Regular and intentional use of the Psalms through praying and singing in private and public worship contributes to spiritual vitality and profound understanding of how God deals with the world. Here are some ways of how to foster the use of the Psalms in private and public prayer.1
A simple way of introducing the Psalms into daily prayer life is to devote time each day (or each Sabbath for the communal worship) to reading of a psalm, beginning with Ps 1 and following the order given in the Psalter. Another way is following some traditional readings that attribute certain psalms to specific days. For example, according to Jewish tradition, daily psalms that were sung by the Levitical choir in the temple are Pss 48 (Monday), 82 (Tuesday), 94 (Wednesday), 81 (Thursday), 93 (Friday), and 92 (Sabbath). Each psalm, except for Pss 81 and 82, bears the appropriate daily designation in its heading in the Septuagint (the LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. Some traditional ways of reading the Psalms are reflected in some psalm superscriptions, like in the title of Ps 92, “a Song for the Sabbath day.” Ellen G. White advised the believers to read Ps 105 “at least once every week.”2 As was mentioned in the first section of this study, specific Psalms were recognized as particularly suitable for certain occasions in the life of some Christian communities (e.g. Christmas, Easter). Psalm 51 can lead the worshippers through confession of sin to forgiveness before the communion service (also, for example, Pss 6, 32, 38, 102, 130, and 143).
Another way of introducing the Psalms into daily prayer life is to follow the psalm genre classifications, and pray mainly those psalms that correspond to our current situation:
(1) psalms of lament (crying to God in my need) (e.g., Pss 3-7, 9, 10, 13, 17, 25-28, 54-57, 120, 139-143);
(2) psalms of lament for community (crying to God in times of communal distress) (e.g., Pss 12, 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 85, and 126);
(3) thanksgiving psalms (thanking God for His blessings in our lives) (e.g., Pss 30, 32, 107, 116, 124, and 138), hymns (praising God for His power and majesty) (e.g., Pss 8, 29, 33, 46-48, 65, 95-100, 117, 122, 134-136, and 145-150), penitential psalms (crying out to God for forgiveness of sins) (Pss 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143), wisdom psalms (pondering at the greatness of God’s ways) (e.g., Pss 1, 37, 112, and 119), Christological psalms (coming near to Jesus Christ) (e.g., Pss 2, 22, 72, 102, 110, and 118), Torah psalms (magnifying God for His Word) (e.g., Pss 1, 19, and 119), historical psalms (learning from the past) (e.g., Pss 78, 105, and 106), and pilgrimage psalms (longing for heavenly Zion) (e.g. Pss 120-134).
One of the ways to pray psalms is to first read the psalm deliberately, engaging in simple rumination, and then pray with the words of the psalm, appropriating the faith of the psalm and confessing it along with our personal supplication and sentiments. Meditating upon the psalm involves reflection on the various aspects of the psalm: the way the psalmist addresses God, the way the psalmist describes himself and his life circumstances, the reasons for prayer, and similar. Consider in which ways your situation corresponds to the psalmist’s experience, and how praying the psalm helps you articulate your experience. Examine how praying the psalm can transform your experience by introducing new, biblical thoughts and possibilities to your spiritual life. Ask if the psalm broadens your horizons by guiding you to assume a more universal, divinely-oriented perspective in prayer. If something in the psalm challenges you, ponder, for example, whether the psalm corrects your present false hopes or views about God and life. Contemplate the psalm’s message in the light of Christ’s person and salvific work. Look for the new motives for prayer that the psalm supplies, and think about their importance for you, your community of faith, and the world. Remember the people who will positively respond to and benefit from the psalm, and consider sharing the psalm with them.
After musing over the psalm, pray the psalm as your own prayer, asking God to impress His word upon your heart and mind. Pray the psalm in the name of Jesus, by seeking his intercession and understanding of his character and salvation. Furnishing personal details while praying the psalm often enriches the prayer. Some people find writing their prayers and reflections on the Psalms in a form of journal beneficial. Praying the Psalms has helped many believers establish and maintain regular and fulfilling prayer lives. They will agree readily that “it is pure grace, that God tells us how we can speak with him and have fellowship with him.”3
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1 For some other helpful insights on how to cultivate a culture of praying the Psalms, see, e.g., C. Richard Wells, “Reclaiming the Psalms in Pastoral Prayer: A True Story”, in Forgotten Songs: Reclaiming the Psalms for Christian Worship, ed. C. Richard Wells and Ray Van Neste (Nashville: B&H, 2012), 109-124.
2 Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers (Mountain View, CA: Pacific Press, 1962), 98, 99.
3 Bonhoeffer, Psalms, 15.