Psalm 144:3-4

English Standard Version (ESV): O LORD, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

Directions:  Choose a translation of the Bible that you easily understand, but that has depth of meaning.  I recommend that you keep a special journal just for praying the Psalms.  Try praying the Psalms for yourself before reading my version of these verses.  The point of this method is for the Spirit to speak with your heart and that you will commune with God about how your own experience relates to His word.  I only include my sample to help you understand what I mean in the steps and because it is always good for Christians to share their thoughts about God and experiences with Him.

Step 1:  Choose a verse or two from one of the Psalms and write it out in a notebook. 

Step 2: After reading a thought from the verse, begin writing your own version of that thought.  This is not exactly paraphrasing the Psalmist’s words although you can paraphrase if you wish.  This is taking the thought and applying it to your own life and changing the words to fit your own experience.  Continue writing about your experience with God until you no longer have anything more to say.

Step 3:  Go to the next thought in the verse and repeat Step 2. 

Step 4:  Continue this process until you feel satisfied that you are finished or until the verse’s thoughts are finished.

My version (verses 3-4): 

You are my LORD. You care about me. I am special to You. Why? Why do You care so much? There is nothing special in me that makes me worthy of Your affection. My whole species is irreverent, self-centered, violent, cruel, and ungrateful. I am no different, so why do You love us? You created us to be different–special and beautiful, but we have become something ugly and common. We are here and gone in an instant and when we die, we leave little of ourselves behind. We forget our dead loved ones quickly. Their influence is gone within a short time–a generation or two at most but for the majority, their influence lasts a year or two, and then it is as if they had never been. Yet, You remember. You love. You are not like us selfish forgetful humans. You want to remember us. We are here and gone in an instant, yet You let us live on in Your memory. Jesus said that You are a God of the living even as He spoke of dead men. To You, we are not dead, only sleeping. Even when our bodies have become dust particles, You think of us and will raise us up, waking us with a trumpet. You are faithful in Your attention. How can we become like You?