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In Christ, our entire lives are transformed and that includes our emotions, passions, and desires. Praying the Psalms is one of the best ways to grow in our faith. In this episode, we discuss different reasons to pray the Psalms and ways to get started.
The Psalm express the language of our hearts and help us understand how the Bible presses into our suffering. This book disciples our emotions (Example of David in Psalm 51). A steady intake of the Psalms prepares us to encourage others and increases our own confidence in God’s faithfulness. The 150 chapters of the Psalms also comprise relational words that we speak back to God.
Resources:
The Songs of Jesus - Timothy Keller
Answering God - Eugene Peterson
Praying the Psalms - Walter Brueggemann
"The Anatomy of All Parts of the Soul" - So We Speak
How to Pray the Psalms
While Psalms are prayers in and of themselves, praying the Psalms prepares our hearts to pray. They are personable and possess the freedom to be applied to individual situations.
When it comes to praying the Psalms, simply take a line or a phrase, pray that line or phrase, and pray what other thoughts come out of that one phrase.
For example, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). An example prayer might be, “Lord, because you are my shepherd, I do not lack anything that I need. Thank you for all your provisions. Please continue to shepherd and guide my heart towards you.” Other Psalms beneficial for prayer: 16, 23, 27, 32, 46, 51, 55, 63, 72, 139.
Brittany Proffitt lives in southern Ohio and holds a BA in Religion. She is passionate about Scripture and how God’s Word impacts individuals’ hearts and lives.