By Dr. Bill Gaultiere, Crystal Cathedral's Director of Spiritual Formation
Did you know that 90% of Americans pray every day? And most say they'd like to pray more often, but don't know if they are praying effectively. This is true of me. I bet it's true of you, too.
That is why God gave us the Psalms-all 150 of them! The Psalms teach us the spirit and language of prayer for whatever situation. Whether we're worried, sad, angry, blessed, oppressed, working, resting, complaining, or grateful—whatever our concerns are for the people we know or for ourselves—there is a Psalm to help us to pray with positive faith.
Jesus used the book of Psalms to help him pray. He sang them in times of celebration. He prayed them in times of trouble. He quoted from them often. Jesus taught us, along with his disciples, to pray the Psalms.
The great Christian leader Martin Luther said that the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) is actually the Psalms in miniature. Jesus, in his infinite wisdom, distilled the whole book of Psalms into one short, powerful prayer! Each line of Jesus' famous "model prayer" can be understood to represent five of the main types of prayer in the Psalms: thanksgiving and praise, submission, petition, confession and forgiveness, and overcoming trials.
I have learned to turn to the Psalms every day. Here's what I do that you may want to try:
• Pray the 150 Psalms sequentially, one or
two each day.
• Keep your favorite one(s) handy and pray
them as needed.
• Inspired by them, paraphrase them, write
"prayer poems," or draw pictures.
• Memorize a Psalm, and say it or sing it aloud.
I pray the Psalms morning, noon, and night and I use phrases from the Psalms to "re-center" myself in God's presence all day long. Most importantly, I pray the Psalms with Jesus Christ in mind, remembering how he lived, prayed, taught, and died.
I encourage you to make the Psalms your school of prayer, using them, one by one, to allow God to lead you in some fresh, new ways to pray in the midst of your daily life.
To learn more from Bill about the Psalms, prayer, and other ways of growing closer to Jesus, go to www.hourofpower.org ► "Ministries" ► "Come & Grow."
