Reading:
My friend David Taylor has written an excellent book on the Psalms entitled Open and Unafraid.
In the chapter on the Psalms as prayers, David writes, “The psalms invite us to say all kinds of things to God in prayer. This may be one of the most surprising things for newcomers to the psalms. The psalms do not invite us to say only a few things to God; that is, only the “proper” or “holy” things one supposes God wants to hear from us. The psalms invite us to say all sorts of things. This includes such things as:”
•You are holy. (Ps. 22)
•We love you. (Ps. 31)
•Help us. (Ps. 12)
•I have sinned. (Ps. 51)
•Forgive me. (Ps. 25)
•Why? (Ps. 22)
•How long? (Ps. 13)
•I am alone. (Ps. 88)
•Defend me. (Ps. 43)
•Have mercy. (Ps. 57)
•You are good. (Ps. 100)
•We shout for joy. (Ps. 98)
•Remember what you’ve done. (Ps. 105)
•Come again. (Ps. 6)
•Be gracious to us. (Ps. 123)
•Be the God that you say you are. (Ps. 4)
•We praise you. (Ps. 66)
•Bless us. (Ps. 67)
•Lead me. (Ps. 31)
•Thank you. (Ps. 100)
Action/Prayer:
Find a topic from the preceding list that you want to pray to the Lord today and use the Psalm that is noted as your prayer. What does this activity teach you about prayer to the Lord? How might it lead you to pray differently?