Psalms Through the Year: Spiritual Exercises for Every Day

The Psalms have been and continue to be among the most beloved writings of the Bible. However, the breadth of the Psalms rarely is dealt with as we tend to focus in on the 9 or 10 or so that are beloved to the point of being cliche. This devotional leads the reader into the whole of the Psalms. It begins on January 1 with Psalm 1, but can be entered into at any point during the year, according to the date. While sometimes the historical aspects of the writing outweighs the devotional aspects,there is enough of a connection to let the Psalm speak across the centuries to contemporary faith. I find the the short prayers at the end of each devotion are my favorite part. Martin Luther said, "The fewer the words, the better the prayer." The prayers tell the truth of that saying.

This is an excellent resource for reflection and formation. The author gives us helpful clues to chew on and invites us to wrestle with the Psalms in deeper ways.

Biblical scholar and pastor Marshall D. Johnson presents Psalms Through the Year: Spiritual Exercises for Every Day, a daily devotional that presents Psalm 1 through Psalm 150 in sequence, distributed among days of the year. Psalms Through the Year is applicable to any calendar year, and each psalm's one-page entry comes with thoughtful contemplation concerning the theological messages, spiritual life lessons, and means to open one's heart to God that are intrinsic to the psalms. A selection of notes and recommendations for further reading round out this excellent resource for reminding oneself daily to honor God.