ENRICH YOUR PRAYER LIFE BY PRAYING THE PSALMS
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Are you struggling in your prayer life? Do your prayers seem shallow, repetitive, uninspired?
“By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.” – Psalm 42:8
Prayer speaks from our hearts to the heart of God. It is all-important in the life of a Christian. Prayer spans the distance between earth and heaven. It establishes a key and essential communion with the Almighty.
The Book of Psalms is a powerful resource to enhance our prayer life. Authors of the psalms wrote inspired and impassioned words of praise and prayer to their Lord. Through their visionary writings, we gain insight into the true nature of God.
Do we dare share our innermost thoughts and emotions with the Almighty? Looking to the psalms, we find our answer. The psalmists pour their hearts out to God, withholding nothing. It is both a surprise and a comfort to read such deep emotions expressed.
“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry.” – Psalm 34:15
Value of Praying the Psalms:
† God-Focused Prayer
Our loving Father longs to hear from His children. The psalms reveal how He desires us to communicate with Him… openly and sincerely. These song-prayers give us the words to express our deepest thoughts and emotions.
Our God is the One to whom we can safely open our hearts. As we read the psalms, we come to center our thoughts on Him, His will and His ways. Our life experiences and circumstances are seen more clearly from His perspective.
† Inspired Prayer
God desires that we confide in Him. What better way to pray to Him than through His holy Word? We connect intimately with the Almighty using His sacred words written to us. For His words are rich with meaning, promoting heartfelt prayers that are not humdrum or routine, but focused, fresh and inspired.
† Authentic Prayer
When we wrestle with unsettling emotions, we pour them out before our Lord. When anxiousness wells up within us… when fear overwhelms us… when hurt seems more than we can bear… when anger seethes in our souls, there is no one else with whom we can truly share candidly our earnest feelings. Our Lord will not judge us, for He knows us intimately. He desires our truthfulness with Him.
† Reverent Prayer
Praying the psalms brings comfort as they reveal God’s heart toward us, His children. We express our emotions honestly, reverently to God. Our trials, hurts and struggles, our longings, fears and guilt, our joy, thanks and praise, we share with Him. We communicate worshipfully with the omniscient One who knows and loves us. We pray through our difficulties and learn to trust in Him.
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.” – Psalm 145:18-19
How to Pray the Psalms:
† Choose a psalm that resonates with you
Each day, find a psalm that speaks to your spirit. Every psalm is unique, expounding on a different theme or topic… whether sorrow or hope, tribulation or celebration, trial or triumph, discouragement or praise, fear or faith. There is a psalm for every season of our hearts and lives.
† Read through the psalm in its entirety
Try to grasp the psalmist’s vision and intent. The key is to understand the verses in context with one another. If taken out of context, they can appear to say something quite different from what God intended. Appreciate the wisdom and reflection behind the psalmist’s words.
† Meditate on the psalm’s meaning and relevance
Dive into the psalm’s message. Explore how it is applicable to your life, your current situation. Engage in the beauty and imagery of the words. Although penned for a different time and culture, you will discover that you can relate to the author’s heart and passion.
† Personalize it as a prayer to the Lord
Read your chosen psalm aloud. Word it as a prayer from your heart to the heart of God. “He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge” (Psalm 91:4) would become “You cover me, Lord, with Your feathers, and under Your wings I will find refuge.” If you encounter foreign or unrelatable parts, you need not include them. Let the Holy Spirit guide you.
Psalms were written with the intent of vocal expression, either in song or prayer. Make your psalm an avenue where you can bare your soul. Open your heart and share your private thoughts, your innermost secrets with the One whose compassion is endless.
“Blessed are those who keep His statutes and seek Him with all their heart.” – Psalm 119:2
Praying the psalms will hearten you and uplift your spirit. For the psalmists often come with deep questions and emotions and finish with high praise and exaltation. Their human frailties are bared before the One who loves beyond measure.
Always God hears the prayers of His children. Psalms often begin from a place of desperation or brokenness and end in a place of hope and trust in the Almighty One… His sovereignty, His providence, His love. Commune each day with the Most High through the psalms. You will be blessed.
Selection of Psalms by Topic:
Trials – 34, 40, 86, 143
Fear – 27, 46, 56, 71, 121
Sorrow – 6, 42, 130
Protection – 3, 4, 5, 31, 91, 125
Vindication – 7, 26, 28, 35, 57
Forgiveness – 32, 51, 103
Comfort – 16, 23, 96, 98, 126
Guidance – 1, 15, 19, 25, 119
Trust – 33, 84, 112, 139
Victory – 18, 20, 37, 118
Praise – 8, 96, 100, 111, 145, 150
Thanksgiving – 30, 65, 92, 95, 147
