Psalm 147 - A Psalm of Praise (Orientation)

by Pastor Paul Dugan

Try beginning your prayer with praise, using this three-part rhythm.

Part I: Become present to the presence of God:

Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Ps 90:14)

Pause for silence before him. Slowly inhale, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Slowly exhale, and release any burdens you are carrying into this new day. Repeat this breathing prayer until you have brought your whole self - your thoughts, imagination, desires, and body- (“as-is”) into the presence of God.

Part II: Slowly read Psalm 147 (ESV) out loud:

1 Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
    for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars;
    he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
    his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The Lord lifts up the humble;
    he casts the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
    make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds;
    he prepares rain for the earth;
    he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food,
    and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
    nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
    in those who hope in his steadfast love.

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
    Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
    he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders;
    he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth;
    his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
    he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
    who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them;
    he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob,
    his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
    they do not know his rules.
Praise the Lord!

Part III: Use your own words to pray Psalm 147 back to God:

Lord God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit- I praise you, for who you are…

I praise you for what you have done. Specifically, I thank you for…

The psalms were originally written as lyrics. They have been sung by the people of God throughout the history of Israel and the church. Take time to listen to a version of Psalm 147 set to music…

From the album Peace to All Who Enter Here (2020) by Josh Garrels. joshgarrels.com

For links to individual guides for more than one hundred different psalms click here.

For more on the Psalms:

Here is an introduction to the Book of Psalms.

For a list of psalms by literary style (genre) click here.

For an introduction to the narrative arc of the psalms, see Spirituality of the Psalms, by Walter Brueggemann.