Why did God give us the psalms? How can I start praying the psalms?

Sometimes we all struggle to find words to express our feelings. That's why God gave us the Psalms.

An anatomy of all parts of the soul

The XNUMXth century reformer, John Calvin, called the Psalms "the Anatomy of all parts of the Soul" and observed that

There is no emotion that anyone can be aware of that is not represented here as in a mirror. Or rather, the Holy Spirit drew here. . . all the aches, pains, fears, doubts, hopes, worries, perplexities, in short, all the distracting emotions with which the minds of men will not be agitated.

Or, as someone else has noted, while the rest of the Scripture speaks to us, the Psalms speak for us. The Psalms provide us with a rich vocabulary for speaking to God about our souls.

When we long to worship, we have psalms of thanksgiving and praise. When we are sad and discouraged, we can pray the psalms of lament. The psalms give voice to our anxieties and fears and show us how to cast our concerns on the Lord and renew our trust in him. Even feelings of anger and bitterness find expression in the infamous cursing psalms, which function as poetic screams of pain, lyrical outbursts of anger and rage. (The point is honesty with your anger in front of God, don't vent your anger towards others!)

The drama of redemption in the theater of the soul
Some of the Psalms are definitely deserted. Take Psalms 88: 1 which contends for one of the most hopeless passages in all of Holy Scripture. But those psalms are also useful, because they show us that we are not alone. Saints and sinners of long ago also walk through the valley of the dark shadow of death. You are not the first person to feel shrouded in the hopeless fog of despair.

But more than that, the psalms, when read as a whole, depict the drama of redemption in the theater of the soul. Some biblical scholars have observed three cycles in the psalms: the cycles of orientation, disorientation, and reorientation.

1. Orientation

The orientation psalms show us the type of relationship with God for which we were created, a relationship characterized by trust and trust; joy and obedience; adoration, joy and satisfaction.

2. Disorientation

The psalms of disorientation show us human beings in their fallen state. Anxiety, fear, shame, guilt, depression, anger, doubt, despair: the whole kaleidoscope of toxic human emotions finds its place in the Psalms.

3. Reorientation

But the psalms of reorientation describe reconciliation and redemption in the prayers of repentance (the famous penitential psalms), the songs of thanksgiving and the hymns of praise that exalt God for his saving actions, sometimes pointing forward to Jesus, the Messianic Lord and the Davidic King who will fulfill the promises of God, establish the kingdom of God and make all things new.

Most individual psalms fall into one of these categories, while the psalter as a whole shifts largely from disorientation to reorientation, from wailing and lamenting to worship and praise.

These cycles mirror the basic fabric of Scripture: creation, fall and redemption. We were created to worship God. As the old catechism says, "The main purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." But the fall and personal sin leave us disoriented. Our lives, more often than not, are filled with anxiety, shame, guilt and fear. But when we meet our redeeming God in the midst of those distressing situations and emotions, we respond with renewed penance, adoration, thanksgiving, hope and praise.

Praying the Psalms
Just learning these basic cycles will help us understand how the various psalms can work in our lives. To echo Eugene Peterson, the psalms are tools for prayer.

Tools help us do a job, whether it's fixing a broken faucet, building a new deck, changing an alternator in a vehicle, or walking through a forest. If you don't have the right tools, you will have a much harder time getting the job done.

Have you ever tried using a Phillips screwdriver when you really need a flat head? Frustrating experience. But this is not due to a Phillips flaw. You just picked the wrong tool for the task at hand.

One of the most important things we can learn as we walk with God is how to use Scripture as he intended. All Scripture is inspired of God, but not all Scriptures are suitable for every state of the heart. There is a God-given variety in the Spirit-inspired word - a variety that befits the complexity of the human condition. Sometimes we need comfort, sometimes instructions, while other times we need prayers of confession and the assurance of God's grace and forgiveness.

For example:

When I am grappling with anxious thoughts, I am strengthened by the psalms which indicate God as my rock, my refuge, my shepherd, my sovereign king (e.g. Psalms 23: 1, Psalms 27: 1, Psalms 34: 1, Psalms 44: 1, Psalms 62: 1, Psalms 142: 1).

When I am beset by temptations, I need the wisdom of the psalms that guide my steps in the ways of the right statues of God (e.g. Psalms 1: 1, Psalms 19: 1, Psalms 25: 1, Psalms 37: 1, Psalms 119: 1).

When I blew it and feel overwhelmed with guilt, I need psalms to help me hope in God's mercy and infallible love (e.g. Psalms 32: 1, Psalms 51: 1, Psalms 103: 1, Psalms 130 : 1).

At other times, I only have to tell God how desperately I desire him, or how much I love him, or how much I want to praise him (e.g. Psalms 63: 1, Psalms 84: 1, Psalms 116: 1, Psalms 146: 1).

Finding and praying the psalms that best suit the various states of your heart will transform your spiritual experience over time.

Don't Wait Until You're In Trouble - Start Now
I hope people who are currently struggling and suffering read this and immediately take refuge in the psalms. But for those who aren't currently in trouble, let me tell you this. Don't wait until you're in trouble reading and praying the psalms. Leave now.

Build a vocabulary for prayer for yourself. You know the anatomy of your soul well. Immerse yourself deeply in the drama of redemption taking place in the theater of the human heart - in the theater of your heart. Familiarize yourself with these divinely given tools. Learn to use them well.

Use the word of God to speak to God.