Praying the Psalms

When I was a girl I used to wonder about the psalms. They seemed so depressing! Now that I’ve lived a few more years, I think I better understand why the psalms are so precious and why we love them so much.

The psalms were written in real-life situations. They touch every area of our lives, every sort of situation, every kind of emotion, and they give us words to say to God about all those things.

I love Timothy Keller’s description of the Psalms as “a medicine chest for the heart.” That’s an image I can readily relate to.

It was the book of Psalms that I turned to when I hit the rock bottom days of parenting little ones, and when I realized I was trying to live life divorced from the comfort and truths of God’s Word.

I opened the Bible, longing to be renewed and strengthened, and found that the Psalms spoke to me and for me, and nourished my soul.

The Psalms are meant to be done.

We’re going to do them in this study.

We won’t just read them.

We’re going to spend a month immersed in the psalms, breathing them out as prayers and breathing them in as the air our souls so desperately need. We’ll pray them, and as we do, we’ll paraphrase them, copy them, illustrate them, sing them, recite them, and listen to them.

We’ll climb inside them and at the same time allow them to work their way into us, changing us and the way we interact with God, His Word, and the circumstances of our lives.

If you’ve struggled with a consistent prayer life, it will help you to pray the Psalms. They’ve been the prayer book of Christians for centuries. They teach us how to pray, and help us pray.

If you’re discouraged or disoriented or overwhelmed by your emotions or your circumstances, you need the words of the Psalms to pray. They were written by people with the same sorts of feelings, crying out to God. You’ll see God as He is and not as how you wish or imagine Him to be. And you’ll see yourself in relationship to Him

This will be an easier study than many on Mamas Refill. We’ll focus on one psalm each day, grabbing hold of it and really praying it and meditating on it.

Lessons by Email (members only)

Bonus Resources (members only)

 

 

Course Information

Estimated Time: 28 days

Difficulty: Level 1

Categories:

Course Instructor

Pam Forster Pam Forster Author

Member Access

FREE
3 months of access

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8 thoughts on “Praying the Psalms”

  1. Kristen Waters-Sue says:

    Really looking forward to starting this study tomorrow! I have been reading the Psalms every evening, one chapter per night, and I am really looking forward to learning to pray the Psalms. I always get a lot out of these bible studies!

  2. Lynn Welch says:

    Really enjoying this course. I love the “survey of the Psalms” style although digging deeper is fun too.

    A note on the study of Psalm 100: please consider adding Dan Forrests’s “Jubilate Deo” to the bonus materials section for those who would love to listen to beautiful music while meditating on the Psalm. It was a blessing to me 🙂

  3. Michelle Modugno says:

    This was such a sweet and awe-inspiring study. I learned so many things that I had missed before. I loved learning about who God is , how He desires for us to come to Him, our reason to rejoice, the reminder to remember our hope in God through the rough parts of life, the reminder to keep our eyes on Jesus-even when He seems far away, the reminder to pray for those who are lost, blinded, and in need of a Savior, the reminder to pray for those facing difficulties in this life. I absolutely loved praying the Psalms. They provide such a beautiful outline for prayer. I plan to continue praying the Psalms.

  4. Michelle Modugno says:

    Oh, and I forgot, I also loved the way the Psalms help us look at ourselves and see who we are and what areas of our life we need to confess and repent of to the Lord.

  5. Deb Mosier says:

    Hello! It is not letting me get into the current Psalm that I am working on.?

    1. Pam Forster says:

      Deb, make sure you’re signed in. The site signs us out far too often. You won’t be able to open a lesson if you’re signed out. If you still have problems, email service@mamasrefill.com to get help.

  6. Andrea Fisher says:

    I’ve worked on this study in two different times. Whatever kept me from completing it the first time through, I don’t recall, but I like to finish things and I’m so very glad I returned to this at this time in history and in my life. It caused me to dig deeper, find new ideas about why they were written and insights into incorporating them into my own prayers. I have especially enjoyed hearing the Psalms sung with the many references given, a sure way to remember and use them throughout the day. Even when I felt like I’d already studied ‘this psalm’ or another, there was always something new to glean. Adding quick markings and drawings also have helped to see more clearly. I think the insights on Psalm 88 have been the most encouraging. Thanks so very much Pam, for your dedication to making God’s Word clear to Busy Mum’s as well as Busy Granny’s!

  7. Yelles says:

    I would love to know which bible studies have the “For your children” sections so I could decide on a bible study we could all study together.

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