SATURDAY – Introduction

Some people believe only prayers that come from the heart in the moment are real, but the friends of Jesus once asked Him to teach them how to pray. The Psalms, which are like a prayer book in the Bible, aren't just stories from the past; they teach us how to pray today. The Psalms have been helping people talk to God for a really long time, even Jesus used them in His prayers. This week, we're learning about how the Psalms can be like a guide for our journey through life and how they make our connection with God stronger. They're not just fancy words; they can change the way we talk to God and help us feel more fulfilled in our prayers.

SUNDAY – Fostering the Use of the Psalms in Prayer

The following passages talk about how important the Psalms are in our worship.:

Psalm 105:5

KJV ⁵ Remember his marvellous works that he hath done; his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; CEV ⁵ Remember his miracles and all his wonders and his fair decisions.

Colossians 3:16

KJV ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. CEV ¹⁶ Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

James 5:13

KJV ¹³ Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. CEV ¹³ If you are having trouble, you should pray. And if you are feeling good, you should sing praises.

To make Psalms a part of our daily life, we can start by reading them, beginning with Psalm 1 or choosing one that fits our feelings. Reading, thinking about, and praying the Psalms helps us understand them better and connect with our own experiences. This week, we're exploring different types of Psalms and learning how they can inspire new reasons to pray.

Read Colossians 3:16

KJV ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. CEV ¹⁶ Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

This verse reminds us that reading the Bible is an important part of this experience.

MONDAY – Trust in Times of Trouble

All Christians face times of despair and suffering, like the psalmists who recorded their experiences.

Read Psalm 44

KJV ¹ We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old. ² How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out. ³ For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them. ⁴ Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob. ⁵ Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. ⁶ For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me. ⁷ But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us. ⁸ In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah. ⁹ But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies. ¹⁰ Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves. ¹¹ Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen. ¹² Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price. ¹³ Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us. ¹⁴ Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people. ¹⁵ My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me, ¹⁶ For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger. ¹⁷ All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant. ¹⁸ Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way; ¹⁹ Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death. ²⁰ If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god; ²¹ Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart. ²² Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. ²³ Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever. ²⁴ Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression? ²⁵ For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth. ²⁶ Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake. CEV (A special psalm by the clan of Korah and for the music leader.) ¹ Our God, our ancestors told us what wonders you worked and we listened carefully. ² You chased off the nations by causing them trouble with your powerful arm. Then you let our ancestors take over their land. ³ Their strength and weapons were not what won the land and gave them victory! You loved them and fought with your powerful arm and your shining glory. ⁴ You are my God and King, and you give victory to the people of Jacob. ⁵ By your great power, we knocked our enemies down and trampled on them. ⁶ I don't depend on my arrows or my sword to save me. ⁷ But you saved us from our hateful enemies, and you put them to shame. ⁸ We boast about you, our God, and we are always grateful. ⁹ But now you have rejected us; you don't lead us into battle, and we look foolish. ¹⁰ You made us retreat, and our enemies have taken everything we own. ¹¹ You let us be slaughtered like sheep, and you scattered us among the nations. ¹² You sold your people for little or nothing, and you earned no profit. ¹³ You made us look foolish to our neighbors; people who live nearby insult us and sneer. ¹⁴ Foreigners joke about us and shake their heads. ¹⁵ I am embarrassed every day, and I blush with shame. ¹⁶ But others mock and sneer, as they watch my enemies take revenge on me. ¹⁷ All this happened to us, though we didn't forget you or break our agreement. ¹⁸ We always kept you in mind and followed your teaching. ¹⁹ But you crushed us, and you covered us with deepest darkness where wild animals live. ²⁰ We did not forget you or lift our hands in prayer to foreign gods. ²¹ You would have known it because you discover every secret thought. ²² We face death all day for you. We are like sheep on their way to be slaughtered. ²³ Wake up! Do something, Lord! Why are you sleeping? Don't desert us forever. ²⁴ Why do you keep looking away? Don't forget our sufferings and all our troubles. ²⁵ We are flat on the ground, holding on to the dust. ²⁶ Do something! Help us! Show how kind you are and come to our rescue.

