Praying the Psalms

By Benny Tucker

Praying the Psalms is a wonderful way to lift up God's Word and pray it back to Him. You personalize the Psalm for your prayer. God gave us the Psalms to praise Him, mainly because we didn't know how, so with the Psalms we have 150 ways to lift God up with praise and worship. There is a Psalm that in one way or another identify with almost any human feeling or emotion. This book places 5 separate Psalms in a chapter that corresponds with the day of the month and allows a simple way to choice the Psalm you would want to pray that particular day.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781678103606

Book preview

Praying the Psalms

Praying The Psalms

Praying          The Psalms

John 17:9

I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they are yours.

First Edition 2020

Copyright Page

Scripture quotations are taken from the

Christian Standard Bible

Bible Notes

Personal notes.

©Copyright 2020-Benny Tucker

All rights reserved

Published by

Lulu.com

ISBN 978-1-67810-360-6

Printed in the United States of America.

Introduction

***Introduction***

Thank You for your interest in Praying The Psalms.  Many people don't understand why one would want to pray and read through a specific Psalm or set of Psalms.  One's prayer life is so very important, and our communication with God should be considered a very high priority.  Knowing that the Holy Bible was pinned by men, but definitely inspired by God's Holy Spirit.  Over a period of 1400 to 1800 years, some 40 different writers, penned the Scripture at different times, in those years, and the content is in order, and is not contradicting.  What better way to pray to God the Father than using His Divine Word, praying it back to Him?  Now we will be changing it to a personal level, but the order, and desire to pray is reborn in the heart, because it is God's Holy Word.

There is a Psalm that will minister to each individual feeling, no matter what it might be.  Now in our current prayer life we are probably praying the same thing in the same old way, The same old things about the same old things. Mostly people struggle to pray 10 to 15 minutes, yet others who have accepted this prayer concept of Praying the Psalms pray much longer.  Generally people will pray silently, in their auto, or at work, or maybe in the privacy of their own home, but they still pray in silence.  This is fine, but one must realize that the devil wants no part of you praying, and will, through his hate for us, attack us mentally, breaking up our focus of what to say, or do next.  This leads us to boredom, if we are bored with prayer, then we will not pray.  Does God think our prayers are boring?  Maybe?  If we are bored then He may be also. 

Now some people pray aloud, and that’s fine, but, Satan attacks this prayer concept also, and attempts to break the focus of the one praying aloud, and the person praying, can merely raise their voice to overcome the attack. Keep in mind though, most people pray silently, they don't like hearing their voice aloud.  So, as you can see prayer is different among different folks.

If we use this concept of prayer that I am fixing to demonstrate, we will always be in touch with God and His Divine Word. 

OK, there are 150 Psalms, and Psalm 119 is the longest Psalm of all with some 176 verses, so we can break that one down into many different groups of verses. This is an individual decision and will differ from person to person.  Anyway, most months have 30 days, with a few having 31 days, so, let's take the first of the month and add 30 to that number equaling 31, then add 30 to that number, equaling 61, and so on we go until we have 5 Psalms for day 1.  It would simply be like this, day 1 equals Psalms 1, 31, 61, 91, 121.  You would glance over these Psalms, and select the one that suits you, and the particular mood you might be experiencing that day.  You would begin by reading the first verse of the Psalm, and then pray over, and into that Psalm.

Example: Day 1, let's use Psalm 31, looking at verse one we read,

1.) Lord, I seek refuge in you; let me never be disgraced. Save me by your righteousness.

Then praying something like this,

Lord I thank You that You are my Lord, and I will always seek refuge in You, You promised me You would never leave, nor forsake me, and I ask You Lord let me never be disgraced by others, save me Lord and wrap me in Your righteousness.

Now verse two,

2.) Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me.

Praying,

Lord please hear my prayer I besiege You Lord rescue me and forgive me my sin, You are my Rock and my mountain fortress, protect me Lord and save me.

Simply go through the Psalm, verse-by-verse, praying what you find in the text or what it brings to mind. If nothing comes to mind, or if you don’t understand the verse, go to the next. You might choose to linger long on one verse. Conversely, there may be only a handful of matters that prompt prayer as you go through many verses. Nothing says you have to pray over every verse.  Continue in this way until,

(1) You run out of time, or

(2) You run out of Psalm.

The Psalms are the best place in Scripture from which to pray Scripture. This is because of the original purpose and usage of the Psalms. The Psalms are songs inspired by God for the purpose of being reflected in song back to God. Moreover, there’s a Psalm (as mentioned earlier) for every sigh and mood of the heart. The entire range of human emotion is recorded in the 150 Psalms.

