How to Pray Through the Psalms

            Meditate on scripture. Maybe you’ve heard the phrase before. Perhaps you’ve even tried it and found it all a bit confusing. 

            It sounds admirable, and you’re drawn to it as a spiritual discipline. At least in theory… 

            But how is it supposed to work?  

            The truth is it’s actually pretty straightforward. And you can start with any book in the Bible. 

            But if you’re just beginning to get the hang of the practice, then I would highly recommend starting with the book of Psalms.  

            Praying through scripture or meditating on scripture is a practice that goes back centuries in the Western Christian tradition. Sometimes you’ll hear it referred to by the name lectio divina. 

            The purpose of this approach is to get you to slow down and think about what you’re reading. 

            Unlike a traditional Bible study, where you’re given reflection questions at the end of each set passage, meditating on scripture is open ended.  You read through a small portion of scripture a few times. Pausing in between each reading to absorb what the passage is saying. 

            Traditionally, lectio divina then moves from reading and sitting with the passage to prayer about what you’ve learned through your Bible reading. As you go about the rest of your day, you take a small phrase from the passage with you to continue to dwell on. 

            The beautiful thing about this approach is that you don’t always get an immediate “aha” moment. Maybe that sounds a bit strange, but let me explain. 

            When you’re approaching scripture from the Bible study method most of us are familiar with that uses reflection questions, it’s easier to see the takeaway from the passage. You’ve learned what scripture is asking of you and who you’re supposed to become. That’s fantastic, but…

            If you’re anything like me, that doesn’t always stick. Sometimes you remember it throughout the day…

            But most of the time, it’s gone the moment you walk away from your Bible study time and step into the hustle and bustle of the day. 

            Meditating on scripture doesn’t always give you a clear takeaway from the passage. Especially when you’re only dwelling on one single verse. Instead, you are forced to sit with it. To let it speak to you. 

            Which means, that portion of scripture shapes your day. You find yourself wondering what it means or how it could apply in the situations you find yourself in. 

            This is how the transforming and renewing of our minds happens. 

            So, it all sounds amazing, but how do you do it?     

            There are a couple of ways that you can approach it based upon your preferences and how much time you want to set aside each morning. 

            All you need to start is a translation of the Bible that you’re comfortable with, a journal, and something to write with. 

            First pick one of the psalms you want to read through for the next few days. The example I’m going to give you will be based on Psalm 73, but remember this method works with any psalm or passage in scripture. 

            At the start of each day, read through one verse of the psalm. So day one, you read Psalm 73:1, day two Psalm 73:2, and so on. In your journal write the date at the top of the page and the verse for the day. 

            Read through the verse multiple times, pausing between each to reflect on what you think it means. Do any questions come up for you? Initial thoughts or connections you’re making between the verse and your life? If so, write them down in your journal. 

            Take some time in prayer, and proceed to go about your day. Try to say or read the verse throughout the day. Or if not the whole verse, a portion of it that stood out to you. 

            At the end of the day, set aside some time to go back to the verse. On the page in your journal for the day’s verse, write any reflections that you have. 

            Did the verse relate to things that happened in your day? Was there any new insight that came to you? What do you think this verse means? What kind of person is it asking us to become? 

            After you’ve finished writing your thoughts, take some time to pray about it. But instead of saying the words out loud or in your mind, I want you to write the prayer down.

            And then you continue on each day with the same method for however many days are in your psalm. In the case of the example, it’s 28 days. 

            If you would rather not go through a psalm verse by verse, you can choose to break it up into sections. Or if it’s a smaller psalm, you can reflect on the entire thing. Then you can pick the verse or phrase from the psalm that stood out to you to repeat throughout your day. 

            I love this approach because you can go back through your journal from time to time to see the things you were being shown during your day and the things that came up in prayer. 

            If you’re interested in learning more about praying through the Psalms and interacting with all of the different perspectives on God and what it means to be human found within them, I would highly recommend reading Praying through the Psalms by Walter Brueggemann. His work introduced me to the practice that I’m sharing with you all in this blog post. 

            If you’re into the idea of getting weekly tips on spiritual disciplines or ways to study scripture, fun stories from church history, or introductions to key theological ideas, you can sign up for the weekly newsletter.