This psalm speaks of innocent suffering, providing words for those struggling to express their feelings in prayer. It challenges the reluctance to openly share thoughts with God, fostering freedom of speech in prayer. Despite the troubles, the psalmist trusts in God's past deeds, acknowledging the reality of God's love. Reflecting on past experiences of God's presence helps navigate present challenges, ensuring we don't feel abandoned amid troubles.

TUESDAY – A Psalm of Despair

Read Psalm 22

KJV ¹ My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring? ² O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. ³ But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. ⁴ Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them. ⁵ They cried unto thee, and were delivered: they trusted in thee, and were not confounded. ⁶ But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. ⁷ All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, ⁸ He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. ⁹ But thou art he that took me out of the womb: thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breasts. ¹⁰ I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mother's belly. ¹¹ Be not far from me; for trouble is near; for there is none to help. ¹² Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. ¹³ They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. ¹⁴ I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. ¹⁶ For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. ¹⁷ I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. ¹⁸ They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture. ¹⁹ But be not thou far from me, O Lord: O my strength, haste thee to help me. ²⁰ Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. ²¹ Save me from the lion's mouth: for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns. ²² I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee. ²³ Ye that fear the Lord, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorify him; and fear him, all ye the seed of Israel. ²⁴ For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard. ²⁵ My praise shall be of thee in the great congregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him. ²⁶ The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever. ²⁷ All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. ²⁸ For the kingdom is the Lord's: and he is the governor among the nations. ²⁹ All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. ³⁰ A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. ³¹ They shall come, and shall declare his righteousness unto a people that shall be born, that he hath done this. CEV (A psalm by David for the music leader. To the tune “A Deer at Dawn.” ) ¹ My God, my God, why have you deserted me? Why are you so far away? Won't you listen to my groans and come to my rescue? ² I cry out day and night, but you don't answer, and I can never rest. ³ Yet you are the holy God, ruling from your throne and praised by Israel. ⁴ Our ancestors trusted you, and you rescued them. ⁵ When they cried out for help, you saved them, and you did not let them down when they depended on you. ⁶ But I am merely a worm, far less than human, and I am hated and rejected by people everywhere. ⁷ Everyone who sees me makes fun and sneers. They shake their heads, ⁸ and say, “Trust the Lord! If you are his favorite, let him protect you and keep you safe.” ⁹ You, Lord, brought me safely through birth, and you protected me when I was a baby at my mother's breast. ¹⁰ From the day I was born, I have been in your care, and from the time of my birth, you have been my God. ¹¹ Don't stay far off when I am in trouble with no one to help me. ¹² Enemies are all around like a herd of wild bulls. Powerful bulls from Bashan are everywhere. ¹³ My enemies are like lions roaring and attacking with jaws open wide. ¹⁴ I have no more strength than a few drops of water. All my bones are out of joint; my heart is like melted wax. ¹⁵ My strength has dried up like a broken clay pot, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You, God, have left me to die in the dirt. ¹⁶ Brutal enemies attack me like a pack of dogs, tearing at my hands and my feet. ¹⁷ I can count all my bones, and my enemies just stare and sneer at me. ¹⁸ They took my clothes and gambled for them. ¹⁹ Don't stay far away, Lord! My strength comes from you, so hurry and help. ²⁰ Rescue me from enemy swords and save me from those dogs. ²¹ Don't let lions eat me. You rescued me from the horns of wild bulls, ²² and when your people meet, I will praise you, Lord. ²³ All who worship the Lord, now praise him! You belong to Jacob's family and to the people of Israel, so fear and honor the Lord! ²⁴ The Lord doesn't hate or despise the helpless in all of their troubles. When I cried out, he listened and did not turn away. ²⁵ When your people meet, you will fill my heart with your praises, Lord, and everyone will see me keep my promises to you. ²⁶ The poor will eat and be full, and all who worship you will be thankful and live in hope. ²⁷ Everyone on this earth will remember you, Lord. People all over the world will turn and worship you, ²⁸ because you are in control, the ruler of all nations. ²⁹ All who are rich and have more than enough will bow down to you, Lord. Even those who are dying and almost in the grave will come and bow down. ³⁰ In the future, everyone will worship and learn about you, our Lord. ³¹ People not yet born will be told, “The Lord has saved us!”

