Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. Psalm 95.1, 2

Life Together
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945)
“From ancient times in the Church a special significance has been attached to the common use of psalms. In many churches to this day the Psalter constitutes the beginning of every service of common worship. The custom has been largely lost and we must find our way back to its prayer. The Psalter occupies a unique place in the Holy Scriptures. It is God’s Word and, with a few exceptions, the prayer of men as well.”

Susie and I have been watching the PBS series on the history plays of Shakespeare. The power of his words lifts the actors – many of them familiar to us – to heights of drama they do not normally attain. They seem to realize they’re trafficking in the purest gold in those lyrics, and it brings out more of them as actors than other scripts might. The same is true when we pray the psalms. Bonhoeffer believed in using the psalms in worship and prayer. So did the early Church, as we see in Acts 4.23-27. The first Christians seemed to know the Psalter so well that, when one person led off, all joined their voices together in a psalm appropriate for the situation. The Psalter is a most reliable guide in prayer. Its words can lift us into realms of prayer and spiritual life that we might not attain on the strength of our own words alone. If you have not yet discovered the power and joy of praying the psalms, well, this may be an important week in your life.

Have you ever tried praying the psalms? Why not take one psalm – let’s say, Psalm 8 – and start using it as a guide in your prayers for the next few days?

Praying the Psalms
For more instruction in how to use the psalms in prayer – and why you should – order a copy of our book, God’s Prayer Program (click here). Here you will learn information and guidelines to help you make praying the psalms a regular part of your prayer life.

While we’re at it…
And if you want to see how the psalms can be used in seeking the Lord for revival, order our book, Restore Us! In this book, not only do we explain why praying for revival is important, we also provide 12 psalms specially set up for use in seeking the Lord for revival. Order your copy by clicking here.

Our heavenly Father supports The Fellowship of Ailbe through the generous and faithful gifts of those who benefit from and believe in our work. Does the Lord want to use you in this way? Please look to Him in prayer over this question. You can contribute to The Fellowship of Ailbe by using the Contribute button at our website, or by sending your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452. Thank you.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.