Pointers for Prayer

Depending upon your needs, you may find some of these verses helpful in your prayer time:

When you want to praise God: Psalm 92:1,2,  Psalm 100,  Psalm 150

Praying the Psalms when you want to Praise God

Psalm 92 : 1-4 
It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High, to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,  to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.  For you make me glad by your deeds, O Lord; I sing for joy at the work of your hands.

Psalm 100 
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures for ever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Psalm 150 
Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.

Bible extracts reproduced from The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.

When times are hard: Psalm 138:7,8,  Psalm 94:17-19, Psalm 18:1,2

Praying the Psalms when times are hard

Psalm 138:7,8
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures for ever— do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 94:17-19
Unless the Lord had given me help, I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death. When I said, “My foot is slipping,” your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

Psalm 18:1,2
I love you, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Bible extracts reproduced from The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.

When your integrity is tested: Ps.1:1-3, Ps.119:9,11,104,105, Ps.25:10,21

Praying the Psalms when your integrity is tested

Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

Psalm 119:9,11,104,105
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 25:10,21
All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful for those who keep the demands of his covenant. May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you.

Bible extracts reproduced from The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.

When you want God's protection: Psalm 27:4-8, Psalm 91:1-16 

Praying the Psalms when you want God's protection

Psalm 27:4-8
One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord.
Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Psalm 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the Lord, who is my refuge— then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

Bible extracts reproduced from The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.

When you are tempted to hit back: Psalm 37:7-9 

Praying the Psalms when you need to be reminded of your dependence on God

Psalm 105:1-4
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

Bible extracts reproduced from The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.

When you want God's guidance : Psalm 32:8, Psalm 27:1,14

Praying the Psalms when you want God's guidance

Psalm 32:6-8
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding-place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

Psalm 27:1,14
The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

Bible extracts reproduced from The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.

When you need to be reminded of your dependence on God : Psalm 105:3,4

Praying the Psalms when you need to be reminded of your dependence on God

Psalm 105:1-4
Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

Bible extracts reproduced from The New International Version - Anglicised, (London: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd.) 1984.

From The Psalms, A Prayer Book published by the Benzinger Brothers, Inc.