First, a psalm a day, each and everyday, …each and everyday I read the day’s psalm in three translations, Young’s Literal Translation; The Message, and the NIV

I think of these readings as songs; songs like David sang. I wonder if David wrote, formed a psalm every few days…every few days …

Psalm 1 Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)

1 O the happiness of that one, who Hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked. And in the way of sinners hath not stood, And in the seat of scorners hath not sat;

2 But — in the law of Jehovah [is] his delight, And in His law he doth meditate by day and by night:

my prayer: Let me feel your happiness 

Psalm 1 The Message (MSG)

my prayer: Renew me as a tree in Eden; your tree of knowledge, and life. Replant me.

Psalm 1 NIV 

Blessed is the one
    who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
    or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
    which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
    whatever they do prospers. 

Now, second, I ask the Lord to give me one or two words from by readings. Today I was given the verbs of this first song, 

These highlighted in bold YLT verbs are in the past tense. The highlighted verbs in both The Message and the NIV versions of the 1st verse of Psalm 1 is the present tense. So, as I walk, stand and sit today, I remember to be in my past and to be in and to be mindful of my present

This is what the Lord gave me this first day of 2020: past and present verbs about walking, standing and sitting. What next?

Before prayer, my third step in my reading, meditating, singing is to make these God given word gifts my own. How? 

I change the tenses, or in this case, I change my verbs into past or present participles. Here and now walk, stand and sit become active, present participles walking, standing and sitting. Why? 

So my past becomes present. And, in order to be totally present with these word gifts, I make each gift an essential question: