Deepen Your Prayer Life by Using the Psalms

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Want to learn how to deepen your prayer life so that it is more authentic, worshipful, and encouraging? Use the Psalms.


In the Psalter, the LORD has given us seven major genres of Psalms that reflect the full color and complexity of God’s glory and our human experience: Praise, Lament, Thanksgiving, Kingship, Confidence, Confession, and Wisdom.


SEVEN REASONS TO USE THE PSALMS TO DEEPEN YOUR PRAYER LIFE

1. The Psalms show us the glory of God so that we PRAISE Him for who He is and what He has done.

2. The Psalms lead us to properly LAMENT giving expression to a multitude of human emotions in light of suffering and sin both within us and around us.

3. The Psalms encourage us to THANK God by reminding us of the incredible ways that God has blessed us and giving vocabulary for our gratitude.

4. The Psalms bring us before our majestic KING and point toward the Messiah-King who will sit on David's throne to rule in righteousness forever.

5. The Psalms remind us that we can have CONFIDENCE in God because of long history of faithfulness in keeping his covenant-promise to save His people from enemies.

6. The Psalms persuade us to come out of hiding and CONFESS our sin to the Lord because that is where we will find grace and forgiveness.

7. The Psalms urge us to delight in God’s WISDOM because it is only way to be truly blessed.

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Psalms of PRAISE:
8, 29, 33, 65, 67, 95, 100, 103-105, 113, 114, 117, 134-136, 145, 146-150 (Hallel)

 

Psalms of LAMENT: 
Community: 12, 36, 44, 60, 74, 79, 80, 83, 90, 94, 126, 137
Individual: 3-7, 13, 17, 22, 25-28, 31, 32, 35, 38-43, 51, 54-57, 59, 61, 64, 69-71, 86, 88, 102, 109, 120, 130, 139-143
Imprecatory: 5, 7, 11, 17, 35, 52, 55, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 94, 109, 137, 140

 

Psalms of THANKSGIVING:
Community: 65, 67, 75, 107, 124, 136
Individual: 9, 10, 30, 32, 34, 40, 66, 92, 116, 118, 138

 

Psalms of KINGSHIP:
Royal (Messianic): 2, 18, 20, 21, 45, 72, 89, 101, 110, 132, 144
Enthronement: 24, 29, 47, 93, 95-99, 145
Songs of Zion: 46, 48, 76, 84, 87, 122

Psalms of CONFIDENCE:
Community: 115, 125
Individual: 4, 11, 16, 23, 27, 62, 63, 91, 121, 131
Psalms of Remembrance (Salvation History): 78, 105, 106, 135, 136

Psalms of CONFESSION (Penitential)
6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143

Psalms of WISDOM:
Wisdom: 34, 36, 37, 49, 73, 111, 112, 127, 128, 133
Torah: 1, 19, 119

*List is not exhaustive

PrayerTim WhitePsalms, Prayer, Worship, Emotion, Experience