [56:09]
B
Yeah. So in my notes, I had. I was just going back to.
- [56:12]
A
Through.
- [56:12]
B
When you talked about. In my notes, I had that there's four deliverance, like narratives or little vignettes in there for wanderers, prisoners, the sick and sailors. And they repeat this pattern, which, I mean, that just again, reminds you of a song. Like, you know, if you grew up in any type of tradition where you had a hymnal.
- [56:32]
A
Exactly four verses with a refrain and a refrain. Yes, yes, I love it.
- [56:40]
B
And then I just had that. There were so many transformative reversals, like desert to pools, hunger to satisfaction. Creation responding to redemption. And chaos. Yes, chaos. Who could use some calm to replace their chaos?
- [57:00]
A
I'm raising my hand.
- [57:02]
B
Yes, yes. No, it kind of reminds me of, like, I think we're so, like, we're in the AI, you know, phase of the information age. And like, there's so many times I will put something like that. I'm trying to, you know, write through and be like, okay, replace. Let me see. Here's what I've written. Replace the word this, you know, with. With that. Let me see how it reads. And it's like, I would like to just put my life through. Through, you know, a divine chat GPT and be like, please replace all cases.
- [57:37]
A
Polish this up a little for me.
- [57:39]
B
Yes. Could you. What? Psalm 107. Me?
- [57:43]
A
Yes. My life. Yes.
- [57:46]
B
I'm so, so good.
- [57:47]
A
Excited for you all to read all of the Psalms this week, but this one specifically is just. I think it's going to resonate deeply. Okay, Tasha, Our friends who are listening are just really in the middle now. Past the middle of Lent. We are a stone's throw from Holy Week. We will. I think it's in a couple, two weeks away. I'm going to put you on the spot and just say give us and encouragement, because we have a saying here at. She reads truth that we End up saying every year. And it is not groundbreaking, but it is true. And it is this. Lent is long. We say it when we are creating the reading plan, when we are creating the reading guide. It is a long season, and I think this year it is catching a lot of us in what already feels like. Like a long season.
- [58:53]
B
Yes.
- [58:53]
A
So it's like. It's like nesting dolls of a long season inside of a long season. Would you just help us as we, you know, knowing we have more Psalms ahead of us and we also have Holy Week ahead of us, will you help us? Just give us a word of encouragement as we try to set our. Our sights on the cross and the.
- [59:14]
B
Absolutely. Well, I think there's. Since we've been looking at the human connection that we have to Scripture, because Psalms is a natural place to that. I think it's important for us to understand that one. This long season that it does seem like we are kind of universally experiencing is nothing new. I mean, you know, go on and put Ecclesiastes over that long season. There's nothing new under the sun. In fact, as we get closer, closer to Lent, we're going to read that the disciples. It was long to try and stay awake and pray for an hour. Like we in our flesh do not seem equipped for stamina, which is interesting because all of our life is kind of this long marathon towards the finish line. And I think we're not built for that. I'm not saying that there's aren't people. Yeah. We have limits. We have capacity. And I think one thing we will see all over the Psalms as we continue and have already seen. And one thing we'll see, you know, right up until almost the point of crucifixion, is we tire easily of things. So I think my encouragement would be this is going to be long. No matter what you are going to experience the lengthiness, the. And I think probably when we say long, Amanda, correct me, it's a weightiness to it.
- [60:40]
A
Yes.
- [60:40]
B
Like, you know, it's the weight of carrying. It's kind of like, you know, when you start to take a walk or, you know, go somewhere with your kids and you've got the baby bag or your purse or your backpack. Well, it's fine for a little bit, but then the weight of it.
- [60:55]
A
That's right.
- [60:55]
B
Begins to wear on you, and so
- [60:58]
A
you become more aware of what you're carrying.
- [61:00]
B
Right, right. And I think we will. I think that's a natural response, especially as we head to Resurrection Week. I mean, to the Cross. Because there is. We are kind of mirroring the groaning that's right. Of the second coming, I think. And I think we see that. So. So that's only going to intensify. So my encouragement would be honestly kind of practical. You can either maximize it and allow it to do something for you moving forward, or you can survive it. And listen, there are seasons. Survival is the thing. Like, some of the people listening today, they are in a season. And I tell, I've got a friend that's walking through grief. And our comment to her is, always survive. This is not a time for you to thrive. This is a time for you to let the Lord sustain you. And that's an okay thing. But for some of us, Some of us are looking at it and we're just trying to get past it when God's like, hey, there's stuff here.
- [62:04]
A
Amen for you. That's right for your good.
- [62:07]
B
There's sanctifying work that I could be doing if you would open yourself up to it.
- [62:12]
A
Yeah.
- [62:13]
B
And honestly, that's kind of the pursuit of holiness. It's like, hey, you're right. Time served. You gonna lean into this and let me correct you? Let my word read you. Let it test you. Let it produce some things in you, or are you just gonna mark the days off? And I think sometimes that's our decision.
- [62:32]
A
Yeah. Yeah. Well, reading the Psalms is just. I knew coming into it that it was going to kind of get me, because I know myself well enough to know, like, all the things we've pointed out about the emotion and the poetry and the, you know, all of it. And I am grateful. And also I kind of want to, like, take a minute. Like, I just picture a runner, and I just feel like I want to put my, like, hands on my knees and drop my head for a minute and just take a breath. And I'm like, oh, we're not even done. We're not even close to being done. But I believe that it is not an accident that we have what we have ahead of us and that we're reading together and at the pace that we're reading and that we're heading into Holy Week. I believe that it is all by design and not the human design. We've tried to create a meaningful experience, but it's the Lord who is at work here, not. She reads Truth. And so, yeah. So that's helpful. Thank you. I honestly think that when you say, I'm not going to be super spiritual, I'm going to give some practical advice. I think there are A lot of us who are like, yeah, yeah, please, thank you. Like, I need. Just, just look me in the eye and tell me to keep going. And that's what I, as my sister
- [63:50]
B
always says, buck up, little camper.
- [63:54]
A
God is with us. And you know what? God is already ahead of us. He is going where we're going, and he's already there. And he goes with us. And so, and I'm so glad we have each other to walk with. Thank you for being here, Tasha. Thank you you for joining us yet again. You're such a good Bible reading companion, such a good friend to have along for the journey, and, well, I feel the same. Well, we're really grateful for you, friends. You all have a beautiful week of Bible reading ahead. Keep going, sit in it. However, whatever season you're in, and be brave to give yourself some quiet around it and hear from the Lord. Let him do what he'll do. We want to be formed and reformed right by the Lord and his word. So read with us this week. This is not your Bible reading checkbox being checked off. This is us giving you a pep talk so that you can be a woman in the word of God every day this week. And then next week come back. Our friend Kimberly Stewart will be with us, another longtime friend of the podcast. And then after that, we'll be walking into Holy Week together. So do your reading this week, come back next week. And until next week, Tasha, you've already said it once today, but what do we tell our friends?
- [65:15]
B
Keep opening your Bibles.