Prayers In The Bible | Prayer 101 (Ep. 4)

Welcome to the fourth episode in our series about how to pray. So far we've looked at the model prayer that Jesus gave us called the Lord's Prayer. We've also talked about prayers of praise and how to pray for other people. Today, in part four, we're going to add another tool to your tool belt. We're going to go back and look at some of the most ancient and powerful prayers that exist in the world. They're collected in a book of the Bible called the Psalms. There's actually 150 of them, and each of them are different. No matter what you're going through, there is a psalm for you. Have you ever felt like, man, I don't even have the words to pray what I'm feeling right now? Don't worry about it. They're in the psalm. If you are feeling sad, you can literally just Google sad psalm, and you'll get a list of psalms that express what you're feeling, give you words to say to God. If you're feeling happy, happy psalm, Google it, and you'll find a list of psalms that express happiness and joy to God. Disappointment, psalm, fear, psalm, and you'll find exactly the words that you need to express to God what you're feeling, what you're needing, what you're desiring from Him. The psalms are powerful tools that you can use in your life, and they do not go out of season. I've been praying through one psalm in my life more than any other for the past two decades. It's Psalm 139. It's a rich, layered psalm. It's a psalm about surrender more than anything, I think, but there's so many pieces into it. Every time I go back to it, God shows me something new, something powerful, something fresh. Here's the thing. I don't even make up other words. I just pray exactly what it says.

It starts off with, God, search me and know me. I just say those exact words to God. Would you search me? Would you know me? There's a section that says, see if there's any anxious thought in me. God, just see if there's any anxious thought in me. Get it out of me. No matter what you're going through, there's a psalm for you. That's my challenge for you this week, is don't make up words. Borrow a psalm. I'm telling you, these psalms have helped millions of people for thousands of years, literally for millennia, connect powerfully with God. When you use the psalms in prayer, you'll be entering into a deep stream that many have walked before you. You'll experience the power of God hearing you, responding to you, and knowing exactly how you feel. So what does it mean to pray through the psalms? It just means you get the psalm in front of you, and you read through it, and as you go, you pray. I'll demonstrate. One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 139. It's a psalm that, if it's about anything, it's about surrender, but really it's about so many things. It's a thick psalm I've come back to again and again for nearly two decades, and I've found a fresh conversation starter with God. Sometimes I'll just pray just the exact words. Psalm 139 says this. You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit down and when I rise, you perceive my thoughts from afar. Literally, I will read those words as a prayer.

I'll say, God, you have searched me, and you know me. You know when I sit down. You know when I rise. You see my thoughts from far off. Thank you, God. Thank you for knowing me. Thank you for the fact that I'm not wandering around this world just with no one paying attention to me. You're paying such close attention to me, you even see my thoughts before I see them. Verse three says, you discern my going out and my lying down. You're familiar with all my ways before a word is on my tongue. You, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before. You lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. Too lofty for me to obtain. God, thank you. You hem me in behind and before. That means you've got your hand in front of my life, protecting me from what's to come, and you've got your hand behind my life. I don't have to fear my past. Thank you, God, for hemming me in behind and before. Psalms are powerful, powerful tools. My challenge for you is to right now go to Google. Yes, Google. Just type in whatever word describes how you're feeling. Maybe it's happy, maybe it's sad, maybe it's scared. Whatever it is. Grateful. I can be happy too.

Type in that word and then type psalms. And whatever result comes up first, the first psalm you see. Psalm 51, Psalm 75, Psalm 13, whatever it is, click that Psalm and pray through it just like I did. When you do that, you'll be entering into a powerful stream of the prayers of faithful saints that has gone back for millennia, and you'll experience a deeper connection to God.