Jess Wildeboer knew the kind of devotional she wanted for her kids: something that had them reading the Bible confidently on their own, that helped them understand the confusing words they might stumble over, that gave them a bit of context for what they were reading, that guided them in prayer afterward. That was what she was looking for, but she couldn’t quite find it.
So she started making it.
The result (so far) has been a modest little booklet called Some Psalms & Prayers. It includes the full text of fifty psalms, with helpful but unobtrusive definitions and brief explanations, and short fill-in-the-blank prayers after each one. It’s not meant to be a comprehensive Bible study, but rather an aid to personal Bible reading and prayer. As Jess explains in the introduction, “This is a book that aims to make Bible reading easy, and to encourage praying when it can sometimes feel hard.” Her kids – who helped her test the first drafts – have enjoyed it for bedtime devotions, and others have told her that they have found it useful for meal-time Bible reading.
Visually, the book is unpretentious but inviting, thoughtfully laid out by Nicole Doornbos, a graphic designer in Jess’s church. Words and phrases such as “sojourn,” “equity,” “rebuke,” and “make haste” are briefly defined. (I also finally learned what a “buckler” is.) Patterns and repetition are pointed out, and some helpful context is given – for example, a sidebar note for Psalm 20 explains, “This is a prayer for a king before going to battle. We can use this same prayer when we face trouble and obstacles in life.”
The prayer that follows each psalm connects back to it, and encourages personal application with blanks that can be filled in. These prayers also deliberately model a pattern of praise, thanksgiving, and petition.
Jess has sold several hundred copies of her book so far, through word-of-mouth and social media advertising, and she hopes to eventually cover more of the psalms in another volume or two.
The project has been a “labor of love,” but Jess admits that it took her much longer than she expected – several years – to put this first booklet together. So how did she, as a busy mom of five, bring it to completion?
“I realized I couldn’t wait for some ‘perfect time’ to work on it,” she explains. “I fit it into little spaces of time when I could. Though there were lots of starts and stops, I was able to make slow but steady progress.”
She says she was encouraged by the feedback from her kids, who especially liked the prayers. Her husband also cheered her on right from the beginning, responding with immediate enthusiasm when she first shared the idea with him.
Another driving force was the conviction that it was a worthwhile project: “I found the format personally helpful, especially at a busy or tired time of day, when it’s sometimes hard to focus on Bible reading or finding words to pray.”
I personally have appreciated Some Psalms – and I’ve also been inspired by how Jess quietly, modestly, and perseveringly finished a project like this. As she and I chatted about the process of finishing this book, Jess wondered aloud if, in our fast-paced lives, we’re sometimes out of the habit of tackling things that are slow, that take time, that are bigger and more meaningful than our day-to-day to-do lists. Do we have a long-term mindset, and do we encourage one in our kids?
God has made us stewards of such a variety of gifts, talents, and opportunities (for example, the different types of creativity on display in RP’s “Your Turn” contest last year was amazing). God has also put us in a body of believers that can help us fill in the gaps of our own expertise, and encourage each other in our endeavors.
As Reformed Christians, we’re also steeped in a heritage of rich theology, and a deep Bible knowledge that we sometimes take for granted. We can bring a certain depth to the things we create, a depth that is sometimes missing in mainstream Christian resources and content. And sometimes we just have a knack for getting down to the basics.
In Jess’s case, she saw a need to focus on the simplicity of making sure we and our kids keep opening the Bible, and keep praying – “powerful actions in a world that can be so full of distractions and confusion.” As Jess concluded, “We don’t need to be fancy, but we do need to be faithful.”
What if more of us looked for ways, big or small, complex or simple, to share the riches we have with a world that so badly needs it?
“Interested in ordering? You can do so by clicking here. Books ordered now will be shipped in November.”