So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You areGod, who made haven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: ‘Why did the nations rage…’” 

 - Acts 4.24, 25

...and when the abbot began to recite a verse the choir responded humbly...

  - Anonymous, Vita Brendani, Irish, perhaps 12th century[1]

Start praying the Lord’s Prayer in a group of believers, and all will join their voices together and pray with you.

The first Christians prayed the psalms as readily as we, when prompted, pray the Lord’s Prayer.

This account from Acts 4 is extraordinary because, by this time, thousands of people from all walks of life comprised the Body of Christ in Jerusalem. On cue they could lift their voices together and pray a psalm – here, excerpts from Psalms 146.6 and 2.1.

They could do this because it’s how they learned to pray.

The same was true of the Celtic Christians. There are accounts of Celtic Christians praying psalms as early as ages 3 and 10. So it doesn’t surprise us when we see the monks in the monastery at Ailbe joining together when prompted by their abbot to recite a psalm in prayer.

Christians throughout the centuries have found in praying the psalms strength for the daily journey, hope for a brighter tomorrow, and words to help them grow in love for God and their neighbors.

We don’t know how to pray as we should; prayer is definitely a learned skill (Rom. 8.26). What better way to pray, our forebears from just about every age reckoned, than to take up the words God Himself provided and to emulate our first parents in the faith? God breathed these prayers and songs to us, we breathe them back to Him in prayer.

The psalms provide a rich and varied libretto for prayer. They can guide us to heights of praise and thanksgiving we can never reach on our own. They meet us in our deepest, darkest affections and lead us through to renewed souls and lifted countenances. They show us how to pray for enemies, persecuted believers, and all our daily needs.

The imagery of the psalms draws us into unseen realms and glory-filled places where our spiritual vision is enlarged and we sense the presence of God more acutely. The poetry of the psalms makes our prayers delightful to express.

Our readings for today challenge us to take up this discipline so that we may unite our voices with those of saints from every age. Use the schedule we provide for praying the psalms each day. Read through the psalm once, then begin again. Meditate as you read. Let the Spirit prompt and pique you. Follow His leading as you allow God’s words to form your own. Take your time. Breathe in the psalm, breathe it back in prayer. Soon you’ll be praying the psalms in your own words, and your prayer life will never be the same.

There is power in prayer, that we all know. But there is more power, I’m persuaded, in following the example of Scripture and our Christian forebears by letting the psalms guide us as we pray.

Psalm 95.1, 2, 6 (Tidings: “O Zion, Haste, Thy Mission High Fulfilling”)
Come, let us sing with joy to God, our Savior!
Let us with joy to Him, our Rock, bow down!
Come now before Him, grateful for His favor;
Let joyful psalms break forth from all around.
  Come, let us worship, kneel to our Lord;
  Worship our Maker: Father, Holy Spirit, Word!

Lord, may it be said of me, as it was said of Colum Cille, “He fixed the psalms.” Set them in my heart, Lord,so that I may pray them faithfully to You. (Dallán Forgaill, “Amra Choluimb Chille”)

Praying the Psalms for Revival
Many of the psalms lend themselves to focused prayer for revival, such as Psalm 27 and 126. Since we in The Ailbe Community are committed to working for revival, renewal, and awakening, praying psalms like this can help take up this work each day, using God’s own words to guide you. Write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll send you these two psalms, specially set-up to use in praying for revival. Perhaps you might even consider gathering a few friends to pray them with you (we have more, so let me know if you’d like another).

Here’s a bit of news for you: The Ailbe Community has grown by 25% during the last two weeks. As of July 6, I will no longer be working with the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and the ministries I have managed over there for the past 10 years, I’ll be bringing over here. Already, some of those friends are registering as members of our Community. You’ll want to keep an eye out because new subscription opportunities will shortly be appearing at the website, in particular, our daily podcast and column, ViewPoint, which will appear in the ReVision slot.

And men, don’t forget to download the free 6-page paper, Men of The Church: A Solemn Warning, a Serious Call, and an Amazing Hope. You can get it free by clicking this link. And when you do, sign-up for the Men at Prayer newsletter, which will begin weekly in June.

Psalms to Pray for Today and Tuesday
Today
Morning: Psalm 119.25-32; Psalm 78
Evening: Psalm 4

Tuesday
Morning: Psalm 119.33-40; Psalm 79
Evening: Psalm 5

T. M. Moore, Principal
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

All Psalms for singing from The Ailbe Psalter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.