Good morning, lovelies! We are so excited to begin a new plan together today! As we prepare our hearts for Easter, we will be reading through a collection of scripture that was written to be sung–you can find the new plan on You Version by clicking here. {Or you can subscribe to receive each daily post by email!}
Imagine a journey.
You are tired. You are hungry and thirsty, yet you will not rest until you’ve completed this journey.
This journey is a marathon–it is long, and it is tiresome. You don’t worry about winning: you simply want to make it to the goal. You want to reach the finish line.
As you are walking or running, you begin hearing voices. These voices are singing, and the noise grows louder and louder until soon everyone around you is singing with all of their might. As you hear the words, you realize you know the words and begin singing with them.
One might think that singing would cause more exhaustion–how on earth could you continue walking or running? Instead you gain more momentum as the songs continue.
Each word brings encouragement and hope.
Each verse takes you to a memory–a moment in your life’s journey.
Each song begins and ends: bringing you closer to the finish. Preparing your heart as you close the gap.
Sisters, these are the Songs of Ascent. We are so excited to raise our voices together with you as we read through this section of the Bible found in the book of Psalms. Each chapter is a song that was sung as the annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem was made in celebration of the Passover. Whether you’re new to us or been along for several of our journeys through the Scriptures, we can all agree that there is something powerful about a group uniting around God’s truth, just like his people did years ago on the way to Jerusalem.
Each day we will look at one chapter of Psalms together, followed by a New Testament selection–each grouping tied together with a common theme. And while these verses were written many years ago, the truth is that they are just as applicable to us as ever before. Time changes, culture shifts: His truth stays constant. Always.
Persecution. Hope. Community. Peace. Thankfulness. Blessing.
As we prepare our hearts for tomorrow, I encourage you to take time to do a few things–I’m a big believer of marking the day.
Read through Psalm 120-134. Read it as you would a story or a letter. We will focus on each chapter in the upcoming days, but today? Just let His truth wash over you.
After you’ve read these chapters, write out a prayer. You don’t have to write it out, but I urge you to take time to do so. Remember sister, He knows your hurts, your insecurities, your struggles, and your fears. He is also rejoicing with you! He knows these things, yes, but He loves to hear from you.
Take time to tell Him, and ask Him to speak loudly in your life as we embark together.
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93 thoughts on "introduction"
Im praying that over this plan the Lord will guide me out of my fears towards my health issues and bring strength like i never have and healing! Already psalm 125 has ministered to me and I cannot wait to dig in. Today was such a struggle with my health and that first verse preserved me. I hope im not too late!
I’m new to #shereadstruth. I started this plan on you version today! I’m already overwhelmed with Gods sweet love for me, just reading these 15 chapters. He’s faithful!!
Hello ladies I feel blessed to have joined this journey I am at a very difficult turning point in my life since I recently became a single mother of 3 little angels ages 4 , 2 , and 2 weeks old and I feel that I need gods love and support more than ever before. May this journey help us all find healing love peace and happiness. Many blessings to you all!
Shari-
Thank you so much for sharing. So glad you are here and a part of this community of women!
I just joined this study and am so excited!
This has been such a wonderful journey so far!
I ready to except him I want him to guide my life as he planned!!!!
Just completed day one. I’ve been so busy need to slow down and reflect on Him. Thx for today’s verses
So thankful for the reintroduction to Psalms. These verses brought so much peace and thankful this week. Feeling immensely blessed to be celebrating the Sabbath today! God be with you!
Day 1 done! l love the feedback in this community of sisters! Father in hospital & God is still a healer… day late but right on time with Him. Please pray he will be home soon. Thanks & GBU
Samantha, thank you for pointing out the Songs of Ascent on youtube. I had read and commented earlier today, but listening to these Psalms sung really brought to life the vision of the pilgrimmage to Jerusalem for passover. You could sense the joy, the excitement, the gratefulness to God.
What kind of journey are we on, as we follow our pilgrimmage into this Holy Season? Where will God lead us? I am excited to find out…
Hearing them sung really makes them striking doesn't it! I listened to the ones by "emui", who has done musical versions of all the Psalm's we'll be reading in this plan.
I just went to listen again and I saw that "Autumn Dawn" has done a more contemporary version, which is also lovely!
