How to Pray the Psalms

Opening Thoughts

• Reminder: we learn to pray by…

• Idea: The goal is not to get through the Psalms, but to…

Ten Ways to Pray a Psalm:

• Read the whole Psalm, discern the ____________________ idea, and pray about that idea (or image or question, etc).

• Read the whole Psalm line-by-line or verse-by-verse, ____________________ after each bit to pray through whatever comes to mind from that verse.

• Read until something ___________________, stop, and pray about whatever connected.

• Summarize what this Psalm reveals about __________________, and then pray (praise) through that revelation.

• Memorize the Psalm (or some portion of it) and recite it to yourself throughout the day.

• Start with a particular need or concern in your own life and read until something in the Psalms connects with it, and then pray through it in whatever ways come to mind.

• Start with some ____________________ person in mind and read until something in the Psalms connects with them, and then pray for them in whatever ways come to mind.

• ____________________ all or part of the Psalm.

• Read it aloud in ____________________ (2-3 times), and invite folks to pray for whatever the Psalm brings to mind.

• Make a temporary ____________________ organized around shrewd goals, and keep it.

Challenge:

• Choose one of these methods and go for it.

• If you’re going weekly, then your routine timeframe is up. Plan another routine for the next three weeks with Psalms as a central part.

Questions for Discussion and Reflection

• Which of these ways of praying the Psalms seems most natural or desirable to you? Why? (Start with the ones you like!)

• Which of these praying methods is unclear or weird? If you’re in a group, help each other get a sense of what I’m getting at. (Thanks for the assistance!)

• Which way(s) did you pray for your five minutes? How did that go?

• Why is it critical to remember what the goal is and is not?

• Where will you go from here with respect to praying the Psalms?