How do we take ancient words from another language and culture and use them to pray today? That’s the challenge of praying the Psalms and especially Psalm 119. Psalm 119:121-136 (Ayin-Pe) focus on God's word as a "done deal" and the wondrous effect his word has on us.
If you are getting started in a relationship with God, trying to have a quiet time or seeking guidance at this point in your life, you're in the right place.
In fifteen minutes (or less) you will listen to God's word for you, reflect on it and learn to pray to God as well as carry that word with you through the rest of your day. What a perfect way to get started!
We're praying through Psalm 119, the longest psalm of the Bible, and as an acrostic poem it is structured after the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. We are listening to one or two stanzas at a time (8 verses each), and today we focus on the 16-17th stanzas (ayin-pe).
We explore several themes in these two sections: being a doer of God's Word, relying on God's covenant as a "done deal", taking on the role of God's servant, and exploring the very personal effects that God's Word has on our lives.
There are numerous allusions in these verses to other parts of Scripture, both in the Psalms and elsewhere, but especially in the Law (Genesis-Exodus and the folllowing). We should not just read or study the Bible alone, but we should use the Bible as God’s Word to let God himself teach us and help us apply it to our lives.
By slowing down and reflecting on God's teaching as we write out one stanza (8 verses) of Psalm 119 each day, we are able to see more connections and listen better to what God is saying. After you've written out the stanza for the day, use one verse from that section to meditate on throughout the day.
We can't exhaust the riches that are in these verses, but you can go deeper into them on your own using our four step process. You can download the helpsheet that details and demonstrates the four step process we use on First Fifteen using Psalm 1.
If you want to get more daily encouragement you can follow me on Twitter @WordofPrayer15. Go ahead and get started listening and follow/subscribe to this podcast to hear more from God's word. You can also find us on Facebook at Word of Prayer 15.
You can get a copy of the book God Help Me Grow: Learning to Pray through the Psalms on Amazon (or the ebook) so you can pray all of the first 30 psalms in the book of Psalms.
Additional resources at the Word of Prayer website https://word-of-prayer.com
