My 119:11 Project, Pt. 7

Wow, this was the roughest week yet in my Project 119:11. For some reason, I was extremely slow getting started this week, and this week's psalm (#7) was the longest yet. On top of that, while Psalms 1-4 are still fresh in my mind, I stumbled the last couple days reviewing Psalms 5 and 6. The task before me seems harder right now than at any point up till now. Still, it's good. I knew from the beginning this would be a huge challenge for me (especially since my fifty-three-year-old brain is not know for its mad memory skills). So this was the first of what I'm sure will be many gut checks.

So let's get on with it, and then I'll mention a couple things I'm learning through this process. Here's my Psalm 7, typed from memory, from the New Living Translation:

I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.
Save me from my persecutors--rescue me.
If you do not, they will maul me like a lion,
tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

O Lord my God,
if I have done wrong,
and am guilty of injustice,
if I have betrayed a friend
or plundered my enemy without cause,
then let my enemies capture me.
Let them trample me into the ground
and drag my honor in the dust.

Arise, O Lord, in anger!
Stand up against the fury of my enemies!
Wake up, my God, and bring justice.
Gather the nations before you.
Rule over them from on high.
The Lord judges the nations.
Declare me righteous, O Lord,
for I am innocent, O Most High.
End the evil of those who are wicked,
and defend the righteous.
For you look deep within the mind and heart, O righteous God.

God is my shield,
saving those whose hearts are true and right.
God is an honest judge.
He is angry with the wicked every day.
If a person does not repent,
God will sharpen his sword.
He will bend and string his bow.
He will prepare his deadly weapons
and shoot his flaming arrows.

The wicked conceive evil.
They are pregnant with trouble,
and give birth to lies.
They dig a deep pit to trap others,
then fall into it themselves.
The trouble they make for others
backfires on them.
The violence they plan
falls on their own heads.

I will thank the Lord, for he is just.
I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

Wow, very good, especially considering my late start. I missed one word: "and" instead of "or" in the second line of v. 3. I'll take it!

This was the first week I used a new mnemonic technique: I pasted up a "note" on my iphone and used it like flash cards, dividing the psalm into stanzas that made sense to ME and helped in the memorization. I am also growing still more frustrated with the NLT audio Bible I use on my phone; the narrator's cadence and emphasis is ALL wrong. There is absolutely NO good reason for him to emphasize the words he does, and it actually hampers rather than helps my memorization efforts.

Also, this psalm (as well as a couple of the previous ones) has been a blessing to memorize because of its correspondence to some of my struggles in recent years--but even more so because so many of the lines are a reminder of God's deliverance and faithfulness to me. Looking back, rejoicing, in his kindness is a great fringe benefit of my efforts.

Now I just need to work harder at reviewing this coming week, as I move on to the very familiar Psalm 8.