Take a Deep Breath ... Praying Psalms of Praise at Christmas

Praying the Psalms
...following SPU's Lectio Guides

December 23-29 

 

First.

Read the assigned Psalms (or plan out a reading schedule for the week ... try one each day)  

• Psalm 145
• Psalm 146
• Psalm 147
• Psalm 148
• Psalm 149

Second.

Read or Listen to Dr. Frank Spina's Presentation

• Praise the Lord: The Psalter's Amen

Third. 

Take a Deep Breath, and make the words of the Psalm your very own prayer.

Follow this guide ...

 

__________

Christmas Praises
 
We're wrapping up our journey of praying the Psalms with 5 of the final 6 psalms in the collection, a crescendo of praise to the Lord.  It just so happens that we're reading these during the week of Christmas.  What better time than Christmas to pray prayers of praise to the God who has brought us salvation in the birth of Jesus.

Whenever you read "Praise the Lord," in Hebrew it's "Hallelujah!" -- so feel free to say it (or shout it!) in the original language.  This repeated refrain is not so different from the "Gloria in Excelsis Deo" of Christmas carols.  The multitude of the heavenly host just might have thrown in a few "Hallelujahs!" as they proclaimed "Glory to God in the highest."

Put into practice your skills of personalizing the phrases & verses as you go, reading them as prayers to the Lord. 

Enjoy praising God this Christmas!


Pastor Kurt


Special note: A few of these Psalms of praise have sections that sound a lot like the songs of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) and Zechariah (Luke 1:67-79) that set the stage for Jesus' birth.  Look at these sections of Psalm 146 & 147, then look at Luke 1 and make your own comparisons.  Any way you say it, God's salvation is good news of great joy for ALL people!

Psalm 146:7-9
⁷He upholds the cause of the oppressed
    and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
⁸     the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
    the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹ The Lord watches over the foreigner
    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

Psalm 147:2-6
²The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
    he gathers the exiles of Israel.
³ He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.
⁴ He determines the number of the stars
    and calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
    his understanding has no limit.
⁶ The Lord sustains the humble
    but casts the wicked to the ground.