Praying the Psalms

The other day I drove passed a local church and noticed their marquee out front. It read, "Pray Psalm 91 for our troops". I have seen this type of statement before. It's really very strange. What exactly does it mean to "pray the Psalms"?

The act of "praying the Psalms" is supposed to have some sort of spiritual power through which prayers are answered, presumably, more readily by Yahweh. That is to say that praying to Yahweh in your own words is not as powerful or effective as "praying the Psalms". It's as if there were some sort of power in the actual formation of the words of the Psalms. If that were true, does it matter then what version of the Bible that we read from? Does it matter that the words are only an interpretation of the original Hebrew? Shouldn't the original Hebrew be spoken instead?

(I am reminded by several people that this is exactly like the "Prayer of Jabez" that was promoted a few years back. Why is it that we can't accept the power of Yahweh Himself? Why do we need to seek out pagan rituals which have no power?)

Let me say here that there is nothing wrong with reading the psalms and considering Yahweh's awesomeness. The psalms can stir us with His mightiness, as well as His love and mercy. It's how we approach it that is important. What I'm speaking of here is manipulating the words to gain some sort of power with which to "access God".

"Praying the Psalms" is nothing more than new age thinking. It's more like a chant than a prayer, and chanting is not of Scripture. A better word is incantation. One of its meanings is "a written or recited formula of words designed to produce a particular effect". And is that not what "praying the Psalms" is intended to do? The method comes from pagan religions. There is nothing in Scripture that would lend credence to the idea that Yahweh responds better to the repetition of a song from the Scriptures than words from one's own heart.

The idea that certain words or phrases have power in and of themselves is just not Scriptural. I have heard many people say that the actual name of Yahweh has power, as if it were some sort of magical incantation. The problem is we just don't see it in Scripture. Yahweh Himself is the power, He is the one who does things, not the words. The reason the word of Yahweh has power is because He spoke it, not because it was the right combination of words. We do not see in Scripture where someone prays a certain psalm or a specific set of words nor do we see where someone uses the name of Yahweh to gain access to power. Doing so is actually an attempt to take the power away from Yahweh and give it to His creation. Take for instance the idea of praying Psalms 91 for the protection of the US troops in Iraq. If this would work, who or what would get the credit? Surely not Yahweh, it was not He who did it; rather it was the specific set of words stated in Psalm 91. That is like giving glory to a doctor who provides a method of healing for you. Did he heal you? No, of course not. He only gave the treatment that Yahweh provided through him. All glory goes to Yahweh, not some man or prepared words. If you don't believe it, read the book of Job. It's not about suffering; it's about the awesomeness of Yahweh. The Bible is not some book of magical spells and incantations. In fact, Yahweh is against sorcerers and magicians (Exodus 22.18; Deuteronomy 18.10-11).

If you look through the Scriptures you will find people who prayed to Yahweh in their own words, from their own hearts. They didn't need some prepared script before them. They just sought Him. He's our creator, we should be able to cry out to Him. Use your own words to communicate with the Creator. He doesn't desire long, fancy prayers with flowing poetic words. He desires for you to speak from your heart. He already knows what you are going to say, and He also knows who you are. Don't try to sound like some high priest in flowing robes. Just be yourself. That's all He asks.

Seek the truth and see the simple things that Yahweh has given to us. When someone tells you to do something, make sure it lines up with the Scriptures. There is too much charismatic junk and new age influence in the world today. Look to the One who alone has the power — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.