Put Down Your Phone, Write Out a Psalmනියැදිය

The ancients scrolled too. A lot. Their obsession with scrolling has helped humanity thrive for thousands of years.

For many of us, scrolling doesn't help us thrive. At most, it fills the time; at worst, it nurtures doom.

We're on devices all the time, and spend our days connected to the internet of things with people all over the world. Zoom calls and FaceTime, texting and posting to social media.

Which is why we need strategies to ground me in the natural world, in scripture, and that help to shut out the noise.

Move over doom-scrolling

Transcribing the Psalms (writing passages out by hand, verse by verse) is a wonderful way to meditate on God's word. This Bible Plan is all about taking time to jump into God's word in an intentional, slowed-down way.

As we visit these ancient texts, words come alive. Verses open up with insight and meaning. The simple act of slowing down reading, taking the word in, writing it carefully down, spelling it out, and re-reading to ensure accuracy, helps it stick in the mind and in the heart.

Like oatmeal to ribs. Like honey to a rock.

If you’re looking for a way to step out of the noise all around you and want some mental clarity, transcribe a Psalm.

It’s a wonderfully hands-on activity in our digital world that will ground you. It’ll do you a lot of good. It will bring something fresh to your daily walk with God.

Action steps

• To ease into this study, take a short passage from the Psalms to test this out. Try Psalm 121. It's short and so encouraging.
• Get a journal some paper with a pen
• Put your phone in a drawer or another room
• Get a physical Bible (so you won't get distracted by anything else)

If you enjoy the experience, then jump into this plan, and see what you'll glean as we transcribe Psalm 119--the BIG ONE--together!