Today's Psalm

by Ben

I read Psalm 1-11 (in the Message).

I experimented a little today in my reading. I know that many have prayed the Psalms in the past as a means of connecting to God. The monks at the monastery I visited last year use the Psalms as their guide for prayer and worship (getting through all of the Psalms in two weeks). So, I thought, how would it be to read these aloud, trying to capture the emotion of the writer?

And other than half expecting the custodian to walk in, it was an awesome experience. Having read through the Psalms before, I kinda knew what to expect. But not having gone through them using Peterson's translation before made for an eye-opening experience. (For all of you doubters of The Message,) this is one book of the Bible that it makes perfect sense to have a modern language translation. No other translation I've read captures the emotion of the Psalmist. Couple the wording with being read aloud and it is certainly a powerful time with God.