Praying the Psalms

In the modern world, we are continuously facing the temptation to need some form of stimulation or entertainment. Whether TV, movies, social media, or some other form, our culture has trained and almost programmed us to desire and demand constant stimulation. Stimulation and entertainment are not inherently bad or wrong in themselves, but our forms of entertainment must grab and hold our attention, or we’re quickly moving on to something else. It’s hard for many to slow down, focus, and go deep with something important. In the current environment, we must intentionally push against this temptation. This pushback can take many forms. It can be spiritual or non-spiritual. But the spiritual form is more fundamental because it helps us in the non-spiritual ways we resist the need for stimulation. One form of spiritual focus that can help us retrain our hearts is prayer. Which also has the deeper blessing of providing the means to draw closer to God. Prayer can do this in many ways but I want to suggest a very specific way prayer can be a great blessing. That form of prayer is praying the Bible and specifically praying the Psalms.

Praying the Psalms can change your life. People have the tendency to make rash and exaggerated claims, but I truly believe that praying the Psalms can change a person’s life if they stick with it. The way of praying the Psalms I’m thinking about and suggesting is very specific. There are simple steps to follow. I’m suggesting that you commit to praying through the whole book of Psalms every 30 or 60 days. Thirty is best if you’re willing to commit to the plan.

The plan of praying the Psalms begins with obtaining a list of the daily Psalms we pray. I’m going to provide such a list below. It comes from the Book of Common Prayer, which has been used in the Anglican and Episcopal churches for centuries. The next step is to decide how and how long you will pray through the book of Psalms. The Book of Common Prayer gives morning and evening readings for thirty days. There are three ways you can approach this. First, you can pray as it is given, praying the designated Psalms every morning and the designated Psalms every evening. Secondly you can pray both the morning and the evening Psalms at the same time. For example, if the morning prayers are Psalms 50-52, and the evening prayers are Psalms 53-55, you will pray Psalms 50 through 55 at whatever time you choose. The third way is to pray the morning Psalms one day and the evening the next, making a 60-day journey through the whole book of Psalms. I recommend the second option. Praying the Psalms this way provides a good flow and only takes about 15 minutes.

Next, you need to think about the extent of your prayers. It is easy to take a single Psalm and expand the text into a 15 to 30-minute prayer, and that’s a good thing to do. I often do that. But in this prayer, you slowly and prayerfully read through each Psalm in the daily reading exactly as it is in the Bible. The book of Psalms is a powerful book. All the Psalms are poetry and songs, and many of them are actual prayers. The book of Psalms also beautifully expresses a wide range of emotions over all the struggles of life. Surprisingly, the book of Psalms has a deep and rich theology of God, people, and the relationship between God and people. Praying the Psalms will only take you about 15 minutes each day, which may be the best 15 minutes of your day. It will provide you with a precious and powerful time of communion with the Lord.

The Thirty-Day Prayer List

Conclusion

Reading and praying the Psalms is a worthy endeavor. It will bless your life immensely. If you’re like me, you will find yourself looking forward to the time when you can once again fellowship with the Lord in His Word and prayer. I encourage you to make the effort to devote yourself to this experience of the presence of God. You will be richly blessed if you do.