PSALMS AND THE CHRISTIAN

PSALMS AND THE CHRISTIAN

THE CHRISTIAN’S PRAYER BOOK

INTRODUCTION

In addition to using the book of Psalms as a source of songs in which we can offer praise and thanksgiving to God, it also has much to offer in regards to our approaching God in prayer.  Many of the psalms are written in the style of prayer or petition and they are suitable in helping us learn how to pray and how to express those innermost emotions and needs of which we often lack the words to express.

As we read the New Testament, we find that the Psalms were often used in prayers...

I. THE USE OF PSALMS IN PRAYER

A.  The example of Jesus...

    1. “My God, My God, why has Thou forsaken Me?”-Matthew 27:46; cf. Psalm 22:1

    2. “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit”-Luke 23:46; cf. Psalm 31:5

    3.  Both of these prayers were uttered as Jesus hung on the cross.  While suffering in deep agony, he chose to use the Psalms to        
    express his deepest feelings.

B.  The example of the early church...

    1.  Notice the prayer of the apostles in Acts 4:24-26.  Addressing God, they quoted from Psalm 146:6 and in expressing their
    problem, they referred to Psalm 2:1-2.

    2.  This prayer was offered as a result of persecution, and they chose to use the Psalms to express their problems to God.

C.  What these examples teach us...

    1. That it is appropriate on occasion to use phrases from the Psalms in our prayers.

    2.  When we realize that found in the Psalms are man’s deepest emotions expressed in inspired terms, it is only natural that we would
    want to use them to express our own feelings.

    3.  We should use the expressions from the Psalms only when they are truly heartfelt.

Having shown that it is proper at times to use the Psalms in our prayers, here are some thoughts as to how this might be done...

II. INCORPORATING THE PSALMS INTO OUR PRAYERS

A.   Bear in mind the proper format of prayer as taught by Jesus in Matthew 6:9-13...

    1.  Addressing the Father (9)

    2. Praying for God’s purposes (10)

    3. Praying for our material needs (11)

    4. Praying for our spiritual needs (12-13a)

    5. Concluding praise (13b)

B. In the Psalms we find expression for all these elements of proper prayer...

    1.   Addressing the Father: Psalm 8:1,  Psalm 90:1-2.

    2.   Praying for God’s purposes: Psalm 57:11, Psalm72:18-19.

    3.   Praying for our material needs: Psalm 144:12-15.

    4.   Praying for our spiritual needs: confessing sins Psalm 51:1-4, asking for strength Psalm 71:1-3.

    5.   Offering praise: Psalm 36:5-9.

C. Such expressions are appropriate when used, not for God’s benefit, but for our own edification.  Not to impress others with our ability to memorize scripture, but to be able to express praise and petition when our own words fail to express what is truly in our hearts.

CONCLUSION

My intent is not to suggest that we formalize prayers based on the book of Psalms, rather, to show that there is much to learn about prayer from men like David  and to show how we can use terminology first inspired by the Holy Spirit to express our deepest emotions and thoughts.  May our frequent study of the Psalms help us to grow in our prayer life with God.