Pray the Psalms

Dear Church,

Praying the Psalms regularly has changed my life more than any other spiritual practice. Here’s what I do and recommend.

PREP

  1. Pick up a good Psalter. A stand-alone book of Psalms (a Psalter) is helpful because of the way it is visually laid out, and the way it eventually allows to remain open in front of you (it may take some breaking in). This Psalter is an excellent one that I often recommend (the church would be happy to get it for you, just contact info@crossbham.org).

  2. Write the prayer schedule into the Psalter. Take the 30-day Psalm Schedule and physically write it at the top of each corresponding Psalm. Here’s how I do it. Over Psalm 1, I write, “Day 1: MP” (MP stands for “morning prayer”). Over Psalm 6, I write, “Day 1: EP” (EP stands for “evening prayer”). And so on. I do this so I always know where to start and stop without having to consult another document.

PRAYING THE PSALMS

  1. Find a quiet place, spend a moment in silence, center yourself, and (preferably) get on your knees. I find the silence and centering (being quiet and aware of my body and feelings) allows me openness to speaking to and hearing from God. I find kneeling helps my body and soul get in sync with one another, and puts me before God in a posture of trust, dependence, and receptivity.

  2. Write down the date you prayed in the Psalter. If it’s a significant day (a birthday, an important anniversary, an important event in my life, or simply a noteworthy day of any kind), I write the significance beside that date. Doing this serves a few purposes. First, it helps you track just how many times you’ve prayed that Psalm which, over time, can be a source of encouragement. Second, it often clues you into how God may be providentially speaking to you on those more momentous occasions. Third, it becomes a monument of God’s faithfulness when you’re able to look upon past dates and see how God spoke and moved in the past.

  3. Simply read the Psalm(s) out loud in the most prayerful manner you can. Most of the time, I simply read them through. Sometimes, I’ll pause to focus or mediate on something, and re-pray it. Other times, I’ll let it launch me into my own prayers. But again, most of the time, I’m simply moving through the text, attempting to engage the words with as much of my presence and attention, attempting to mean what I’m saying to God. Some days feel more meaningful than others. PRAYING OUT LOUD is very important. It not only allows you to pray it in your heart but hear God’s word coming to your ears. It increases focus, and (important fact), when you pray out loud the enemy hears those prayers, too. It becomes a form of engaged spiritual battle, dispelling the enemy with the Word of God, just like Jesus did in the wilderness (see Matt 4).

  4. Do it frequently and consistently. I tend to pray the full day’s Psalms (Morning and Evening Prayer) in the morning. I often forget or fail to do the evening Psalms if I wait until the evening, though I wish I could…it’s a beautiful thing to begin and end your day talking to God. The Psalter is meant to be prayed over 30 days. I end up not doing it every day, so my cycle looks more like 40-45 days. Once you’re through the Psalter, start back at Psalm 1.

NOTEWORTHY THOUGHTS

  • At least half the time, I don’t have some powerful moment. Sometimes it’s just rote. Take courage that the pattern and habit, even when you don’t feel it, has an uncanny way of affecting, forming, and shaping you over the long term. God’s Word doesn’t always need your whole-hearted participation to be powerfully working. The Word is living and active (Heb 4:12).

  • I mark up my Psalter. With a pencil, I circle words that stand out, draw lines between verses that I see connections to, write observations or things I receive in the margins. I even note powerful moments where God said something strong and clear to me, so that I remember it.

  • Sometimes, God lays other people on my heart while praying the Psalms, and if he does, I’ll text that person that Psalm, without much explanation other than, “God brought you to mind while I was praying this.”

  • Some Psalms are hard, confusing, or at times really don’t resonate. Pray them anyway. A typical question I get is, “What do I do with the violence against enemies in the Psalms?” My encouragement is to pray them as best as you can against our three enemies—the world, the flesh, and the devil. If there are emotions in the Psalms that I’m not feeling, sometimes I’ll pray those emotions “for” others I know who might be feeling them right now. It becomes a form of intercession for them. And, if praying the Psalms is raising questions like these, or others, chances are God is up to something, even if it’s forcing you to wrestle with him. I’d love to process those questions with you. Text me or email me, and we’ll find a time to get together!

In Christ,

Zac