Psalm 139: The 31 Day Challenge

During the month of. October, I will be striving to write every day.  Crystal Stine is hosting this challenge, and I am linking up with her.

Why 31 Days?

I have heard people talk about this experience, and it intrigued me.  When I first heard about it last year, my thoughts were along the lines of No Way!  What a difference a year can make.  This is one of the goals I set for myself at the Declare Conference this year.  Coming up with a topic to write about for 31 days straight may seem daunting, but the topic came simultaneously with the goal.

Still, I wondered if I could do it.  When my friend Amy Tuley said she would never do a challenge like this without writing most of the blog entries ahead of time, I had an Aha! Moment. Such a simple yet brilliant idea.  So I started my outline and post entries shortly after returning back from Dallas.  The more  I accomplish in August and September, the more likely I will succeed in October.  

Why Psalm 139?

God has been speaking these words to me over and over throughout the summer and into the fall.  He comforts me.  He soothes my anxieties.  He knows me.  He made me - every single stitch.  I find such beauty in these words, and I wanted to share them with others.  

Everywhere I turn the last few months, I am hearing or seeing words from Psalm 139.  It's like when I bought a black mini-van, and then everybody in the church parking lot had a black mini-van.  Or maybe like when we named our son and didn't know anyone with that name--and then there were four at the school where I teach.  Maybe it is just that my focus has changed, and I am more aware of these words that have been there all along.  Maybe I just really need to hear this message over and over, day in and day out, and God is putting it in front of me so many times so I can really get it.

Based on many conversations I have had, I am not the only person who struggles with anxiety and insecurity.  As I reflect on this Psalm each day,  I have written ways I have seen this reflected in my life.  Some of it may be repetitive.  I have needed that repetition as God has shown me in deeper and deeper layers how I need these words.  My hope and prayer through the month of October is that you too will appreciate the beauty and wisdom in these timeless words, and you will find confidence and security in a God who loves you.