Using the Psalms in Worship

[KeptByTheWord]

Excellent thoughts about praying/singing the Psalms scriptures!

[Esaias]

A new psalm tune, called "Martyrs". Actually, quite an old tune, but new to us. Here is one psalm being sung to it, though the tune can be used with any common meter psalm:

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Esaias

One of the things that has bothered me for years is that a lot of people often simply don't know HOW to incorporate the psalms into their private, much less corporate, worship. 'Praying the psalms' is often seen as being stilted and programmed, or 'catholic'. We want to pray our own prayers, we want to be 'genuine and spontaneous'. We can't see how repeating the words of a psalm really constitutes 'praying'.

But consider, how did any of us ever learn to talk? By imitating our parents and others we heard. How many singers begin by trying to imitate other singers? How many musicians start off imitating the styles of other more well known musicians? It's a basic part of education called 'modeling'. Excellence in anything is generally acquired by imitation at first. If a person wants to write well, they should model and imitate the writings of those who write well. If a person wants to sing well, they should model and imitate those who sing well. Once that is done, the individual begins to adapt what they are imitating to themself, and they begin to develop their own style or method.

I now find myself praying routinely in a manner that is very 'Biblical', ie it sounds a lot like the psalms, even if I am not directly repeating the specific wording of any particular psalm. But my praying has been informed by the psalms, due to a conscious, intentional effort to pray the psalms as prayers. And I find my praying has grown by leaps and bounds since I began to do this several years ago.

I have had three major 'leaps' in my prayer life. The first was many years ago when I went to prayer meeting with old half blind Brother Blair. He and I were the only ones there, and I learned that night what 'fervent, spiritual prayer' was all about. I learned it from his example. I discovered the Bible really means 'cry aloud' when it says 'cry aloud'. I discovered what it means to
'travail', and what 'groanings which cannot be uttered' are all about. Brother Blair taught me to pray until I came to the end of my own natural ability and understanding an then to press on, relying on God's help. 'Pray without ceasing' to me came to mean 'don't give up, when you run out of energy and wisdom in the natural, that's when the Holy Ghost is poised to take over, if you'll just let Him.'

The second major leap was when I began to view the Our Father aka Lord's Prayer as a model or template for praying. With that, I always had an 'outline' of things to pray for. And without any hesitation I thank that crazy charismatic preacher Larry Lea for that perspective, that's who I first heard it from. Whatever else he might have been into, he was correct about THAT issue lol.

The third major leap was when I discovered the psalms were not just songs but prayers, and that there was apostolic precedence for praying them (Acts chapter four, eg). Old Brother Blair taught me about the manner of praying, Larry Lea taught me the outline, and from the psalms (and other prayers in the Bible) I learned the content of praying.

I don't claim to be some great prayer warrior, but I can personally see where my prayer life progressed exponentially at each of those three stages.

Back in the day Bishop NJ Wilson taught us to pray the Word... open the Bible and speak it out loud in prayer. It is powerful!

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Barb

Back in the day Bishop NJ Wilson taught us to pray the Word... open the Bible and speak it out loud in prayer. It is powerful!

Amen! Sounds like you had some good teaching.

[coksiw]

I like praising like the psalms as well:
* Bringing to memory what he has done for me, and retell it to myself. "I remember oh Lord when you ...", "you forgave....", "you healed me when..."
* Then declare by faith things like: "you are my salvation and my rock", "Your mercy will follow me all of the days of my life", "your mercy is forever', etc...
* Then commit! "I will bless your name forever", "Your praise will continually be in my mouth", "I will sing to you and serve you my whole life".

That's what I actually teach others too: Remembrance, Faith, and Commitment, in your praise during prayer. . But I also tell them that praises include more than that but those are basics to keep in mind when elaborating praises to the Lord.

[Barb]

Originally Posted by Esaias

Amen! Sounds like you had some good teaching.

The best!

[mizpeh]

[mizpeh]

[Esaias]

A new song... of SALVATION and of JUDGEMENT.

There are THREE PSALMS which open with the words "Sing unto the LORD a new song", Psalm 96, Psalm 98, and Psalm 149.

Psalm 96 opens thus:

O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods.
(Psa 96:1-4)

Psalm 98 opens thus:

A Psalm. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.
(Psa 98:1-4)


Psalm 149 opens thus:

Praise ye the LORD. Sing unto the LORD a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints. Let Israel rejoice in him that made him: let the children of Zion be joyful in their King. Let them praise his name in the dance: let them sing praises unto him with the timbrel and harp. For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
(Psa 149:1-5)

Now look at how each song ends:

Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof. Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
(Psa 96:11-13)

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.
(Psa 98:8-9)

Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.
(Psa 149:5-9)

[Esaias]

I noticed that there are 15 Psalms identified as "Psalms of Ascents" or "Psalms of Degrees", literally "steps". And in Ezekiel's apocalyptic Temple, the steps at the outer gates number 7, and the inner steps number 8, for a total of 15.

The Psalms of Ascents/Degrees/Steps are traditionally thought to have been sung by Israelites during their pilgrimages to Jerusalem for the main annual Feasts.

Fascinating.