A Guide to Praying the Psalms through Lent
You have probably heard someone say this, “I’m giving up… (chocolate, caffeine, fast food, etc) for Lent” around this time of year.
But Lent is so much more than “giving up” something. For more than sixteen centuries, followers of Jesus around the world have set aside the 40 days leading up to Holy Week as an intentional spiritual journey of repentance and renewal. We do this in solidarity with Jesus, who was led by the Spirit into the desert for 40 days, following his baptism. Why the desert? It is in the ‘desert places' that our temptations, false selves, disordered loves, and cherished idols are exposed. It is in the desert that we are prepared to rediscover the amazing good news of the gospel of Holy Week and Easter.
Theologian Julie Canlis sums up Lent this way: “That’s what Lent is all about. When we fast, give up social media, or relinquish other habits, we place ourselves in the wilderness. There in that barren space, we’re better able to hear the simplicity and power of the gospel message: We are loved by God and loved to the death. Only by staying grounded in this love does sin break its hold on us. Only by his affection do our temptations wither. And only through declaring ourselves beloved can we look ahead to what comes out of the desert—the resurrection of Christ, through whom all things are made new.”
I invite you to try out a new spiritual practice this Lent- praying the Psalms into your everyday life. Each of the linked psalms below is connected to a prayer guide along with music.
Tip: The goal of this journey is finding your voice in honest prayer before God. Don’t stress if you miss a day. This guide is a trellis, not a straightjacket. Just pick up with the psalm for the day you are on.
Week One: Taking Stock of My Soul (Psalms of Wisdom)
February 14 (Ash Wednesday)- Psalm 90: The Frailty of Humanity
2/15 Psalm 49: You Can’t Take It with You
2/16 Psalm 5: Sin’s Deceitfulness
2/17 Psalm 127: Unless the Lord Builds the House
Week Two: Penitential Psalms
2/18 Psalm 6: Lord Heal Me
2/19 Psalm 143: Against the Enemies of My Soul
2/20 Psalm 38: Pouring Out My Pain
2/21 Psalm 51: Naming My Sin
2/22 Psalm 130: Out of the Depths
2/23 Psalm 32: The Joy of Forgiveness
2/24 Psalm 139: Search Me O God
Week 3- Psalms of Mercy
2/25 Psalm 40: You Gave Me a New Place to Stand
2/26 Psalm 86: Unite My Heart
2/27 Psalm 103: As Far as the East is from the West
2/28 Psalm 147: He Heals the Brokenhearted
2/29 Psalm 34: Taste and See
3/1 Psalm 107: Oh Give Thanks to the Lord!
3/2 Psalm 118: His Mercy Endures
Week 4- Salvation’s Praise
3/3 Psalm 65: The Joy of Salvation
3/4 Psalm 149: High Praises
3/5 Psalm 62: My Defense
3/6 Psalm 20: Salvation in the Day of Trouble
3/7 Psalm 27: Yahweh is my Salvation
3/8 Psalm 84: Our Hearts are set on Pilgrimage
3/9 Psalm 98: Sing a New Song
Week 5- Messianic Psalms
3/10 Psalm 1: Christ the Tree of Life
3/11 Psalm 2: Christ the Prince of Nations
3/12 Psalm 8: Christ the Image of God
3/13 Psalm 118: Christ the Stone the Builders Rejected
3/14 Psalm 45: Christ the Bridegroom
3/15 Psalm 91: Christ our Refuge
3/16 Psalm 145: Christ, Lord of Heaven and Earth
Week 6- Prayers of the Oppressed (Cursing Psalms)
3/17 Psalm 94: The Crushed One
3/18 Psalm 35: The Hated One
3/19 Psalm 102: The Afflicted One
3/20 Psalm 13: The Forgotten One
3/21 Psalm 109: The Wounded One
3/22 Psalm 55: The Betrayed One
3/23 Psalm 31: The Rejected One
Week 7- Holy Week
3/24 (Palm Sunday) Psalm 118: Blessed is the One who Comes in the Name of the Lord
3/25 Psalm 88: The Shunned One
3/26 Psalm 69: The Reproached One
3/27 Psalm 22:1-8: The Forsaken One
3/28 (Maundy Thursday) Psalm 22:7-15: The Ridiculed One
3/29 (Good Friday) Psalm 22:16-21 and Psalm 31:1-5: The Wounded One
3/30 (Holy Saturday) Psalm 23: Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
3/31 (Resurrection Sunday): Psalm 68: Let God Arise!
Other Enthronement Psalms for Easter Week: Psalm 16, Psalm 47, Psalm 110, Psalm 72
Source: 2022 Lent Project, Center for Christianity, Culture and the Arts, Biola University
