An Introduction to Praying the Psalms

Learning to Pray from the Psalms

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. This playlist includes a wide diversity of genres that help us gather the whole of our lives (including the messy parts) in raw, honest prayer before God. The Psalms help us become more real in God’s presence and in the presence of God’s people.

The Psalms have changed my life. They have become medicine for my soul.

You may say, ‘This is all new to me, ‘praying the Psalms.’ Here's a creative way to begin to wade in to the refreshing streams of the Psalms: Start with psalms set to music. Listen to a playlist HERE. As you listen, take note of individual psalms that resonate with your heart. Then find the corresponding guide to those psalms on this website. Each guide will help you slow down and pray the psalm into the fabric of your life.

Before we dive into the diverse genres of the Psalms and how to take them up as our own, let’s zoom out:

The Hebrew Psalms, from their ancient beginnings, have been used in a musical context. The Hebrew title for the Psalter (transliterated) is cepher tehillim which means “book of praises.” The Greek title is psalmos, which refers to a poem sung to the accompaniment of stringed instruments. The Psalter has served as a prayerbook and a hymnal for Israel and for the Christian Church for thousands of years.

Listen to how the Psalms are described by some of my favorite “fathers” of the faith:

Athanasius (d. 373 AD): “…for those who do sing (the Psalms)…. the melody of the words springs naturally from the rhythm of the soul and her own union with the Spirit.”

Basil the Great (d. 379): “Every Psalm brings peace, soothes the internal conflicts, calms the rough waves of evil thoughts, dissolves anger, corrects and moderates profligacy. Every Psalm preserves friendship and reconciles those who are separated. Who could actually regard as an enemy the person beside whom they have raised a song to the one God? Every Psalm anticipates the anguish of the night and gives rest after the efforts of the day.”

Calvin (d. 1564): “(the Psalms are) 'An Anatomy of all the Parts of the Soul;' for there is not an emotion of which any one can be conscious that is not here represented in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit has here drawn to life all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which [our] minds are wont to be agitated.”

Bonhoeffer (d. 1945): “The Psalter is the prayer book of Jesus Christ … He prayed the Psalter and now it has become his prayer for all time… Those who pray the psalms are joining in with the prayer of Jesus Christ; their prayer reaches the ears of God. Christ (in his full humanity) has become their intercessor.”

Eugene Peterson (d. 2018): “In contrast to most English translations, the Psalms in Hebrew are earthy and rough. They are not genteel. They are not the prayers of nice people, couched in cultured language. And so in my pastoral work of teaching people to pray, I started paraphrasing the Psalms into the rhythms and idiom of contemporary English (The Message). I wanted to provide men and women access to the immense range and the terrific energies of prayer in the kind of language that is most immediate to them,…(I am) convinced that only as we develop raw honesty and detailed thoroughness in our praying do we become whole, truly human in Jesus Christ, who also prayed the Psalms.”

The rich diversity of literary styles (genres) of the Psalms can be arranged around a three-part narrative arc:  Orientation > Disorientation > Reorientation. (Source: Spirituality of the Psalms, by Walter Brueggemann).

Act I - The Psalms of Orientation are prayers that affirm that God is on His throne and life is good and well-ordered. These are the “summer psalms.”  Psalms of Orientation include the genres of praise, enthronement and wisdom.

Act II - The Psalms of Disorientation are prayers that question God, God’s ways, and God’s presence, from a place of pain, suffering, disappointment or persecution. These are the “winter psalms.”  Psalms of Disorientation express the biblical genre of lament.

Act III - The Psalms of Reorientation are prayers that look back on suffering through the lens of God’s provision and deliverance, and look to the future with hope. These are the “springtime psalms.” Psalms of Reorientation include the genres of sacred history, thanksgiving and trust.

(Please note: not all psalms fit neatly into a single genre. Many are ‘hybrid’ prayers consisting of two or more literary styles. Ex. Psalm 22 begins as a prayer of lament and concludes with affirmations of trust).

Orientation > Disorientation > Reorientation. This is real life. We all eventually experience the movement from orientation to disorientation, the “winter” of the soul. The disorientation psalms give us both language and an ancient community of pilgrims that help us stay alert to God in the midst of these dark and barren seasons of life. They remind you that you are not alone.

But thankfully, winter is not all year long!  By God’s grace, we move from disorientation to reorientation. Springtime breaks in, and with it comes new life. Reorientation psalms provide prayers of gratitude and trust for times of renewal.

Where are you in your journey?  Orientation, disorientation, or reorientation?  I encourage you to take up the psalms that correspond with this season of your soul, and make them your own.  Allow these ancient prayers to keep you honest and alert before God in the midst of the realities of your life.

In the Psalms you will find authentic language for all seasons of the soul, language that is open, honest, unvarnished, audacious, wholehearted, raw, gritty, direct, candid, unflinching, thorough, all-encompassing, scrappy, stammering, unsophisticated, unreserved, brave and gutsy. The Psalms give us a window into what real people do when they bring their real selves into the presence of a real God. The Psalms help keep us real. What a gift!

This is the purpose of this website: to assist you in cultivating an authentic relationship with God.

Welcome to the journey!