2020 Devotion Plan

The year 2020 is just around the corner.  We only have a few days left of 2019.  I have been thinking about, and prayerfully considering, how I want to study my Bible this year.  I've done several things in the past: focus words, scripture writing, character studies.  I knew I wanted to do something different this year.  Back in November the ladies of our church began a Scripture writing challenge on the word Grateful.  It was a blessing to all of us!  As I wrote out the assigned passages each day I was amazed at how many verses talked about singing praises to our God.

Psalm 95: 1-3 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Psalm 9: 1-2 I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.

Psalm 28:7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Each day as I wrote out more verses, I would see so many instances of singing praises to the Lord that I was convinced that the Lord was telling me something.  But wait a second...I love to sing.  I sing specials in church and in the choir.  I sing with my family and sing whenever I do the dishes or work around the house.  Isn't that enough?  I began to ask myself, do I sing praises TO Him?  Do I "sing unto the LORD?"  Do I praise the Lord with a song in my heart?

I realized that this thought of singing praises to God should be my focus for this year.  I will add this to my Bible reading (I plan to read through the Bible this year using this schedule.) and prayer time each day.  As I decided this, my mind began flooding with ways to do this.   Each month I am going to take a classic, solid, well-loved hymn and have it be my theme.  (I'm so excited about Januarys!)  I am going to incorporate that song into my devotions in the morning and sing unto the Lord.  Some days it may be quietly in my heart. (Usually my kiddos are asleep during my devotion time!) or some days I may sing aloud as I walk.  I will also be memorizing a portion of Scripture that has to do with the idea of the theme of the hymn.  I am convinced I need to make sure that I am memorizing God's Word and hiding it in my heart!  I will be writing out this Scripture and putting it in a visible place in my home.  I will also be reading the story behind why the Hymn was written.  I love hymn stories!  And my plan is to create something to put on my table or kitchen with the music to the hymn.  Each month I will take a different hymn.

Would you like to join me in this? This link will take you to all the posts marked "2020 Devotion Plan"  I will be making a playlist to share with this hymn so that we can listen to it.  I will post along the way the hymn story and Bible verses to memorize. I am so looking forward to making sure my heart is singing praises to my wonderful Savior.  He truly is worthy!