Also the second-best place in Scripture from which to pray Scripture is the New Testament letters. These are so densely packed with truth that virtually every verse suggests something to pray about. It is also edifying to pray through the narrative passages of Scripture. Unlike praying through the Psalms or New Testament letters, however, a different approach must often be used with the narrative passages. Instead of looking at each verse intensely, in a narrative passage it’s usually easier to consider it paragraph-by-paragraph, looking for the big ideas of the story. Once you actually experience praying through a passage of Scripture, you’ll more than likely be able to turn to any part of the Bible, and pray through it. Once you accomplish this one time you will be able to pray over any scripture, it's like riding a bicycle, you never forget. By praying through a passage of Scripture, you’ll find yourself praying about most of the same old things, but in brand new ways. You’ll also find yourself praying about things you would never think to pray about.

Although, Praying through the Psalms, or Scriptures was not my original idea, I got the idea from a book I read, but developing this workbook or prayer book was my idea.  The intent of this book is to have all the Psalms in a particular place where one does not have to search through the Bible, and pull them out one by one, they are all in the chapter for that individual day.  I pray that this will be helpful in quickly searching Psalm to Psalm to see which one you would pray that day.  God Bless each and all.

Chapter 1, Day 1, Psalms 1, 31, 61, 91, 121

Chapter 1, Day 1,

Psalms 1, 31, 61, 91, 121

Psalm 1

The Two Ways

1 How happy is the one who does not walk in the advice of the wicked or stand in the pathway    with sinners or sit in the company of mockers!

2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.

3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams that bears its fruit in its season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

4 The wicked are not like this; instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the     righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.

Psalm 31

A Plea for Protection

For the choir director.

A psalm of David

1

Lord

, I seek refuge in you; let me never be disgraced. Save me by your righteousness.

2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me.

3 For you are my rock and my fortress; you lead and guide me for your name’s sake.

4 You will free me from the net that is secretly set for me, for you are my refuge.

5 Into your hand I entrust my spirit; you have redeemed me,

Lord

, God of truth.

6 I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols, but I trust in the

Lord

.

7 I will rejoice and be glad in your faithful love because you have seen my affliction. You know the troubles of my soul

8 and have not handed me over to the enemy. You have set my feet in a spacious place.

9 Be gracious to me,

Lord

, because I am in distress; my eyes are worn out from frustration—my whole being as well.

10 Indeed, my life is consumed with grief and my years with groaning; my strength has failed because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away.

11 I am ridiculed by all my adversaries and even by my neighbors. I am dreaded by my acquaintances; those who see me in the street run from me.

12 I am forgotten: gone from memory like a dead person—like broken pottery.

13 I have heard the gossip of many; terror is on every side. When they conspired against me, they plotted to take my life.

14 But I trust in you,

Lord

; I say, You are my God.

15 The course of my life is in your power; rescue me from the power of my enemies and from my persecutors.

16 Make your face shine on your servant; save me by your faithful love.

17 Lord

, do not let me be disgraced when I call on you.

18 Let lying lips that arrogantly speak against the righteous in proud contempt be silenced.

19 How great is your goodness that you have stored up for those who fear you and accomplished in the sight of everyone for those who take refuge in you.

20 You hide them in the protection of your presence; you conceal them in a shelter from human schemes, from quarrelsome tongues.

21 Blessed be the

Lord

, for he has wondrously shown his faithful love to me in a city under siege.

22 In my alarm I said, I am cut off from your sight. But you heard the sound of my pleading when I cried to you for help.

23 Love the

Lord

, all his faithful ones. The

Lord

protects the loyal, but fully repays the   arrogant.

24 Be strong, and let your heart be courageous, all you who put your hope in the

Lord

.

Psalm 61

Security in God

1 For the choir director: on stringed instruments. Of David.

2 God, hear my cry; pay attention to my prayer.

3 I call to you from the ends of the earth when my heart is without strength. Lead me to a rock that is high above me,

4 for you have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy.

5 I will dwell in your tent forever and take refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah

6 God, you have heard my vows; you have given a heritage to those who fear your name.

7 Add days to the king’s life; may his years span many generations.

8 May he sit enthroned before God forever. Appoint faithful love and truth to guard him.

9 Then I will continually sing of your name, fulfilling my vows day by day.

Psalm 91

The Protection of the Most High

1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust:

3 He himself will rescue you from the bird trap, from the destructive plague.

4 He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.

5 You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day,

6 the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon.

7 Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand