• About
  • Sermons
  • Teachings
  • Contact
  • 4TR
  • Extras
  • Love First Sarnia
  Jeremy Hoover's Ministry Website

Praying the Psalms, Part 2: Seven Things I Learned By Praying the Psalms

4/9/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
In part one of this series, I discussed why we should pray the psalms. In this article, I want to share some practical things I have learned on this journey of praying the psalms. Here are seven things I learned through observing this spiritual practice over the past year.

1. Connection to Christian history
When we pray the psalms, we pray not only with many believers who also pray the psalms daily, but we also pray in the stream of history with all those who have prayed the psalms. It is quite humbling to realize that you are praying the same words (although in a different language) that the apostles, prophets, and even Jesus himself prayed.

2. Discipline in prayer
Sometimes we don't know where to begin in prayer. We sit down and struggle to put words behind our thoughts. This leads to difficulty in praying: if we can't put the words together, why bother? The psalms help us grow in discipline. Not only do they give us the words to use, but in having these before us, they enable us to sit down at a regular time. Further, if you are keeping to a cycle of praying the psalms (monthly, bi-monthly, etc.), that schedule is its own encouragement to practice discipline in prayer.

3. Language for prayer
The longer we pray the psalms, the deeper we move into the language of prayer. The more we learn the rhythms of prayer. The psalms give us many words to pray--words of hope, challenge, praise, thanksgiving, lament, despair, comfort, peace, etc. The psalms teach us a vocabulary of prayer. The psalms stretch and challenge us to go beyond the same basic, generic prayers we are used to saying.

4. Language to lament
Included in that vocabulary of prayer is the language of lament. Lament happens when we cry out to God out of our despair and doubt. Many are fearful of these feelings and do not think praying to God out of doubt or despair is appropriate. The psalms teach us otherwise. They show us that these prayers emerge out of a deep trust in God in which it is okay to voice our discomfort. God hears us and is faithful. God listens. God responds. While we wait, we speak to God out of the core of our experience, hurts and all. 

5. Balanced spirituality
The psalms teach us a balanced spirituality. Many of us operate out of a weak theology where we believe that God will do good things for us because we are his children. Then, when something bad happens that we don't like, our faith in God is shaken. The psalms give us a balance. As we pray the psalms repeatedly, over and over again, we see the movement of faith--from praise, to trial, to lament, and back to praise. The psalms cover the gamut of spiritual experience. Regardless of what we are feeling, we can find a psalm that gives voice to that emotion. In our best and worst times, the psalms speak for us.

6. More praise and thanksgiving
The exposure in the Psalter to the psalms of praise and thanksgiving teaches us to have more praise and be more thankful in our lives. The psalms are filled with praise to God for everything from the creation to the law. Thanksgiving is offered in abundance for all the blessings God has given to his people. My prayers, for example, were anemic. They were missing a healthy presence of praise and were weak on thanksgiving. The more I prayed the psalms, the more I came to incorporate these aspects of prayer into my own prayers. It became easier to spend time simply giving praise to God for what he has done and offer thanks for his blessings.

7. Awareness of God
The psalms see God and his glory all around us. God's glory is seen in creation, in redemption and deliverance from Egypt, in rescue from sin, and in the law. We cannot read or pray the psalms without growing in awareness of God. Praying the psalms has helped me slow down, to be more aware of God's presence in my life. 

In part three, I will offer guidance in how to pray the psalms.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    This blog is for articles and book reviews. I post my sermons at my Sermons page, where you can listen to sermons online or download them in MP3 format.

    Although I work for the Otisville Church of Christ in Otisville, Michigan, this blog represents my own thoughts and does not necessarily correspond to the views and workings of the Otisville Church of Christ.

    Categories

    All
    1 Corinthians
    1 John
    1 Kings
    1 Peter
    1 Samuel
    1 Thessalonians
    1 Timothy
    2 Chronicles
    2 Corinthians
    2 Kings
    2 Peter
    2 Samuel
    2 Timothy
    Abundance
    Acts
    Amos
    Audio
    Baptism
    Believers
    Bible
    Bible Meditation
    Bible Memorization
    Bible Reading
    Bible Study
    Bible Study Guides
    Bookmarks
    Books
    Character
    Christianity
    Christmas
    Church
    Church Leadership
    Collection
    Colossians
    Commitment
    Compassion
    Complaining
    Conflict
    Conflict Resolution
    Covenant
    Criticizing
    Daniel
    David
    Deacons
    Decision Making
    Deeds
    Deuteronomy
    Devotional Guides
    Dig Deeper
    Discernment
    Discipleship
    Division
    Ecclesiastes
    Elders
    Elisha
    Encouragement
    Ephesians
    Evangelism
    Exodus
    Ezekiel
    Facebook
    Faith
    Faithfulness
    Family
    Family Devotional Guides
    Family Discipleship
    Fear
    Fellowship
    Funerals
    Galatians
    Genesis
    Giving
    Glory
    Goals
    God
    Gospel
    Gospel Of John
    Gospel Of Luke
    Gospel Of Mark
    Gospel Of Matthew
    Gossip
    Grace
    Hannah
    Hebrews
    Hezekiah
    Holiness
    Holy Spirit
    Home Devotional Guides
    Hospitality
    Household
    Humility
    Hypocrisy
    Integrity
    Intercessory Prayer
    Isaiah
    James
    Jesus
    Joel
    John The Baptist
    John Woolman
    Jonah
    Joshua
    Jude
    Judges
    Judgment
    Justice
    Kingdom Of God
    Leadership
    Leviticus
    Love
    Making Disciples
    Malachi
    Martin Luther King Jr.
    Maturity
    Mentoring
    Mercy
    Ministry
    Mission
    Money
    Myth Of A Christian Nation
    Nehemiah
    Neighbor
    New Testament
    Numbers
    Obedience
    Opinions
    Peace
    Perseverance
    Philippians
    Poem
    Politics
    Possessions
    Prayer
    Prayers
    Preaching
    Proverbs
    Psalms
    Puritans
    Purity
    Quotes
    Racism
    Reading
    Redemption
    Renewal
    Repentance
    Romans
    Salvation
    Sermon
    Sermon On The Mount
    Sermons
    Servant
    Service
    Serving
    Shepherding
    Sin
    Slides
    Social Justice
    Social Networking
    Spiritual Gifts
    Spiritual Growth
    Spiritual Leadership
    Stewardship
    Stranger
    Study Notes
    Teaching
    Temptation
    Thanksgiving
    Theology
    Titus
    Transformation
    Trust
    Twitter
    Unity
    Video
    Widows
    Wisdom
    Women
    Women In The Bible
    Worry
    Worship
    Zephaniah

    Archives

    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009


    Creative Commons License
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.