Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits – who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:1-5

The Psalms are a great collection of ways that God’s people have sought to capture their thoughts about and prayers to God.  Scholars have sought to categorize the 150 Psalms in a variety of ways.  The Psalms reflect how God’s people have expressed their feelings to God.  These were often in a song or poetry format.  I invite you to try writing a Psalm.  This doesn’t have to be a song.  It doesn’t have to be poetry or have any particular rhythm or rhyme.  It is simply a type of prayer…a conversation with God.

Here are a few of the types of prayers that we see in the Psalms:

• Praise (celebrating God’s goodness and the awesomeness of God’s creation)
• Lament (lifting up our complaints and concerns to God)
• Petition (praying for our needs)
• Intercession (praying for the needs of others)
• Confession/Forgiveness (recognizing our brokenness and seeking God’s restoration)
• Discipleship (requesting God’s guidance and pledging to follow God’s ways)
• Thanksgiving (expressing our gratitude to God)

Read a few Psalms to get a feel for the ways our ancestors expressed their thoughts to God.  Take one of these categories above and write a prayer to God or poem about God.

Prayer

Holy God, thank You for the gift of the Psalms.  We celebrate that Your people have been able to express their feelings about You in a variety of ways and that we can continue to do the same.  Hear the words of our Psalm and know that we are grateful for Your constant presence and unwavering love.  Amen.