The Beginning

How do you build a life of faith? Is it simply believing things or is it doing good works or something else entirely? I've found that my faith has only really grown or become meaningful for me as I did things. That is, while my beliefs were part of my faith they lacked impact for me until I began to do things that built on that faith.

My practices have changed over the years but I've developed habits that have begun part of my regular life. I didn't start off with the things I do now but started small and changed over time. One of the things that I do regularly is to read the Psalms. I do this with my children before they sleep at night and initially, I did it "just for the kids" but now it's an important part of my faith development.

How can you develop your faith? Start small. There are many Psalms that are quite brief and you can read them in under a minute. Read one Psalm every day for a week. Choose a quiet time that is convenient for you. It could be while you're still in bed first thing in the morning or just before you go to bed at night. The key is to choose a time that is available every day, if possible.

Read the Psalm out loud if you can, that helps to slow you down so you don't rush. Take time to think about what you read. Don't worry about its exact meaning or what the author meant when they wrote it but just let it sit with you. Then carry on with your day. Do this every day. It doesn't take long and is the beginning of building your faith. 

Read the same Psalm each day for a week and then you can read a new Psalm the next week. Here is a list of seven Psalms you can read to get you started. 

Psalm 1

Psalm 8

Psalm 16

Psalm 23

Psalm 46

Psalm 121

Psalm 124

Here is a method I have used:

• Sit quietly for a moment to calm yourself
• Read the Psalm out loud, slowly
• Sit quietly thinking about what you've read

That's all there is to it. Do it daily and it is the beginning of a habit of growing. 

Reade