Deepening Our Prayer Life Through the Psalms

Devotional

Day 1: Prayer as a Universal Impulse

Prayer is a natural response to life's challenges and needs, arising even in those who do not profess faith. It is an instinctive act that connects us to something greater than ourselves. As Christians, we have the privilege of understanding prayer more deeply, and we are called to cultivate this practice not only for our own spiritual growth but also to offer hope and support to those around us. By recognizing prayer as a universal impulse, we can engage with others in meaningful ways, sharing the transformative power of prayer and inviting them to experience its impact. [03:16]

"Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." (Romans 8:26, ESV)

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who may not profess faith but is going through a difficult time. How can you offer to pray for them or with them this week, showing them the love and support of Christ?

Day 2: The Art of Prayer

True prayer is more than just expressing our feelings; it is about finding a path to God and communicating with Him, regardless of our emotional state. This requires preparation and learning from the rich tradition of prayers found in the Psalms. The Psalms provide a framework for prayer, teaching us how to approach God with honesty and reverence. By studying these ancient prayers, we can learn to pray in a way that aligns with God's will, allowing His word to guide our expressions of faith and need. [07:23]

"Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!" (Psalm 141:2, ESV)

Reflection: Consider your current prayer habits. How can you incorporate the structure and depth of the Psalms into your daily prayers to enhance your communication with God?

Day 3: Preparation in Prayer

Just as we prepare for important meetings or presentations, we should also prepare for prayer. This involves reflecting on what we want to ask of God and how we wish to express our gratitude and confession. By approaching prayer with intention and thoughtfulness, we ensure that our conversations with God are meaningful and impactful. Preparation in prayer allows us to focus our minds and hearts, creating a space where we can truly connect with God and seek His guidance. [14:03]

"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." (Proverbs 16:3, ESV)

Reflection: Before your next prayer time, take a few moments to write down what you want to discuss with God. How does this preparation change your experience of prayer?

Day 4: The Psalms as a Training Manual

The book of Psalms serves as a comprehensive guide for prayer, offering 150 model prayers that address every circumstance of life. By immersing ourselves in the Psalms, we can learn to pray in a way that is pleasing to God, allowing His word to shape our prayers. The Psalms teach us how to express our deepest emotions, from joy and gratitude to sorrow and lament, in a way that honors God and seeks His presence. [18:15]

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (Psalm 119:105, ESV)

Reflection: Choose a Psalm that resonates with your current life situation. How can you use this Psalm as a model for your own prayers this week?

Day 5: The Richness of God's Word

Our prayers should be informed by the richness of God's word rather than limited by our own understanding. By allowing the Psalms to guide our prayers, we can pray with greater clarity, faith, and confidence, drawing closer to God in the process. The Psalms provide a language for prayer that transcends our own limitations, helping us to articulate our needs and desires in a way that aligns with God's will. [21:57]

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12, ESV)

Reflection: Reflect on a recent prayer where you felt limited by your own words. How can you use Scripture, particularly the Psalms, to enrich your prayer life and deepen your connection with God?

Sermon Summary

In today's gathering, we embark on a new journey titled "With Christ in the School of Prayer," a series designed to deepen our understanding and practice of prayer through the Psalms. This series is born out of a desire to address the depth of our praying, a need I shared with you earlier this year. Inspired by a campaign in Scotland called "Try Praying," which encourages people to pray for a week and see the difference it makes, we recognize that prayer is a universal impulse, even among those who do not profess faith. As Christians, we have the privilege of knowing how to pray, and this series aims to help us go deeper in this holy art.

Prayer is not merely the outpouring of our hearts; it is finding the way to God and speaking to Him, whether our hearts are full or empty. Dietrich Bonhoeffer warns against the misconception that prayer is solely an expression of our impulses. Instead, true prayer involves preparation and learning from the rich tradition of prayers found in the Psalms. These 150 prayers serve as a training manual, offering models for every circumstance of life. By immersing ourselves in the Psalms, we can learn to pray in a way that is pleasing to God, allowing His word to shape our prayers rather than being limited by the poverty of our own hearts.

As we prepare to delve into this series, consider the immense privilege of prayer. Imagine having a once-in-a-lifetime audience with God—how would you prepare? This is the opportunity we have every time we pray. Let us take advantage of this gift, preparing our hearts and minds to speak to God with intention and depth. The Psalms will guide us, offering words when we cannot find our own and helping us to pray in alignment with God's will.

Key Takeaways

1. Prayer as a Universal Impulse: Prayer is a natural impulse that arises in moments of crisis or need, even among those who do not profess faith. As Christians, we have the privilege of knowing how to pray, and we should strive to deepen our practice to offer something meaningful to those around us. [03:16]
2. The Art of Prayer: True prayer is not just the outpouring of our hearts but involves finding the way to God and speaking to Him, whether our hearts are full or empty. This requires preparation and learning from the rich tradition of prayers found in the Psalms. [07:23]
3. Preparation in Prayer: Just as we prepare for important meetings or presentations, we should prepare for prayer. This involves thinking about what we want to ask of God and how we want to express our gratitude and confession, ensuring our prayers are intentional and meaningful. [14:03]
4. The Psalms as a Training Manual: The book of Psalms is a training manual for prayer, offering 150 model prayers that fit every circumstance of life. By immersing ourselves in the Psalms, we can learn to pray in a way that is pleasing to God and allows His word to shape our prayers. [18:15]
5. The Richness of God's Word: Our prayers should be shaped by the richness of God's word rather than the poverty of our own hearts. By allowing the Psalms to inform our prayers, we can pray with greater clarity, faith, and confidence, drawing closer to God in the process. [21:57]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:13] - Return from Scotland
[01:17] - Introduction to the Series
[02:09] - Invitation to Enroll
[03:05] - Try Praying Campaign
[05:11] - The Gift of Prayer
[06:14] - Bonhoeffer on Prayer
[08:22] - The Freedom to Pray
[10:11] - Preparation in Prayer
[13:10] - The Importance of Preparation
[17:23] - How to Prepare to Pray
[18:15] - The Psalms as a Training Manual
[21:57] - The Richness of God's Word
[26:05] - Invitation to the School of Prayer
[27:36] - Encouragements to Pray

