Studying the Book of Psalms
There is certainly more than one way, and I’m not saying I’m a Biblical scholar, but I have been thinking about the Psalms as I consider how to better my prayer life. Some time ago I picked up a small booklet by Thomas Merton, Praying the Psalms. A couple of lines I highlighted within:
“The Psalms are not abstract treatises on the divine nature. In them we learn to know God not by analyzing various concepts of His divinity, but by praising and loving Him…being hymns of praise, they only reveal their full meaning to those who use them in order to praise God.”
“Nowhere can we be more certain that we are praying with the Holy Spirit than when we pray the Psalms.”
“How does one arrive at such an appreciation of the Psalms?”
“…acquire a habit of reciting them slowly and well…pausing to meditate on the lines which have the deepest meaning for him.”
My Pictorial Study of the Psalms
I underlined more, but this gives you an idea of why I have decided to start my study (or more correctly my praying…Merton says focusing on what you can get out of the Psalms makes it about you and not about praising God) with a verse or two from each chapter paired with my photos from Ireland. Here is one:
How to Follow my Journey in the Psalms
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If you have anything to share about the Psalms and how they’ve affected you, please comment.
