The Psalms: Giving Voice to Your Prayers

Note: This Bible study is formatted for small group discussion. If you use this study by yourself, we suggest you journal your answers to the discussion questions. Also, please use suggested translations where indicated. Biblegateway.com is an excellent source for translations you may not have on hand.

When I first discovered the actual power we have in prayer—that it really works—I longed to “get it right.” It isn’t that I think God disregards the prayers of a “newbie.” In fact, I sometimes think they are more precious to Him—just as a baby’s first steps are precious for us to watch.

But my practical side didn’t want to spend time praying for things that seemed right to me but were opposed to God’s purposes. Then the whole “Balaam syndrome” (read Numbers 22–24, paying special attention to 22:9–22) bothered me. Balaam continued to ask God for something outside of God’s will, and God finally acquiesced—but He was not pleased. Despite many interpretations of what happened, one lesson is clear: Be careful what you ask for, or you just might get it! One Bible teacher commented that God’s yes to Balaam was essentially, “Fine, we’ll do it your way if you insist!”

Not wanting to pull a Balaam blunder, I turned to praying Scripture. Praying God’s Word back to Him is foolproof. He has promised that His Word will not return empty but will accomplish what He desires (Isa. 55:11).

The Psalms are also the perfect place to hang out for prayer inspiration! Many psalms were written by Solomon, who was graced by God with wisdom. Others were written by David—described as a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). As I sought to pray God’s heart for those around me, it seemed like a no-brainer to pattern my prayers after someone described in such a way.

However, I did ask God how David could possibly fit such a description when he was guilty of adultery and murder. God responded that I should think of that phrase not as someone with God’s tastes and preferences, but as a man chasing after God’s own heart’s desires.

Discussion Questions

Ben Patterson linked George Herbert’s quotation that prayer is, “God’s breath in man returning to his birth,” with Patterson’s own thoughts that praying well means, “we exhale what we have inhaled. We breathe out what God has breathed in.” Read Genesis 2:7, 2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV), and Romans 12:1–2 and discuss your thoughts about what he means by this. _________________________________________

“God always takes the initiative with us. He makes the first move. . . . When we pray, we don’t pray to get His attention. We pray because He got ours. The praying didn’t begin when we started praying. We simply joined the praying that was already going on,” Patterson says. How do you find this concept of God taking the initiative played out in Jeremiah 29:12–14, John 6:44, Romans 8:26–27 (ESV), and Hebrews 7:25? _____________________________

Based on Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16, what are some of the uses for psalms? Following Jesus’ example of prayer that benefits those who hear it (John 11:41–42), how can praying the Psalms be beneficial in a group setting? _____________________________

John Maempa gives us a glimpse into the way several members of America’s National Prayer Committee tap into using the Psalms as they pray. He quotes Kevin Senapatiratne from Christ Connection, “[As] a man living in Minnesota, expressing emotion is not always encouraged. That is why, since my teen years, I have loved praying the Psalms. I find the full range of feelings expressed.” Look up the following passages in the Book of Psalms and list the emotions found in each: Psalm 1:2; 2:11; 4:4, 7–8; 6:7; 9:2; 10:17; 21:1; 25:16; 27:3; 31:10; 33:8, 22; 34:18; 35:18; 38:18; 42:5; 44:15; 51:17; 69:9, 29; 118:23. How might this list change the way you pray? How might it affect your prayers for others? _____________________________

Discussing her own personal journey into the Psalms as a source for “words to express the gamut of emotions I’d tried so hard to bury,” Tricia Rhodes reflects on the rhythm found there as pointed out by Walter Brueggemann. Identify which rhythm category (listed below) the following passages belong in: Psalm 6:3; 8:1; 10:1, 14; 13:1–2; 30:11–12; 33:11; 34:1; 35:22–24; 57:5, 6, 7; 66:16; 70:1; 71:2, 24; 86:1–3; 89:1–2; 118:21–24; 143:11; 145:8.

• Orientation (when all is well)
• Disorientation (when hearts are wounded and days are shattered)
• Reorientation (when we are surprised by joy)

Action Steps

Tricia Rhodes lists these profound benefits of praying the Psalms:

• We pray in words inspired by the Holy Spirit.
• We experience unity with Christ.
• We learn spiritual disciplines like meditation and contemplation.
• We expand our understanding of God.

Rhodes points out that there are more than 20 attributes of God listed in Psalm 145 alone. Examine Psalm 145 and record the attributes you find there—a gold mine of ways to praise and approach Him. Find other psalms (103 is a good place to start) that provide prayer points and can increase your worship vocabulary. Commit these passages to memory.

SANDRA HIGLEY resides in Colorado Springs, CO, and is the editor of Real Life Downloaded (youth editions), a Sunday school curriculum supplement available free of charge from David C Cook Publishers.