How to pray scripture (Part 2)
In our previous two posts on prayer, we have discussed some of the journeys that people go on when it comes to learning to connect with God through prayer. Then we discussed how praying scripture has been a foundational practice in the prayer life of God's people. He gave us words to say back to him, Jesus himself prayed that way (using scripture), and the early church continued the practice. We showed that praying the Psalms was at the center of this practice. So with that in mind, let's get into the practical aspects of how to pray the psalms.
Where do I begin?
One of the most basic but helpful questions to answer is, "Where should I begin in the book of Psalms?" There are 150 chapters in the book of Psalms. Most months have around 30 to 31 days in them, so there is a way of dividing the psalms and having 5 psalms available per day. In Praying the Bible by Don Whitney, he has provided an easy chart to help you divide the psalms in a logical manner. The point is not to read and pray all 5 psalms. The idea is that you look at the psalms that are listed, look them up and scan them, and then choose one that resonates with you for that day. For example, as I'm writing this, it is the 23rd of the month. So the psalms that are listed for today are Psalm 23, Psalm 53, Psalm 83, Psalm 113, and Psalm143.
Another good reason to use this list is because it will direct you to the entire book of Psalms over 30 days. Our tendency is to consistently go to our favorite psalms. We seldom wrestle with certain passages or learn to pray using the complete language of the psalms. Once you have identified the psalm that you are going to use in your time of prayer, let's talk about how to practically begin praying the psalm.
What do I do once I’ve found my psalm?
John Piper very simply says, "Open your Bible, start by reading it, and pause at the end of every verse, and turn it into a prayer." While I could use Psalm 23 to illustrate this, I'm going to choose Psalm 53 instead. I chose this psalm because it is less known and it takes me down a road of speaking to God in ways that I wouldn't normally do.
Psalm 53:1 says, "The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good." As you read that, what thoughts come to mind? What situations in your life does it seem to address? Take those thoughts and situations and use the scripture to help you speak to God about them.
For example, to me it might sound something like this. "God, it's easy for me to look around at this world and see just how true this is. It seems like more and more often, this world is thumbing its nose at you and making fun of anyone who claims to believe in you. However, if I'm honest with you, I know that my own heart will pretend that you don't exist so that I can do what I want. It's true that there really is none who does good, and that includes me.
After I have finished saying everything that came to mind about that verse, I then move on to the next verse. Psalm 53:2 says, "God looks down from heaven on the children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God."
The image of God looking down on us is really what strikes me. So my prayer might sound like this. "God, it is comforting to me that you are looking down on us and searching for those who search after you. Even when we turn our backs on you, you are keeping an eye on us. Even though humanity has tried to ignore you, you have not ignored us. Thank you for your faithfulness to me. Give me the strength to continue to seek after you. Keep my heart soft."
Hopefully you get the point. You let God speak his truths to you through the psalm, and you respond to what it says with your own words.
How do I pray along with a psalm that talks about enemies?
The writers of the psalms are brutally honest with God about what they are feeling. It's easy for us to respond in one of two ways to all the talk of fighting and hating enemies. Either we can dismiss it and say, “I can't believe they would say something like that.” Or we can use the language inappropriately to ask God to hurt the people we are angry with.
I'd like to offer an alternative that I believe takes our emotions seriously as well as keeps us faithfully following the example of our Savior who chose to die for his enemies. One a personal level, if the psalm mentions an enemy, and the image of someone who has hurt you comes to mind, I encourage you to be honest about the way you feel. Let's go back to Psalm 53 and look at Psalm 53:5. It says, "There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror! For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you; you put them to shame, for God has rejected them."
We might start thinking about someone who has been doing something that is hurtful to us and other believers. The point is not to say, "God please scatter the bones of this person." Instead, be honest with God. For me it might sound like, "God this person feels like an enemy. They've hurt me and people who I love. I'm angry with them." This is a way of taking what we're feeling about someone and talking to God about it. It gives us an outlet for strong, difficult emotions that we tend to deny and suppress, or express on others in sinful ways.
We also see these passages in light of the whole Bible, including the New Testament. A major way of looking at the language of enemies in the Psalms is through the lens of Ephesians 6:12 that says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."
Paul is telling us that behind the flesh and blood people, earthly governments, and nations of this world are spiritual enemies. Our true enemies are not flesh and blood, but the unseen spiritual armies of Satan. When we identify human beings that are either willfully collaborating with evil, or unknowingly partnering with demons against God, we need to pray against the evil spiritual forces motivating them. We don’t necessarily pray against the people or individuals.
This kind of prayer may be expressed by saying, "God, I know that this person is not my true enemy. I recognize that they may be unknowingly being used by Satan to hurt your people. I pray that you would help them see the sin that they are committing. I pray that you would help them break free from the evil one's influence."
Finally, after you have prayed and told God about your honest feelings and looked beyond the individual to the spiritual battle, it's time to ask God to help you move beyond your feelings to forgiveness and trust. We are told by Jesus to, “…love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you." This kind of transformation does not happen naturally. It is a supernatural work within you. This kind of work requires prayer. So, your prayer might include a phrase that says, "God, as mad as I am and as hurt as I am, please help me to forgive them. Help me love them and see them the way that you do. Finally, I trust you. You will make all things right in your time so I release my desire to bring my own justice. I will let you handle this."
Connection, not interpretation
Another major consideration that I think is helpful is that when you begin to pray this way, don't worry about whether you are correctly interpreting and applying the scripture to the way you're praying. Yes, correctly interpreting what the author meant and not reading your own meaning into it is crucial to our lives in many ways. Make sure that you are doing that regularly at other times. However, when it comes to praying scripture, our main desire is to connect with God and speak to him. Let the scripture be the diving board that provides God's perspective and language, but then jump in and say whatever is on your mind. Donald Whitney says that, “This isn't reading something into the text; it's merely using the language of the text to speak to God about what has come into your mind."
Wandering and wondering
So, what if you get to a place where your mind begins to wander, or you get to a verse that doesn't make sense to you? Whitney tells us, "If your mind wanders from the subject of the text, take those wandering thoughts Godward (my note: those thoughts might be important, so talk to God about them, if not, don't beat yourself up) then return to the text. If you come to a verse you don't understand, just skip it and go to the next verse. If you do understand it but nothing comes to mind, go to the next verse." You don't have to pray the entire psalm. Pray until you are ready to be done. Don't force it. The point is to approach God, turn your attention to his voice through the scripture, and then respond naturally.
What might I expect?
Donald Whitney has taught this way of praying for many years and to thousands of people. He summarizes the experiences people have told about. Many of these experiences were true for me as well.
Your mind will wander less.
Your prayer will be more focused on God than on yourself.
Time will go faster.
Your prayer will feel like a real conversation with a real person. (Personally, this was a major motivator for me because I often felt like in prayer I was doing all the talking. To me, this allowed God to speak first and for me to respond.)
The psalm will often speak directly to the life situation you are in.
You will think more deeply about what the Bible says.
You will have a greater assurance that you are praying God's will.
You will pray about things you don't normally pray about.
You will pray for things you normally pray about, but in different ways and using different language.