I desperately needed this today! Our school is going through a very difficult time right now, and the atmosphere has been very toxic. Many teachers are discouraged and despairing. Some have responded to the challenges we're facing with weeping, while others have responded with anger and bitterness. I needed to hear this verse resonate within my heart: "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." It reminded me that even in times of despair, there is hope.,
Stumbled on SRT a few days ago and this is my first study. I'm really excited, I've been going through a season of not putting God first in my time but He has really been working in my heart and through my friends to change that. This is a very concrete way for me to do that.
As I was reading the Psalms, the thing that kept hitting me was that God is with us in every circumstance of our life…and not just with us (though heavens knows His presence is a huge gift by itself) but He is also working through our lives for our good and His glory. Not always happy times, sometimes outright bad times. Times of emotional despair, of no hope. HE IS STILL THERE!
Father God, I pray for your Holy Spirit to wash over me in my daily life. Give me more love for you and for your people that I am surrounded with. In my dark places, in my despair, let me call out to you first!
Victoria,
Glad you stumbled onto into the SRT community! Thank you for sharing!
I'm so excited to start this devotional! This is the first one I am doing together with you all. I just finished Colossians!!
Welcome, Kaydee!
I read Psalm 121 and the verses that particularly kept tugging at my heart were 5, 7-8
"The Lord Himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade….the Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever."
I'm 22 and have a fear of driving. It's something that I've been struggling with for the longest. It's been on my mind to get a driver teacher and how perfect that these verses came up. I love how God reassures me not just ONCE but MULTIPLE times that He is watching over me and will keep me from all harm. 'He stands beside me as my protective shade". it brought tears to my eyes because He knows how big a struggle it is to me and just now he spoke to my heart in that beautiful, still, small voice to not be afraid of anything because he's going to be in that passenger seat with me. He is beautiful. :')
It is my first time here on She Reads truth and I am so excited to join this community of lovely girls seeking after God's own heart!
Mara-
So glad you are here!
Needs to surround myself with inspirational people and things. Glad to be part of this group. Also Rascal Flats has a new song called " Changed " its amazing!
I’m actually starting a study on time!
Must have been a rough day for a few of us yesterday! Just what I needed after satan’s lies. So excited to start a new study and dive into His Word! The more I study His Truth the more I long for it, need it, and can’t live without it!
Ready to begin the march toward Zion with you
Thank you Lord for this community.
I am so excited!! Love my SRT community!
Excited to start this plan
Joining in! Hope I can stick with it this time!
Oh, I just love this. Excited to be back – I've missed our daily readings! Although the stories last week were amazing. Sharing our story is just as important as the rest, so thank you for doing that :)
Andi- Thanks for sharing! I, too, am a stay at home mom due to illness. It sure can be hard to adjust to the change in direction, but yes- what a blessing!! Looking forward to your thoughts during this new study – the more the merrier! :)
I am very excited to start this study. The testimonies were all just a blessing and encouragment to read and now this will just add to it.
Thank you She Read Truth Community Women! Those who shared their testimonies last week thank you; what a blessing. Also thank you to all of you old and new who make this an awesome place to commune. I look forward to the expectant blessings which will be received from these particular divisions of Psalms.
This is an exciting time of the year in the Judeo-Christian world. What better way to prepare and participate than with this devotional? Again, THANK YOU!
This will be my first time joining you ladies. I'm very excited to see what The Lord will do as we journey together!
Welcome, Sherry!
Glad you're with us, Sherry!
I read through the Psalms this morning whilst listening to them being sung on YouTube. I could just picture the journey through the Psalms, the music I listened to changed pace every couple of passages so it made it more lifelike….the whole starting strong, petering out in the middle, but gathering strength and completing the path set out for us.
I'm so excited to make a fresh start with SRT and this plan, I let slip a few months ago, with a new job and pressure coming from each direction. I feel a much needed cleanse to my soul approaching.
My thoughts after the initial read-through of these Psalms: We must keep our eyes on God. He is there – always. Worrying, fretting, struggling, trying to fix it all, trying to control it all, trying to do it all, be it all – just stop. Be still. Be calm. Be silent. Let Him. Just let Him. Sing His praises!
So excited to start a new chapter with SheReadsTruth community. It is so true that when a group of people gather around the Word, God does big things. I am praying for that in each of our lives.
ALSO: **Anyone who has the time today AT 4PM CST, please pray take a moment and pray for me. I have an interview, and I need peace, Godly wisdom, and discernment.
Love you all, and thank you!!! May God bless your the rest of your day!!
Prayed for you Jaime! :)
Just FYI… Got the job!! GOD IS SO GOOD!! Thanks for praying : )
This study could not have come at a better time for me!
I'm so excited to be starting this new study with you ladies!
These psalm really spoke to me with some of the family stuff we have going on. It was a great reminder.
I just recently found The Influence Network and She Reads Truth, and I am so so excited to be a part of this community and share together in His Word.
Excited to go on this journey and to get to know all of you better. I am Andi, Clinical Counselor by profession, a Stay-at-Home-Mom by the blessings of God. I haven’t always been able to say that. For sometime, I was overwhelmed and resentful to have to leave my profession due to health complications from MS, but since joining the group (even though many times I am silent and some days MS blocks my hands from writing/posting and more), I have found peace and gratefulness in trusting God and being here where He has currently placed me. I love my children. I loved my job. I felt like Wonder Woman being able to have both. I struggled not knowing why God took me through so much education and training and residency and all the work to be the professional that He had calle me to be. He blessed me at my profession and He worked through me. I felt it was my ministry. I felt silent and alone and like I was dying when my body became too ill to continue. I know God is not finished with me. Now I choose to praise Him for giving me these precious moments at home with my two children. God has opened my eyes to see that my 2 year old son and my 8 year old daughter (who is on the autism spectrum) are where He wants me to minister now. Their lives are my work and my love. I loved reading in the Psalms today about how children are blessings and how blessed parents are. So today I praise God for using MS to reposition me into this wonderful position of being a full time 24/7 non-stop mommy. I am grateful for all of you for the inspiration and encouragement that I have read in each of your postings the past few months. May God continue to bless each of you. May He bless this new journey as we seek His face and enter into this Holy Passover/Easter season.
In His Love,
Andi
Andi-
Such a great testimony and encouragement! Thank you for sharing!
Andi, the work you are doing at home with those precious children is a good and glorious thing. It is also hard (i have three little ones myself), but it is GOOD. Praying now that God will bless you through his word and through the SheReadsTruth community. We are so glad you're here.
Exactly what was needed at the right time.
Ready to jump back into the Word with all of you once again! Reading through the selection of Psalms has inspired me to prepare my heart for our next journey together.
As I have mentioned before, I am a Psalmist at heart. I often find inspiration for songs in the songbook of Israel and, even more often than that, I find much comfort and encouragement there – they are so real and raw, so honest…they are the way I write songs, and they are the way I pray: honestly, holding nothing back. I love the songs of ascent, and have been working to set some of them to music, so we can sing them together… I mentioned before that I wanted to do all of them, but that's just not going to happen…but, I will have some to share. They are meant to be sung, and I find that singing the word helps me to hide it in my heart, it allows it to wash over me. I am excited to make this journey with you, my sisters. It was good just to read through these Psalms all in one go today, and allow the words to speak freshly to my heart. Verse 5 from Psalm 130 really stuck out to me (because this what we are doing here): "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits; and in His word I put my hope."
What a great idea. I was trying to put a tune to the scriptures as I was reading them but was not very successful.
I can’t wait gore this to officially start.
I’m so excited to join the #shereadstruth community! And so excited to do this study. God is so good!
Colleen G-
Welcome to the SRT community!
He IS good! All the time!
EmilyC, sorry to hear you had such a rough day! I’m glad to be back with everyone for this study, where we can support one another and help each other look at His word in new and exciting ways.
The SRT Community has changed my life, and like others, I’m soo glad the Lord led me here!!
I’d like to Thank all the women again, who blessed me with their testimonies last week. Very powerful
and inspiring- Thank you!
Ingrid I hope things are looking up! The Lord is with you :)
Blessings to all SRT Sisters today and PTL!!
I'm ready and excited to be apart of this….He will do such great things in our hearts,ladies….
Patti-
So glad you are a part of this too! Thank you for sharing!
Ladies, This is the day the Lord has made. Rejoice and be Glad in it” !!!
To say I am excited is not strong enough. I am Rejoicing in this new devotional. Yesterday my heart was full of anxieties, but today I am uplifted. By God, by the starting of this new plan, by fellowship with you, all the wonderful ladies of #SRT. Blessings to all. xxx
Yesterday was a bad day for me. No matter how I tried I could not escape the negativity in my mind. I was numb and immobilized. During the night I was comforted in my sleep with the presence of our Lord. I woke up singing praises and just cannot help smiling. I am so very excited to start this study and learn from the insights of our SRT family!
