WEEK 23 |
psalms this week |
"Relax your prayers. Do not work so hard to have your request granted. The Lord wants to give you more than you ask. Nothing can be greater than intimate conversation with God, than being absolutely preoccupied with His companionship. Prayer that is not distracted with a wish list is the highest achievement of the intellect." |
Psalms 67, 68, and 69
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introduction to the Series
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Most of what we learn how to do, we learn from other people. Sometimes it is the learning that comes from specific and deliberate instruction. At other times it is the learning that comes by way of example and imitation. During 2023, our endeavor is to learn how to pray from the Psalmist.*
The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, and it is mostly a book of prayers. We will spend the year going through the book, beginning to end, and letting the Psalmist teach us by example how to pray. |
In this endeavor, we cannot benefit from his deliberate instruction, of course. What we can do, however, is take full advantage of his example. We will observe how he prays, and we will learn to imitate him.
Our approach will be week by week. The recommended practices and exercises are not daily, but rather suggestions for an individual to implement throughout the whole week. |
Exercises for this week
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Psalm 67
Read Psalm 67. As you read, make a bulleted list of all the things that the Psalmist would like to see happen -- things introduced in most translations by words like "let" or "may."
Review the Psalmist's list in prayer. Talk to the Lord about each item. Talk to Him about the extent to which each item:
The Lord's Prayer is commonly recognized as featuring seven petitions -- seven things that Jesus instructed His followers to pray for:
Jesus taught us to pray for God's will to be done. Review again the list of things for which the Psalmist expresses desire in Psalm 67. Do you believe that each of them is God's will? Talk to Him about the ways in which they are part of His will. Talk to Him about the ways in which your prayers are informed by a sense of His will. Psalm 67 features a kind of us-them dichotomy. It's not antagonistic, but there is a distinction made between the people who seem to be first-person-plural and the people seem to be third-person-plural. Read through the Psalm and identify what it is that the Psalmist desires for each group. Trace the logic of the Psalmist's prayer. What he desires in verse 1 seems to be not an end in itself but for the purpose expressed in verse 2. What do you understand to be the relationship between verse 1 and verse 2? To what extent should you pray similarly. Continue to trace the logic of the Psalmist's prayer. Having identified the relationship between verse 1 and verse 2, what do you understand to be the relationship between verse 2 and verse 3? And, in light of that, what do you understand to be the relationship between verse 1 and verse 3? To what extent should you pray similarly? Continue to trace the logic of the Psalmist's prayer. Specifically, set verses 1-3 side-by-side with verses 6-7. What correspondences do you see between the beginning and the end of the Psalm? In what ways is Psalm 67 exemplary? What do you learn from the Psalmist about how to pray from Psalm 67? |
Psalm 68
Read Psalm 68. This Psalm is a long one with a variety of elements. We do well, therefore, to separate out the different themes and elements. First, as you read, summarize what you perceive to be:
Talk to the Lord about your points of resonance with the Psalmist, whether in circumstance, mood, petitions, or faith. Second, make a list of the different people who are implicit or explicit in the Psalm:
Talk to the Lord about the peoples referenced in the Psalm. Do they still exist? Do they factor into your prayers? How is the Psalmist exemplary in his prayer? It should be clear from the above reflections that the Lord does not treat all people the same. Based on what you see in Psalm 68, what seems to determine how the Lord treats a person or a group of people? What other examples from Scripture illustrate your conclusions about how the Lord treats this or that type of person? Third, focus on the deeds of God:
Talk to the Lord about the Psalmist's accounting of His deeds. Which resonate with your experience? Which petitions echo your own heart? The Psalmist asserts the majesty and awesomeness of God (e.g., vss. 7-10, 17-18, 32-35). Contemplate what it is that the Psalmist is trying to express at points like these. Then write your own version in your own words, trying to express the same truths. As a natural companion to the Lord's majesty and awesomeness, the Psalmist affirms that He is able to defeat His foes and vanquish evil (e.g., vss. 1-2, 21-23, 28-31). Follow up on what you previously wrote about God's majesty with your own written affirmation of His ability to defeat His foes and to vanquish evil today. In addition to declaring the Lord's overwhelming power and majesty, as well as His strong victory over His enemies, the Psalm also affirms a quality of tender care, concern, and compassion for those in need (e.g., 5-6, 19-20). Continue your writing by adding on now your own expression of this aspect of God's justice and this display of His power. Much of Psalm 68 features a tone of praise, and at points it even calls on others to praise God. Review the Psalm and identify the "why" -- i.e., for what reason should people praise God according to the Psalmist? |
Psalm 69
Read Psalm 69. This Psalm is addressed to God in the midst of troubles. It will aid your own reading of the Psalm to be prepared to bring your own troubles to God. The goal is not to necessarily to focus on troubles, but rather to acknowledge that, when we have troubles, the Psalms can help us bring those troubles to God and navigate them with faith.
Focus your attention initially on the first 29 verses of the Psalm. After every 2 or 3 verses, jot down your answers to these questions:
Focusing again on the first 29 verses, watch for these two things:
When have you wanted the Lord to do what the Psalmist is asking Him to do? Did you pray for it? How did you express it? Did you keep praying for it? What was your experience? Talk to the Lord about the Psalmist's implicit and explicit statements of "why." Talk to Him about the "why" that factors into your prayers. The Psalmist seems to strike a realistic balance with regard to his own innocence. On the one hand, he knows that he is innocent in the sense of not deserving some of what is happening to him. On the other hand, he also acknowledges that he has not been perfect and that the Lord knows it. Talk with the Lord about your own experience of being both innocent and guilty when you come to Him in prayer. Now turn your attention to verses 30-36. As we have noted previously, the Psalmist often includes (or implies) a "why" for what the Lord is being asked to do. Similarly, the Psalmist includes "why" statements for praise. As you reflect on these concluding verses of Psalm 69, identify all of the reasons why should the Psalmist (and others) praise the Lord. Read the second half of verse 30 in a variety of translations. Based on what you discover, what do you understand to be the thing the Psalmist says he will do? To what extent is that a part of your own prayer life? |
* We will refer to the author as “the Psalmist,” though of course not all of the Psalms were written by the same person. A significant number are attributed to David. Others are associated with Asaph, the sons of Korah, and an assortment of other individuals. Also, several dozen Psalms have no name attached to them. For the sake of ease and uniformity, we will simply refer to “the Psalmist.”