Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
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As the title says, you have come to the right place if you are stressed out. I am totally stressed about a long list of issues and projects. Thus, as a self-help remedy and open therapy session, I compiled verses from Psalms to inject into my mind, heart, and soul. At the same time, I pray these passages will bring solace for whatever is troubling you as well.
Before we begin, I will share what I am looking at as I write. Taped to my computer screen frame are “Jesus, I trust in you” and “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27). Those godly truths are circuit breakers for when I feel life is not going my way. But my life IS going God’s way! So, I stare at my screen frame and repeat, repeat, and repeat.
That said, here are passages from Psalms about which I will pray, starting with:
“I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.” (Psalm 18:1-3).
Fortunately, at this writing, I don’t have too many enemies except for me. I am my worst enemy, from whom I call on the Lord to save. Can anyone relate to that? The poetic words of this next Psalm sound like a gently flowing stream:
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). Positive energy flows from this one:
“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11). Yes, yes, I KNOW that. The problem is I was raised by a Jewish mother, which means that I live in a constant state of worry and anxiety. One of her favorite quotes: “If not for Jewish mothers, psychiatrists wouldn’t have patients.” And to that, I say, “Dr. Sigmund Freud’s business agents made a very successful long-term secret deal.”
Now, a Psalm passage that emphasizes patience and trust in the Almighty:
“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. Let Your mercy, O Lord, be upon us, Just as we hope in You” (Psalm 33:20-22). And next verse is easy to memorize:
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46-1). Raise your hand if you believe that verse with every neuron of your brain, but somehow the message gets lost in the mush.
The following verse has a connecting story at the end:
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). Reading those words soothes my soul. Seriously, I just felt a rush of calm. That means I am supposed to tape it to my computer frame next to the two inspirational messages mentioned above.
Time for a house memo: Back in 2020, during the pandemic, in the early days of this study I wrote Vol. 10 about Psalm 91 — what I consider the most perfect all-encompassing Psalm. And since this Bible study has no rules, I will plagiarize myself:
“Psalm 91 is a beautifully written dialogue between God and Man. You will read how He offers a blanket of protection against a host of maladies (including plague and pestilence) to anyone who believes and worships Him. That is why Psalm 91 is known as the ‘prayer of protection.’ ”
Back to today’s therapy session, and due to space considerations, I display only the first and last verses of this famous 16-verse Psalm, but for extra credit, read all 16. More than a “prayer of protection,” it exudes peaceful thoughts, faith, and hope that begins:
“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust ’ ” (Psalm 91:1-2). And it ends:
“ ‘ Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation ’ ” (91:14-16). And you can deposit this one in your mind bank:
“He will not fear bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord” (Psalm 112:7).
Now it’s time for the “connecting story” I teased earlier. Last night, about halfway through writing this study, immediately after the verse — “Be still, and know that I am God” — my brain was fried from a stressful day, and time for my head to hit “My Pillow.”
At 3:15 AM, I awoke, silently “hearing” the verse “Be still and know that I am God.” However, it was not one and done, the verse was on repeat play. Just hours before, I had written how “I just felt a rush of calm” upon including the verse. And now I am trying to sleep but hearing “Be still and know that I am God” over and over. Then, I “heard” a different message, “You are not [still] and you don’t know” [that I am God]. Yikes, my Psalm stress reduction “therapy” was talking to me silently and clearly going on 4 AM.
At that time my husband got up to use the bathroom. When he returned, I asked if he was OK. He said, “Yes, but had a dream about pythons.” I did not tell him what I was experiencing. However, what he said freaked me out since pythons are not just snakes, but monster-sized, and we all know what snakes represent! I tried to sleep again but “Be still and know that I am God” continued replaying. I believe it was a warning: “Yes, ‘be still and know that I am God’ but beware of python-sized evil slithering around.” Finally I got up and immediately saw this story about python meat.
I am not sure what THAT means but surely, I am going to “be still” and “know” that He is God. Thanks for joining my “Bible study therapy session.” I hope you found it helpful while I am still prayerfully wrestling with the ending.
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” with the same title, reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of SignFromGod.org and the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. Both are educational donor-supported ministries dedicated to building a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C., and promoting the $1 Million Challenge to replicate the Shroud. Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
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