WEEK 7 |
psalms this week |
"In your prayers, desire justice, virtue, and spiritual knowledge. The other things will be given you as well." |
Psalms 19, 20, and 21.
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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 19
Read Psalm 19. We observe that this Psalm does not begin as a prayer in the sense that it is not addressed to God at first. Rather, it only turns into a prayer, in that strictest sense, in verse 11. Contemplate the flow of thought through the first ten verses. What is the Psalmist thinking about? What is he feeling? And why does all of that lead him to say what things he does when he begins finally to speak to the Lord?
The Psalmist begins by meditating on nature for six verses -- especially the sky and the sun. Then the Psalmist ponders the law of the Lord for five verses. At first blush, the transition from one to the other may seem abrupt and arbitrary. But sit with those two subjects for a few moments and what the Psalmist says about both. Make a list of things that the sky and sun have in common with the law of the Lord. Verses 7 through 9 follow a deliberate pattern. The first part of each sentence makes an affirmation about something of God's, and the second part of each sentence states how that thing benefits or impacts us. Review the first parts of each sentence, and talk to the Lord about what the Psalmist means by each affirmation. For example, what does it mean to say that "the law of the Lord is perfect" (7:a ESV)? Now reflect on the second part of each sentence in verses 7 through 9. In these, the Psalmist celebrates what the various things of God mean to us. Talk to the Lord about each. Tell Him to what extent you have experienced the truth of each statement. While the first 11 verses of Psalm 19 are not specifically addressed to the Lord, the final 3 verses are. What is it about the previous 11 verses that prompts the Psalmist to say to the Lord what he does at the beginning of verse 12? Rewrite verses 12 and 13 in your own words, as you would express yourself. Then make them your own prayer. The final verse of Psalm 19 is about one's words and thoughts. Talk to the Lord about your words yesterday and the extent to which they were pleasing to Him. Talk to the Lord about your thoughts yesterday and the extent to which they were pleasing to Him. Psalm 19 concludes with two titles for God. Jot down a brief definition of what each title means and what each one implies about God. Then talk to Him about how He has been both of those things in your life and experience. |
Psalm 20
Read Psalm 20. Unlike most of the Psalms we have read and considered thus far, the Psalm is not so much a prayer for the individual praying as for someone else. Much of it reads like a blessing to be pronounced over another person. Inasmuch as intercessory prayer -- that is, praying on behalf of other people -- is an important part of the prayer lives of the saints, let this Psalm be your guide. Make a list of a handful of people for whom you want to pray, and borrow the language of the first five verses of Psalm 20 to pray for each of them.
For the person of faith, prayer is a natural impulse of love. We pray to the Lord because of His love for us and because of our love for Him. Moreover, it is natural for us to want to pray for the people whom we love. Jesus commands us to love our enemies. Accordingly, review the petitions of of Psalm 20:1-5 and see how you might appropriately pray them on behalf of those people who, in one way or another, might be classified as enemies. Verse 5 expresses a pledge to celebrate when the prayers have been answered, when the blessings have been realized. Sometimes our pleas for help are more robust than our glad expressions of gratitude. Set aside several minutes just now to remember and reflect on prayers that have been answered in your life. Make a written list as they occur to you. Then, with list in hand, take your cue from verse 5 in prayer. Verse 7 is about trust. Specifically, the Psalmist juxtaposes what some people trust in over against where the people of God place their trust. Write down your definition of the word trust. What does it look like to trust something? To trust someone? How would you explain to someone brand new to the faith what it means to trust the Lord? If the Psalmist were writing today rather than 3,000 years ago, how might he write verse 7? What are the alternate places where people place their trust? Talk to the Lord about the various things and people you have trusted. Talk to Him about your experience of trusting Him. Psalm 20 begins and ends with the image of the Lord answering His people when they call out to Him. Give expression from your own heart and your own experience to the heart's cry and the human need that lie behind the beginning of verse 1 and the end of verse 9. |
Psalm 21
Read Psalm 21. This Psalm focuses specifically and repeatedly on the faith and experience of a human king. To what extent does a Psalm about a king have relevance for you? Talk to the Lord about how you can appropriate for yourself a Psalm that is written with such a subject in mind.
Read through Psalm 21 aloud, but as you do, substitute words to personalize it. Where the text says "the king," insert your name. Where it says "he," read "I." Where it says "him," say "me." Where it says "his," say "my." Psalm 21 features some implied and some explicit cause-and-effect statements about the king and the Lord. In other words, because of something about the Lord, the king has this or that experience. And because of something about the king, the Lord does this thing or that thing. Make a two-column list of the cause-and-effect statements you discover. In the one column, list the ways in which the flow runs from the Lord to the king. In the other column, list the ways in which the flow runs from the king to the Lord. Review the two-column list that you created above. Replace the king with yourself. Talk to the Lord about the ways in which you have experienced the same cause-and-effects that are expressed in the Psalm. Having begun with the Psalmist's experience and appropriating that for yourself, now let his Psalm become a model for you. Write your own prayer in which you list the two different kinds of cause-and-effect from your own life with God. Verses 8 through 12 offer a vivid picture of what will happen to certain enemies. Make a list of the individual things that will happen, and identify in each case who is the agent or the doer. When is it the king and when is it the Lord? Reflect on the above exercise in terms of your own life experience. Consider victories and accomplishments for which you are grateful. Talk to the Lord about which parts were your doing and which parts were His. Now turn your attention to challenges or needs or enemies that you are facing today. Talk to the Lord about them. Let the Psalmist's testimony and your own experience help you to affirm that you are not going it alone. |
* 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.”