Do you ever feel the need to pray, but you are not sure what to say? Maybe you need to process some anger or sadness and you want to pray about it, but you don’t know what is allowed or acceptable. Or maybe you want to grow closer to God, but you don’t know how to connect with him, what to ask for, how to commune with him.

Maybe you want to grow in gratitude, or learn to confess your sins, or celebrate an important moment, pray with someone in the hospital, or praise God for a victory.

We will take the next few weeks to look at many different types of divinely inspired prayers in the 150 Psalms which is the hymnbook and prayer book of God’s people (You will find the Psalms somewhere in the middle of your Bible).

A prayer of Thanksgiving

for God’s protection and provision in hard times

Psalm 30 is one of the many Psalms that we would call Psalms of Thanksgiving. This particular Psalm focuses on thanksgiving for God’s presence and deliverance from a particularly bad season of life: a season that the writer describes as “Sheol,” which is like hell.

The writer is saying you have saved me from my depression and restored me to a place of joy. “You have turned my mourning to dancing!”

So let’s give it a try. Take the next 5-10 minutes to slowly pray through this Psalm. Pray it to God as if it were your own words. God loves when we pray his Word back to him.

Psalm 30

Joy Comes with the Morning

A Psalm Of David. A Song At The Dedication Of The Temple.

1  I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up

and have not let my foes rejoice over me.

2  O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,

and you have healed me.

3  O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;

you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.

4  Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,

and give thanks to his holy name.

5  For his anger is but for a moment,

and his favor is for a lifetime.

Weeping may tarry for the night,

but joy comes with the morning.

6  As for me, I said in my prosperity,

“I shall never be moved.”

7  By your favor, O LORD,

you made my mountain stand strong;

you hid your face;

I was dismayed.

8  To you, O LORD, I cry,

and to the Lord I plead for mercy:

9  “What profit is there in my death,

if I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise you?

Will it tell of your faithfulness?

10  Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!

O LORD, be my helper!”

11  You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

you have loosed my sackcloth

and clothed me with gladness,

12  that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Praying the Psalms is simply the best way to learn how to pray. You will not only learn what to say, but also what to long for, what God desires. You will learn a tool that will be helpful in hard times or when you are processing negative emotions and thoughts.

But best of all God will shape you to his will as you pray. You will learn to know him and not just know about him.

P.S. - You might want to try this with a version of the Bible that is easier to read and pray the New Living Translation or a paraphrase version like “The Message” by Eugene Peterson. All translations can be found online.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Harvey