Learning to sing a new song, plus an update on my summer in the Psalms.

Reflecting on God's perfect & steadfast love, everyday mercies, and a shift on the horizon (?).

Aug 17, 2025

Let me try to untangle everything there possibly is to say, everything swimming around in my head. Feels like an impossible task sometimes that often ends up with me curled into a fetal position. Hmm. That may be a little dramatic. But, actually, no, not really - it’s true. Writing helps - some.

If I don’t write, ideas and feelings end up getting lost in the ether, in the underwater caves of the subconscious. If that goes on long enough, I can start feeling like I don’t even know who I am or what I’m doing. What is my life?? Gosh, I’m being melodramatic again, aren’t I? *cough*

Often, the same ideas and feelings, concepts, notions, what have you, rise out of my subconscious to nudge me again and again. That’s when I need to pay attention. That’s when I need to write to sort it all out before the waves return to the tranquil waters of complacency. So that I can hold on to it.

Man, it’s chaos in here. Pure and utter terrifying, exciting, perturbing, beautiful chaos. The last 2 weeks have brought on a monsoon of feelings, questions, fear, hope. And I did not see it coming. Something feels different and I don’t know what it is. I don’t like not knowing and I don’t like waiting (unless it’s all in my head? Only time will tell).

Yet, here I am waiting, not knowing. In all this, I keep coming back to God. He is the rainbow in the storm of uncertainty. He is the rock in the quicksand of emotions. He has gripped my heart and I don’t want Him to let go. But I know He never will. I know He never fails. I’ll be the one to loosen my grip on Him. I’ll be the one to turn my face in my unfaithfulness.

Can I expect to be any better than the Israelites in the desert with whom God literally walked in the form of cloud by day and fire by night? Well, I hope so. I want to be (by the power of the Holy Spirit).

Summer in the Psalms update

Back in June I started a reading plan that goes through the whole book of Psalms for the 2nd summer in a row. You can read that post here. I have to admit I soon lost motivation to do my daily readings. I kept going back and trying again though, because I don’t want to starve (And also because I’m accountable to the girl I’m doing this reading plan with).

One thing that has stood out to me over and over is God’s steadfast love. For two weeks of the reading plan His steadfast love was mentioned in nearly every single Psalm.

"I have found the one whom my soul loves" - Song of Solomon 3:4

God’s love is the perfect love. The most true love. The love that will never fade. And it still absolutely blows my mind that He has so mercifully and graciously bestowed that hesed on me, because of Jesus.

Over and over I have felt my Heavenly Father gently guiding me, leading my affections, to love Him more and want to be devoted to Him. I keep praying that He helps me receive His incredible love while learning to love Him above all else.

God’s mercies are new every morning

During a recent quiet nighttime moment, I was reflecting on the joy of this journey called life. Life is a constant reimagining of all the things that are and could be. A discovery journey. That strikes me as beautiful. There is always something more just around the corner. Sometimes, that corner is a few (or several) blocks away, but it’s there, waiting.

This is by God’s grace and mercy, both acting together in tandem, driving His mighty & sovereign hand in our lives. He gives us the gifts of hearing a new lovely song, a flower blooming out of the crack in the sidewalk, something that makes us laugh. The gift of looking toward the future with hope and the gift of looking back with gratitude and appreciation.

The human condition means changing and growing, sometimes shrinking and hurting, but always discovering. This discovery, I think, is meaningful and worthwhile. It keeps us asking, “what else is possible?”

A new song

I know this post seems all over the place. I often don’t know what I’ll write until I start writing, and this is what’s come out. Maybe it’s par for the course in turning one year older (this month). I’ll be 35 in 5 days. Maybe that’s the “shift” I’m feeling? Or at least part of it. I don’t know. But I do know God has been working in my heart.

He has been teaching me to sing a new song - one of quiet confidence (in Him), boldness, and (dare I say it?) joy. I may be a bit of a slow learner, though. Actually, I think I’m just stubborn. Lord, help me. I’m prideful. I’m a difficult student, but He’s a patient and gentle teacher.

Psalm 96

¹Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.
²Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
³Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

⁴For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.
⁵For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.
⁶Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

⁷Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
⁸Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.
⁹Worship the Lord in the splendor of his^[^a^] holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.
¹⁰Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.

¹¹Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
¹²Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
¹³Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his faithfulness.