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What is the main purpose of the "Try Praying" campaign mentioned in the sermon, and how does it relate to the universal impulse to pray? [03:05]
According to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, what is a common misconception about prayer among Christians? [06:14]
How does the sermon describe the Psalms in relation to prayer? What role do they play in our prayer life? [18:15]
What are some specific situations mentioned in the sermon where different Psalms can guide our prayers? [20:07]

Interpretation Questions

How does the concept of prayer as a "universal impulse" challenge or affirm your understanding of prayer's role in both believers' and non-believers' lives? [03:16]
In what ways does Bonhoeffer's warning about the heart's impulses change the way one might approach prayer? [07:23]
How can the preparation for prayer, as described in the sermon, enhance the depth and intentionality of one's prayer life? [14:03]
What does it mean for our prayers to be shaped by the richness of God's word rather than the poverty of our own hearts? How can this be practically applied? [21:57]

Application Questions

Reflect on a recent moment of crisis or need. Did you feel an impulse to pray? How did you respond to that impulse, and what might you do differently next time? [03:16]
Consider your current prayer habits. How might you incorporate more preparation into your prayer life, similar to how you would prepare for an important meeting? [14:03]
Choose a Psalm that resonates with your current life situation. How can you use it as a model to guide your prayers this week? [18:15]
Think about a time when you felt the poverty of your own heart in prayer. How can you allow the richness of God's word to shape your prayers in those moments? [21:57]
How can you make prayer a more intentional part of your daily routine, especially in moments when you feel like giving up or are anxious about your children? [20:07]
Reflect on the idea of having a direct audience with God every time you pray. How does this perspective change the way you approach prayer? [17:02]
What steps can you take to ensure that your prayers are not just spontaneous but also intentional and meaningful, as encouraged in the sermon? [13:10]

Sermon Clips

Prayer is a holy art. It's better caught than it is taught. The best way to learn to pray is simply to start praying, but there are some things that can be learned. I've been greatly helped by Dietrich Bonhoeffer who wrote just a very, very short book that's called Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. [00:05:43]

Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one's heart. It means rather to find the way to God and to speak to Him whether the heart is full or empty. That's a very striking phrase, isn't it, that true prayer is going to involve finding the way to speak to God whether the heart is full or empty. [00:07:07]

You do not need an appointment to come to God. You do not need a priest to pray on your behalf. You do not have to have a special gift or facility with words in order to speak to God. No, through Christ you can come to God at any time, and you can say to Him whatever is on your heart. [00:08:19]

Suppose for a moment that you were given a once-in-a-lifetime direct audience with Almighty God. Suppose that you could come to Him once in a lifetime and you could ask Him anything that you wanted. Suppose you could tell Him anything that mattered to you. You would prepare. [00:13:25]

God has given to us an entire book of prayers in the Bible. It is called the Book of Psalms, and the reason that God has given to us this book of prayers, 150 of them no less, is to help us in our own praying. I want you to think about this, that the Psalms, the whole Book of Psalms given to you and to me in the Bible, is a training manual for prayer. [00:17:47]

The better we get to know the Book of Psalms over the years of our Christian lives, the better we will be able to pray. And so, just in a few weeks as we have the first part of this series that again I hope we'll come back to, we're going to think about how to pray when the wicked seem to be winning. [00:19:09]

We should use it especially when we find it hard to pray and when we can't find words. Words are given to us. We should use it so that our prayers are increasingly shaped by the Word of God itself. Bonhoeffer says this: if we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart. [00:21:12]

The richness of God's word ought to determine our prayers, not the poverty of our own hearts. And so often you come into the presence of God, if you're like me, you'll feel the poverty of your own heart. And Bonhoeffer saying we've got to learn to pray so that we're not limited by the poverty of our own heart but our prayers are shaped by the richness rather of God's word. [00:21:50]

People whose minds are stopped with the Psalms have a remarkable capacity when it comes to prayer that they pray so perceptively that they pray with a clarity and with a faith and with a confidence in God that seems to be at another level from what is often heard among Christian believers. [00:25:18]

Prayer may be the most underestimated, underused, undervalued gift of all the gifts of God that are given to us. So let me in concluding this introductory message to the series that's opening our minds up to something of immense importance for our spiritual journey let me give to you very briefly these encouragements to pray. [00:27:16]

Pray because Jesus is our great high priest. We have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God. And I have an important meeting, I'm often grateful if there is someone else who can be there with me. Is there someone who knows more than I do? [00:28:00]

Pray because God invites you to the throne of grace. Did you see that in what we read? Let us then come with confidence and draw near to the throne of grace. John Bunyan says, and I love this, God has more than one throne because He has a throne of judgment, doesn't He? But He also has a throne of grace. [00:30:45]

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