How to Pray the Psalms
by Janis Cox
As I read Mark Buchanan’s book, Your God is Too Safe, I learned to pray the Psalms.
Centuries of wisdom tells us that the Psalms give form to and language for the fullness of our lives. ~ Mark Buchanan
Pray a Psalm each day. Take them in order. Don’t worry if it affects us today because we do know that it has either affected us in the past or will certainly affect us in the future.
Also remember as you pray a Psalm that you are not just praying for yourself – you are praying for others.
Praying the Psalms is:
incense in God’s throne room, raw material for bombs. (Mark Buchanan, Your God is Too Safe, p. 233)
In the hands of God, … through these prayers, the fire will fall and everything will become as it was meant to be. (Mark Buchanan, Your God is Too Safe, p.234
So let’s start with the first Psalm today. I chose The Living Bible as I don’t often read that version and sometimes a new version speaks different wisdom to me.
Prayer:
Thanks Lord for showing me to look to You and not to the advice of men
Oh, the joys of those who do not follow evil men’s advice, who do not hang around with sinners, scoffing at the things of God.
I enjoy my morning time with You, Jesus. I love learning more about You in Your Word. It helps to keep me grounded through the day when the world enters into my sanctuary.
But they delight in doing everything God wants them to, and day and night are always meditating on his laws and thinking about ways to follow him more closely.
Keep me filled with the water of Your Word. Help me learn to soak up Your wisdom. In that way I can be useful to others when they need some of Your wisdom.
They are like trees along a riverbank bearing luscious fruit each season without fail. Their leaves shall never wither, and all they do shall prosper.
I pray for those who don’t know You, Jesus. I pray that they can be touched by Your love. I pray that I can lead them to follow You.
But for sinners, what a different story! They blow away like chaff before the wind. They are not safe on Judgment Day; they shall not stand among the godly.
Thank You for watching over me and my family. Thank You for inspiration and joy at learning about this beautiful world and Your creation.
For the Lord watches over all the plans and paths of godly men, but the paths of the godless lead to doom.
Tweetables:
Thanks Lord for showing me to look to You and not to the advice of men
I pray for those who don’t know You, Jesus. I pray that they can be touched by Your love.
Janis Cox
Janis, a former school teacher and small business owner, found a new passion in writing in her retirement. A writer since 2003, Janis co-ordinates a group blog called Under the Cover of Prayer. She is also a contributor to a group blog called Family and Faith Matters.
Janis is the author of the award winning children’s book, Tadeo Turtle, published by Word Alive Press. She is the author and watercolour illustrator. For more information visit Janis on her website He Cares for You. She is a member of The Word Guild andInscribe Writers Fellowship.
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- Is the Channel Open? (underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com)
- Five Ways For Stronger Prayers (underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com)
- How To Walk with Jesus (underthecoverofprayer.wordpress.com)
Janis, I nominated this blog for the Sunshine Award
http://godscharacter.wordpress.com/2013/12/19/sunshine-award/
Reblogged this on prayertherapyblog.
Thanks again Enna for reblogging this post.
Blessings,
Janis
Takes me back to my tween years when we had to memorize Psalm 1, in fact, a lot of the psalms. I love them.
Susan, you are blessed to have that upbringing to have memorized these at a young age.
Blesisngs,
Janis