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Teach Me How to Pray
My favorite author along with Henri Nouwen is Eugene Peterson. He impressed on me the idea of praying the Psalms. The book of Psalms can be used as a prayer book and a text for learning how to pray. I ran across an interview that explains.
David Hardin: Eugene, why do you pick the Psalms as the place to learn how to pray?
Eugene Peterson: They are the place where the church has always learned how to pray. They have been the place where pastors and theologians realize that Jesus prayed the Psalms. The whole churches worship became based on the Psalms. They touch everything in human experience. Everything that is human gets expressed to God in prayer.
Hardin: Is it also true that it is the one book in the Bible where the conversation is all directed at God?
Peterson: It is true. Most of the Bible is God’s word to us and the Psalms are our word back to God.
A good example of this is Psalm 86:1-7. Slow down, sit down and pray these verses. I do because they apply to me….”I am poor and helpless”.
Then ask the Lord what David asked. 1. Protect me. 2. Save me. 3.Have mercy on me. 4. Give happiness to me. After each request be silent and let the Lord reveal to you where you need the Lord to protect, save, receive mercy and receive happiness. Then ask him for those specifics and end your prayer as David did in vs.7 “I call to you in times of trouble because you will answer me”.
Brother Rob, this is an excellent reminder that God’s Word gives voice to prayer when we don’t have our own words. Thanks for this great teaching.
Rob,
Trouble always causes me to pray, and pray, and pray some more, often repeating the same prayer over and over. A friend rebuked me for doing this, saying God knows my need and I should not keep pleading about it. Then I remember a scripture that says, “Keep on asking…”
Question: How often do you pray 1) protect 2) save 3) mercy 4) happiness?
I think I know the answer – when prompted by the Holy Spirit. So then it will be OK for me to continually pray the same prayer – if the Spirit prompts me to, right?
Thanks Rob…for your wise words pointing us back to God’s wise Word to us. Slowing down…….being silent….now that’s a challenge…but clearly a worthwhile challenge to allow God the space in my heart and mind to speak. Thanks Rob…for this and for your leadership at CCC that is wrapped in your time with God.