Spiritual Practices: Keyword Listing
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
- Lord (and related pronouns) - Explore God's blessings on his people
Spiritual Practices: Experiencing winter
Overview
In this psalm, the psalmist is writing about the blessings of God on the city of Jerusalem. In verses 16 and 17, he specifically talks about winter. I was meditating on this passage yesterday while out in the woods.
I enjoy hiking but I had never been snowshoeing before. This year my wife bought me a set of snowshoes for Christmas. Yesterday I went out snowshoeing for the first time. I went up to Tieton pond off of highway 12. The ground was covered with about 12 to 14 inches of snow. Except for a few animal tracks, the snow was completely undisturbed. It covered the ground like a blanket and weighed down the branches of the trees. Every couple of minutes you would hear a rustle as snow would cascade down from one the trees onto the ground. Other than that it is absolutely silent. I was completely alone with God.
As I made my way up hill for about a mile and a half to Tieton pond, the effort of breaking a path uphill through the snow made me hot and I unzipped my coat and took off my hat. Once I got to the pond and stopped for a minute, the cold began to seep in again. I was brushing ice out of my hair and beard. Like the trail itself, the campground was completely deserted and covered with undisturbed snow.
As I worked my way through the snow and cold, I reflected on the beauty around me. I love hiking. In the spring time the flowers bring splashes of color. The views on a clear summer day are breathtaking. The colors changing in the fall paint the landscape. There is something unique about being outdoors in the winter though. It brings its own beauty and reminders of the wonder and majesty of God.
Practice
Not everyone can, or should, go snowshoeing in the mountains, but we all can experience the wonder of God revealed in the snow, the ice, and the cold of winter. This week, find a way to spend some time outdoors and experience the winter. Reflect on the psalmists words in verses 16 and 17 and meditate on the goodness, wonder, and majesty of God who gives snow like wool, scatters frost like ashes, hurls down crystals of ice like crumbs, and creates the biting cold.
Overview
In this psalm, the psalmist is writing about the blessings of God on the city of Jerusalem. In verses 16 and 17, he specifically talks about winter. I was meditating on this passage yesterday while out in the woods.
I enjoy hiking but I had never been snowshoeing before. This year my wife bought me a set of snowshoes for Christmas. Yesterday I went out snowshoeing for the first time. I went up to Tieton pond off of highway 12. The ground was covered with about 12 to 14 inches of snow. Except for a few animal tracks, the snow was completely undisturbed. It covered the ground like a blanket and weighed down the branches of the trees. Every couple of minutes you would hear a rustle as snow would cascade down from one the trees onto the ground. Other than that it is absolutely silent. I was completely alone with God.
As I made my way up hill for about a mile and a half to Tieton pond, the effort of breaking a path uphill through the snow made me hot and I unzipped my coat and took off my hat. Once I got to the pond and stopped for a minute, the cold began to seep in again. I was brushing ice out of my hair and beard. Like the trail itself, the campground was completely deserted and covered with undisturbed snow.
As I worked my way through the snow and cold, I reflected on the beauty around me. I love hiking. In the spring time the flowers bring splashes of color. The views on a clear summer day are breathtaking. The colors changing in the fall paint the landscape. There is something unique about being outdoors in the winter though. It brings its own beauty and reminders of the wonder and majesty of God.
Practice
Not everyone can, or should, go snowshoeing in the mountains, but we all can experience the wonder of God revealed in the snow, the ice, and the cold of winter. This week, find a way to spend some time outdoors and experience the winter. Reflect on the psalmists words in verses 16 and 17 and meditate on the goodness, wonder, and majesty of God who gives snow like wool, scatters frost like ashes, hurls down crystals of ice like crumbs, and creates the biting cold.