#RedeemerRecommends - Women of Colour on the Word of God
#RedeemerRecommends - A book on Psalm 119 which you NEED to read, because of the quality of the devotionals, and because of the women that wrote them.
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the bible, and when it comes up in a Bible in a Year or CBR reading plan, it can often be met with trepidation. This 176 verse poem is a challenge for even the most dedicated biblical scholar to read in one go!
And so I perhaps shouldn’t be surprised that His Testimonies, My Heritage - a series of devotionals based on the chapter - has opened my eyes to just what a glorious passage it is to read, especially when broken up into individual stanzas. Every section is a fresh reminder that in order to live a life which honours God, we must be those who are dedicated to his word!
The book includes an individual devotion for each of the 22 stanzas - or subsections - of the Psalm, interspersed with poems which are inspired by certain verses or passages.
Each devotion and poem is inspiring, challenging, eye opening, and that’s not all! Every chapter in the book is written by a woman of colour. This is one of the highlights of the book for me, the fact that the devotionals are written from a perspective from which we simply do not hear enough when studying scripture. Each of the women who have contributed to this collection brings personal testimonies and experiences into their writing, but also do an amazing job of reminding us that all Christians have a united hope and spiritual heritage rooted in the word of God.
We are living through a time in history where the unity shown within the church is a bright light amidst the darkness of division that we see throughout the rest of society. Reading this book has not only given me a greater recognition of the importance of the word of God in my life, but also has reinforced in me the importance of allowing men and women from every tribe and tongue to guide me in that study of God’s word.
I will leave you with a paragraph from the foreword of the book, written by Kim Cash Tate:
I could go on and on about this treasure. But I need you to dive in for yourself. No matter what your background or ethnicity is, you will be enriched by the window you gain into the lives of these amazing sisters in Christ. And you will be immensely blessed as they lead you, verse by verse, to a deeper understanding of this majestic psalm.
On the bench
Sometimes you are well advised to stop, find a park bench and soak up God's creation in all its wonder.
I wrote this on a park bench in the Peak District.
Lord of life,
of colour and colour,
of breeze and light.
Lord of bluebell and butterfly,
of birdsong and birds' flight.
Lord of space to think,
of time to rest.
Lord of movement,
of stillness.
I sit here and I confess
complete adoration,
my sunshine celebration
of this, your full spectrum,
this rainbow-wide gifted creation.
I sit and give thanks
for this sustained life,
of greens and blues in yellow light,
of this colour full to the brim life,
of fresh composed songscape,
this God given escape.
I thank you, Lord, for this gateway,
this fresh every morning,
gifted new day.