Learning to Pray from the Psalms
by Pastor Paul Dugan
Tucked away in the center of your Bible is a goldmine…the Hebrew Psalms. The Psalms are a “playlist” for all dimensions of the human experience, for all parts of the human soul.
The psalms help us gather the whole of our lives (including the messy parts) in raw, honest prayer before God. Their rich variety gives voice to the full range of our human experience in the real world. Wherever you are in your spiritual journey, God meets you right where you are in the psalms. They help you become real in God’s presence and in the presence of others.
The Psalms have changed my life. They have become medicine for my soul.
This post we are introducing the psalms of TRUST.
It is not surprising that the most well-known and beloved prayer of the Christian Faith, besides the Lord’s Prayer, is a psalm of trust- Psalm 23.
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures,he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life,and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalms of trust are usually written in the first person as prayers or affirmations of faith and confidence in God. They express absolute dependence on God as creator, deliverer, protector, sustainer, and guide. Key words and images include: refuge, rock, shelter, hope, deliverer, shepherd.
Other psalms of trust (click on link for guides to each): Psalm 3; Psalm 4; Psalm 9; Psalm 11; Psalm 16; Psalm 20; Psalm 21; Psalm 23; Psalm 27; Psalm 40; Psalm 46; Psalm 48; Psalm 62; Psalm 63; Psalm 68; Psalm 71; Psalm 73; Psalm 75; Psalm 84; Psalm 86; Psalm 91; Psalm 121; Psalm 131; Psalm 139; Psalm 144.
Here’s how to practice praying your own psalm of trust
“Lord, you are my…
“I depend on you to…
“Without you, I am…
“Even when…, I trust you to…
“I am confident that you will…
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.