Praying Through Psalms

PSLAMS 120 THROUGH 134 are called the Songs of Ascent. These songs were sung when the people were on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Jerusalem sits at an elevation of about 2,700 feet, thus the idea of ascending, going up to Jerusalem. The Psalms of Ascent are filled with assurances of faith and the joy of expectation in going to the house of the Lord, as in Psalm 122:1. When I see Israel in the Psalms,...

BLAMELESS is how the Father sees us when we are Christ's own. As I pray this psalm, I wonder, what are his statutes? What are his precepts? The Old Testament has so many. Then, I remember what Jesus said, "The greatest commandment is to love the Lord you God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind, and the second is like it, to love your neighbor as yourself." This word is enough f...

"I LOVE THE LORD, because..." because he has heard my voice so many times and he will again. He will hear my pleas for mercy. This knowledge restores my soul, and I am so full of thanksgiving. When I wander into fear or anger or self-pity, I return to the Lord's rest in order to find his peace. I pray with the Psalmist, "O Lord I pray, deliver my soul." Pray. Listen. Journal.

THIS PSALM begins with a beatitude; "Happy are those" or "Blessed are those," introduces a beatitude. Happy are those who fear or trust the Lord. The Psalmist continues with life outcomes for those who trust the Lord. There is a clear idea throughout the psalm that trusting the Lord forms us, and we live differently because of it. Ask the Lord if there are areas in your life where you do not trust...

DAILY BREAD is more than just food. It is all of our needs met by our Heavenly Father. Spend some time with the Lord remembering ways Jesus has met your needs. Record these in your journal. Spending time in the Word allows the Lord to be our teacher, and as a result, we grow in wisdom. Wisdom from the Lord produces a life lived in the knowledge of him and results in obedience to him. The desired o...

IN THE FIRST SET of beads, we prayed, "Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works." Sometimes it can seem that our lives are being lived in Egypt, but our home is in God's wondrous works. Just as those works happened here, on earth, God is with us now. Return to your own remembrance of God's saving mercy, recall how he has forgiven you over and over, and give thanks...

PLEASE READ this psalm in its entirety. As with many of the psalms in this collection, I have left much of the wonderful psalm out in order to make them into a prayer of meditation. In this psalm you will find the story of Israel. The roots of this psalm are found in Genesis and Exodus. The Invitatory Bead in this prayer comes from verse 1b, "Make known his deeds among the peoples." Though we do n...

Before you begin listening to this psalm, take a deep breath, let it out slowly and know that the Father is looking at you with love. Receive his great love for you, then pray through this Psalm. HOPEFULLY you have begun the practice of taking a verse from the Psalms with you to meditate on during the day. If not, perhaps you will begin the practice today. What verse will you take with you today t...

PSALM 103 is a Hymn of Praise. Praising the Lord is one of the best ways we have to share our faith. We become evangelists when we can share what God has done for us. Settle into the psalm, remembering his mercy and greatness, and praise the Lord.

SOMETIMES WE KNOW we need to repent but do not know how to go about it. Along with this psalm, Psalms 32 and 51 in this collection of prayers are excellent for repentance. Journaling as we pray is an excellent practice.

THIS IS A FAVORITE PSALM of mine, a sure psalm for providing a hymn of praise. Join the Psalmist and worship the Lord with gladness.

IN LIGHT OF GLORIOUS REVELATION, rejoicing is the right response. "The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations." "All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God." Therefore, the Psalmist says, "Let us shout for joy to the Lord!" How would it change your confidence in sharing your faith with those who do not call on...

HOW GLORIOUS IT WOULD BE if the earth were glad because it recognized that the Lord reigns. Would the world be different if all of us who call on Christ as King rose up and walked in the glory and goodness of his reign? In the verse found in the Cruciform Bead -- "The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth" -- the Psalmist provides imagery of the absolu...

PRAYING FRIENDS, I would be so grateful for your prayers as I am writing a second book. Similar to 'Praying though Psalms: A Guide for Contemplative Prayer Using Anglican Prayer Beads.' In the book currently underway I edited texts form both the Old and New Testament to be meditated upon with Anglican Prayer Beads. I also invited 10 other writers to participate in the project by writing th...

THE ANCIENT WRITERS of the Old Testament frequently wrote about God in such a way as to explain his uniqueness, his greatness, when compared to the gods worshiped by cultures near them. The Near Eastern religions had many gods. The Psalmist and other writers of the Old Testament frequently established the fact that their God, the one true God, is the greatest of all gods. For instance, " For...

IT IS THROUGH PRAISING the Lord that we declare he is king. In this psalm we are given a way to praise the kingship of God. How does this psalm help you to imagine the kingship of our Heavenly Father? What elements of this song empower your praise of the Lord? Pray. Journal.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT for us to know that there is "no wickedness"--no unrighteousness--in the Lord? Knowing that God is not wicked is important not only in our own lives but also when we have opportunity to share our faith. The Lord alone is good, and there is no wickedness in him. People are often resistant to Jesus because there is still wickedness in the world. If we are secure in the...

CONSIDER THE TERRORS that interrupt your sleep. Record them in your journal and talk about them with the Most High. Do the same with the arrows that fly by day. What are the struggles and difficulties that you face in the day? Record these also and trust that Jesus, who is mighty to save, will rescue you.

THE PSALMS make me mindful of the majesty of God. I am left in awe of his greatness as the only God and the only creator of everything. Meditate on the third set of beads from verse 14: "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you." What does it mean that righteousness and justice are the foundation of the Father's throne? Read all...

IN THE BOOK 'PRAYING THROUGH PSALMS..' I have written this on the journal page: 'Forgive me Lord for how slow I am to make your truth my own, your love for others--my love for others.' Lord, I must still pray this in your great name, Amen.

MEDITATE on Psalm 84:5: "Blessed are those whose strength is in you who have set their hearts on pilgrimage." What does it mean for you to be on pilgrimage with the Lord? Journal. Pray. The paperback Praying through Psalms: A Guide for Contemplative Prayer Using Anglican Prayer Beads can be purchased on Amazon or wherever books are sold. https://www.amazon.com/Praying-Through-Psalms-Cont...

CONSIDER PSALM 71:5: "For you have been my hope, O Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth." Hope in the Scripture is hope in a sure thing. It is not wishful thinking. Our hope is in the sure and steady sovereign Lord, in whom there is no shadow due to change. Therefore, we can have confidence that he will rescue us. I rewrote this in the book as a prayer for my family. "In you...

IN OUR FREEDOM to grumble, we often leave out thanksgiving; by doing so, we forget who we belong to. We forget how glorious it is to have access to the King of kings and the Lord of lords. Psalm 69:30 says, "glorify him with thanksgiving." God is glorified when we are thankful. When you hear yourself grumbling, ask the Lord to help you practice thanksgiving instead. Gratitude is a practi...

I LOVE THIS PSALM There is so much joy in it. Make a joyful noise because God has done awesome things! Come and see what God has done among us! Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard! This is what we do on a Sunday morning: we make a joyful noise and remember all the good things that God has done among us, and we celebrate! Frequently in the Psalms the psalmist takes a mome...

OFTEN WHILE READING or praying the Psalms, I am convicted. The source of that conviction is found in the first set of beads for this psalm, Psalm 63:3: "because your love is better than life." This is a glorious truth and I believe it to be true, but I do not always live in this truth. Being loved by the Father is better than life, better than anything--there is nothing greater to be des...