“As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me.” Psalm 55:16
These are the words of King David! If there is any Book of Scripture that speaks on the topic of prayer, it is the Book of Psalms! One could see the entire Book as being one of prayer. David is constantly petitioning God for one need or another, confessing his personal sin or that of his people, giving thanksgiving or just simply praising His Name. The Lutheran martyr, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, encouraged people to not simply read the Psalms, but to pray the Psalms as they read. He called Psalms, “The Prayer Book of the Bible” and used it himself accordingly.
While the Psalms were originally used as the lyrics of songs for the worship of God, we recognize that these words were essentially prayers that were being sung. What better prayers can there be than to say to God the words He has already given us to say to Him? The words of Psalms become personal as we utter them ourselves. Any topic we could think about to pray upon personally can be found in the verses of this wonderful Book. Remember, the Book of Psalms is not first and foremost the words of King David, they are the words of God, moved through the Holy Spirit into the pen of David.
You will find a great resource for prayer as you open this Book, read it aloud and sincerely meditate upon the words as applied to your own life. By doing so, God teaches one to pray according to His will and in a means that is effective and efficacious!
Know that you are loved!
Peace and Joy,
Pastor Kilian