If you want to learn how to pray the psalms, start here. Pray these psalms in the morning or at any time you need refreshment in the Word. 😊
How Do You Pray The Psalms?
It is easy to pray the psalms. I pray the psalms by reading the psalm out loud. I reflect on the words in my spirit, and it then becomes my prayer. Prayer is not just asking God for things, it encompasses so much more than that. When we pray the Psalms, we are telling God how we feel, praising him for his creation, and declaring that he is all we need.
Psalm means “song” in Hebrew. These were songs and poems that (mostly) David wrote.
Praying the Psalms in the Morning
I have made it my goal to start praying the psalms daily! I do this by starting off each morning with a cup of coffee and a prayer through a psalm. The best psalms to start your mornings are ones that will encourage you and have some affirmations to help start your day. Here are my favorite psalms to pray for when I wake up.
(If you find yourself struggling to pray, start here)
Psalm 63:1-8 – A psalm of love to God
You, God, are my God,
I earnestly seek you;
I thirst for you,
My whole being longs for you,
In a dry and parched land.
Where there is no water.
I have seen you in the sanctuary
And beheld your power and your glory.
Because your life is better than life,
My lips will glorify you.
I will praise you as long as I live,
And in your name I will lift up my hands.
I will be fully satisfied with the richest of foods,
With singing lips my mouth will praise you.
On my bed, I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
I cling to you;
Your right hand upholds me.
Psalm 30: 1-5 – A psalm of praise
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord, my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you, his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
Psalm 116: 1-6. – A psalm of thankfulness
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
He heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
The Most Powerful Prayer In The Book of Psalms
The most powerful prayer (in my opinion) in the book of Psalms is the 23rd psalm. This particular chapter in the bible completely changed my life when I struggled with severe anxiety. I quoted this scripture out loud every day and made it my prayer.
23rd Psalm as a Prayer
The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me.
Your rod and Your staff comfort me.
You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies.
My cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Amen.
Modern “Translation” of Psalm 23 to Pray
(written for poetic purposes!)
Jesus leads me.
I have everything I need when I follow him!
In his presence, there is calming peace.
My spirit breathes fresh air when I sit with him.
I don’t fear darkness or death
Because you are always with me.
You comfort me with your Holy Spirit.
I have favor in your sight!
I have abundance in you.
Goodness and mercy will be my life’s song.
I will worship you and be in your presence forever!
Amen
Praying the Psalms When You’re Depressed
In seasons of my life when I have been depressed, the psalms have been a tremendous resource to me. Why? Because David was honest about how he felt. He didn’t sugar coat things — he went through hard stuff and even asked God why he had forsaken him! It’s refreshing to read about David’s true feelings. Sometimes life is hard, and sometimes life as a Christian is hard too.
Psalm 27: 7-14
A Psalm for when you are feeling alone
Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 91
A Psalm for when you feel afraid
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 18
Praying the psalms when you need God as your strength and rock
I love you, Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I have been saved from my enemies.
The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
In my distress I called to the Lord;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears..
Resource for Praying the Psalms
A great tool for praying the psalms is this psalms prayer journal. I love reading through each Psalm and then writing my own reflections and prayers next to it.
Be blessed in your walk with Christ as you navigate being his follower. There is no greater joy or fulfillment in life than walking with Jesus and spending time in his word.
