Real Prayers
Do you ever find yourself struggling to pray, not really sure how to frame it. Afraid of saying ‘the wrong thing’? Worried that God might not look favourably on you? What would happen if you told God how you’re really feeling or what you’re really thinking? Have you ever found yourself praying the same words over and over again without really opening up with God?
In moments like these we can lean on the Psalms. We can take these words given by God and pray them back to God. No other part of the Bible exposes our inner struggles more than the Psalms. Each Psalm reaches beyond the world of sight and sound to reveal what our senses long to see and hear — as God’s heart connects with our heart.
Why we should
In every relationship communication is vital to its health. Whether it’s with our colleagues, family or friends we consciously choose what we communicate, how we communicate it, and the depth to which we share, all in proportion to the level of relationship with them that we enjoy.
To those nearest and dearest to us we are more likely to let our guard down, not afraid of saying ‘the wrong thing’, not afraid of being vulnerable, yet before God we are likely to be much more polite, composed and proper! Among those we are closest with there is a contentment to be known, to be true to yourself, and comfortable in their company. It is this intimacy, and so much more that God invites us into, through the Psalms. If you had the opportunity as a third party to eavesdrop on your prayer life, would you find your nearest and dearest, or a friendly acquaintance? Does God receive your excitement, frustrations, hopes, anger, disappointments and pain? Or does he merely pick it up in passing as it’s shared only with others instead?
How we can
Most of us have experienced at some point a pressure to suppress or deny our emotions, stuffing them away, without considering them in our actions and decision making. On the other hand we live and breathe in a society now full of self-expression to the degree that our emotions have been made the seat of our decision making and actions. Refreshingly, the Psalmists are not ruled by nor suppressed by their feelings, rather they take them into the presence of God, to help understand them more fully.
Here are a few tips to help us pray the Psalms:
- Read them aloud – repeat & repeat again.
- What stands out
- Try to understand what’s going on in the Psalm.
- Who wrote it?
- What does it appear that the Psalmist going through?
- How does the Psalmist express his convictions?
- Marinade on the Psalm. Take time to allow it to sink into you as you think about it.
- Pray the Psalm back to God. Take the theme and re-tell it to God in your own works introducing your own thoughts, feelings and circumstances.
- Tell God what’s going on, express to God the emotions the Psalmist uses
- Identify the lines that express deep faith & trust in God and pray them (to help your heart believe)
- Don’t rush it, but do begin. Don’t try to be perfect, but do be honest.
This summer at CCC
Whether it’s David’s cries in Psalm 35 for God to come to his defence and act, or the petition of his own soul in Psalm 103 to praise the Lord and forget not his benefits, we have for us many words spoken to God, that we can harness, engage with, and speak back to God conveying much of what we’re going through.
So why not join us at CCC this summer as we dive into a 5 week series through the Psalms and learn to pray real prayers. Don’t worry. God is big enough to handle all your pain, rage, fear, desire for control, prejudice, greed, doubt, unfulfilled longings… or any other thoughts or feelings stirring inside you. He’s inviting us to take off our mask and spend this summer praying the Psalms.
You can join in at one of our two congregations. We meet every Sunday at:
10.30am – Oatlands Primary School, Stillorgan
4.30pm – Synge Street Secondary School, Portobello
30th July – Psalm 35 (South & Central)
6th August – Psalm 31 (South), Psalm 103 (Central)
13th August – Psalm 24 (South), Psalm 2 (Central)
20th August – Psalm 130 (South), Psalm 29 (Central)
27th August – Psalm 91 (South), Psalm 86 (Central)
Further Reading:
- A praying life – Paul Miller
- Psalms of Lament – Being Honest with God