I'm really excited about this reading plan! Ready to get started :)
Very excited for this new plan! I am so glad to be part of this community! Thank you God for leading me here!
Missy-
So glad you are here!
Looking forward to this.
Dear Lord, you and you alone know the struggles and fears in my heart right now. I long for a fresh touch and a closer walk with you. Help me let you in and not push you away as I so often do. Amen.
Loved Beth Moore's Songs of Ascent series, so I'm really looking forward to this again. It's been a few years since I did that one.
Never knew Beth Moore did something like this…Where can I find that "Songs of Ascent". thanks
It’s called Stepping Up.
What hit me most in these psalms today is the overwhelming goodness of god1 How can we not trust Him? Why do we stray? Why do we try to find satisfaction in anything else? I am as guilty as anyone. O Lord, we praise You!
Really excited for this new plan, like everyone else! That first psalm on the list really hit me today:
"In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. Deliver me, O Lord, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue."
I had a meltdown yesterday and cried for a good while after work. Event after event kept leading me to hear a lie from Satan, that I wasn't good enough, or worthy enough, or that people didn't care, etc. It built and built until it was too much to handle. I knew they were lies, but my efforts to combat it with scripture failed. I guess recognition is the first step?
Anyway, I love the above line "He knows your hurts, your insecurities, your struggles, and your fears. He is also rejoicing with you!" What a great reminder! I am looking forward to learning more about these themes and rejoicing as easter approaches.
Praying for you! I have had so many days like the one you had yesterday. Some of Satan's greatest schemes are the lies he tells about our worth. You ARE worthy enough. I like to think God speaks through our tears, wants us to wash away self doubt and release ourselves to Him even more. Hang in there!!!
prayers to you to keep the lies from sitting on your heart! you are worthy of everything good, and i hope you are able to latch on to that message today! :)
i had the same kind of day today and know that feeling well. i had to keep repeating my psalm that stuck out to me today as i walked home, just to build up my inner strength. it helped to talk to my husband about it, but that repetition of the Word is so comforting (it's a big reason why i love the Rosary so much too!).
EmilyC-
This may or may not mean something to you, but I thought I would share!
As I was reading your comment, I felt like I should say to you, "Start singing."
I don't know if that means that you should start singing and praising the Lord (shift to focusing on what is true of Him) when those lies start coming or something altogether different…I just know that praise is a weapon. Check out 2 Chronicles 20…specifically verse 22.
Ready to begin, at the beginning this time. I am at day 18 of Soul Detox. Ready to ascend.
MimiKy-
Keep going! Soul Detox is goooooood!
I've done a couple of studies at once. It is really interesting how the Lord can use two completely different studies to highlight some of the same things!
I'm new to #shereadstruth and am excited to do this study. Looking forward to what I can learn from it
Welcome, cmanning127! So glad you're here!
Welcome! So happy you've joined us.
excited to start this one and bring it all the way to Easter. some of my most trying days in faith, and some of the most rewarding are the last few weeks of lent, when the contemplation and the sorrow and the preparation to rejoice just come together and really get my heart ready to better serve the Lord. i'm letting all of psalm 120-134 wash over me today, all the emotions and the passion of it, but 121:2 (perfect, isn't it) really spoke to me today as we start this journey. "my help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."
Some of my most cherished passage of Scripture is found right here. Eager to study them again.
Looking forward to getting started :)
Dear Lord, my Heavenly Father, help me to know you better. Help me to spend time with you. Build my trust and faith in you, oh Lord! In Jesus’ name I pray. So grateful to have been led to SRT! Blessings to all my sisters as we start another journey together!
LeahTvt-
So glad you are here! Thank you for sharing your prayer!
Amen. So glad to have you here.
Thanks for welcoming me!
Thank you, thank you for the welcome!
I love the wide range of emotions felt in these Psalms. This is who we are. This is who God made us to be. We are made in His image. Think of the wide range of emotions that God feels. Thankful that He is where my help comes from, and asking Him to help me keep my eyes on Him. Also, I didn't realize the verses about children were in the songs of ascent. Very interesting indeed! I'm thankful for God's blessing and reward in that sense! I have four wonderful rewards from Him :)
I am really excited for this!
I loved the testimonials of the past week, and I am overjoyed to begin a new plan with all of you!
Great to be back with you, let us climb towards His loving Presence in the coming weeks.
Can’t wait! I’ve missed you guys!!
excited!
So ready to start this journey with my fellow sisters in Christ!