Praying the Psalms
Resources for Rejoicing in Prayer
As we explored in our series, Lifestyle of Jesus, rejoicing is a central aspect of prayer! And what better way to rejoice than to experience and participate in the Psalms? Check out these resources to go deeper in the Psalms and prayer.
Books on Psalms
Pslams: Prayer Book
of the Bible
By Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer explains one of his secrets behind the powerful witness of his own life: that he had learned to pray the Psalms and from them drew on the power of God in his years of imprisonment. This new edition includes a brief biographical sketch, which helps us understand the man who used the Psalms as his prayer book.
Answering God: The Psalms
as a Tool of Prayer
By Eugene Peterson
Eugene H. Peterson speaks to Christians who realize the necessity for prayer and yearn for it but who find their prayer unconvincing and unsatisfying. Addressing the causes of this dissatisfaction, Answering God offers guidelines for using the Psalms as dynamic tools for prayer.
Videos on the Psalms
Intro to the Psalms
By Bible Project
Overview of the Psalms
By Bible Project
Praying the Psalms
How to Pray through the Psalms
Article From Donald S. Whitney
As a whole, the psalms comprise the best place in Scripture from which to pray Scripture. I base that on the original purpose for which God inspired the psalms. The book of Psalms—which means “book of praises” in Hebrew—was the songbook of Israel. The psalms were inspired by God for the purpose of being sung to God.
It is as though God said to his people, “I want you to praise me, but you don’t know how to praise me. I want you to praise me not because I’m an egomaniac but because you will praise that which you prize the most, and there is nothing of greater worth to you than I. There is nothing more praiseworthy than I, and it is a blessing for you to…”read the full article.
5 Psalms App
This app looks up today’s date, does the math, and displays 5 psalms for the day.
How to Pray The Psalms
By 24/7 Prayer Course
The simplest approach to the Psalms is to work through them systematically, and there is great benefit in this approach. You could start by praying two Psalms a day – out loud – allowing the ancient, sacred words to become your prayer. Alternatively, it can also be helpful to pray the Psalms thematically. A helpful schematic for a thematic approach to the Psalms is suggested by Walter Brueggemann in his book Spirituality of the Psalms. He suggests 3 categories: orientation – disorientation – new orientation.
Singing the Psalms
EveryPsalm: Free, Psalm-Based Songs Each Wednesday
By Poor Bishop Hooper
EveryPsalm is a project made up of weekly musical releases accompanied by visual art. Each song is based directly on a psalm, many lyrics being word-for-word from the scriptures. Whether you want to download directly, stream, or listen on the website, all of the content is available for free.