This psalm expresses despair, questioning God's presence in suffering. These words, also uttered by Jesus on the cross, reveal the psalmist's anguish. Yet, the psalmist affirms trust in God and declares praise, teaching us to look beyond current situations. The Psalms provide words to pray, transforming experiences with hope and reassurance of God's presence. Through lament and praise, the Psalms guide believers to trust in God's redemptive power amid suffering.

WEDNESDAY – From Despair to Hope

Read Psalm 13

KJV ¹ How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? ² How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? ³ Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; ⁴ Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved. ⁵ But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. ⁶ I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me. CEV (A psalm by David for the music leader.) ¹ How much longer, Lord, will you forget about me? Will it be forever? How long will you hide? ² How long must I be confused and miserable all day? How long will my enemies keep beating me down? ³ Please listen, Lord God, and answer my prayers. Make my eyes sparkle again, or else I will fall into the sleep of death. ⁴ My enemies will say, “Now we've won!” They will be greatly pleased when I am defeated. ⁵ I trust your love, and I feel like celebrating because you rescued me. ⁶ You have been good to me, Lord, and I will sing about you.

This psalm reflects common sentiments of feeling abandoned, questioning God's presence. However, it leads to a deliberate choice to trust God's redemptive power, shifting from fear to salvation. The Psalms teach believers to look beyond immediate trials, embracing God's goodness through faith. Praying the Psalms allows the Holy Spirit to transform characters and actions, making God's promises manifest in believers' lives.

THURSDAY – Oh, Restore Us Again

Read Psalm 60:1-5

KJV ¹ O God, thou hast cast us off, thou hast scattered us, thou hast been displeased; O turn thyself to us again. ² Thou hast made the earth to tremble; thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh. ³ Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. ⁴ Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. ⁵ That thy beloved may be delivered; save with thy right hand, and hear me. CEV (For the music leader. To the tune “Lily of the Promise.” A special psalm by David for teaching. He wrote it during his wars with the Arameans of northern Syria, when Joab came back and killed twelve thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.) ¹ You, God, are angry with us! We are rejected and crushed. Make us strong again! ² You made the earth shake and split wide open; now heal its wounds and stop its trembling. ³ You brought hard times on your people, and you gave us wine that made us stagger. ⁴ You gave a signal to those who worship you, so they could escape from enemy arrows. ⁵ Answer our prayers, God! Use your powerful arm and give us victory. Then the people you love will be safe.

This psalm is a lament suitable for trying times, emphasizing hope in God's deliverance. Lament psalms, though born in distress, benefit worshipers even in joyous seasons. They remind us of the human experience's full range and cultivate compassion for those suffering. Praying such psalms helps believers minister to those in need, following Jesus' example.

FRIDAY – Further Thought

Praying and singing Psalms, as described in Psalm 42:8

KJV ⁸ Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the day time, and in the night his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. CEV ⁸ Every day, you are kind, and at night you give me a song as my prayer to you, the God of my life.
and Ellen G. White's insights, unseals the springs of penitence, faith, hope, love, and joy. Psalms encourage persistence, boldness, courage, and hope, making believers aware of the human experience's depth. Engaging with Psalms consistently in worship aligns the believing community with God's will and healing grace.