Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. James 5:13
We all have that one close friend with whom we talk in an undistracted way. Where do our conversations go? After starting with surface-level talk, the conversation often moves to a deeper level. We begin to talk about our hopes, joys, fears and heartaches. This type of conversation fosters a deeper connection a relationship more intimate friendship.
The bible describes how God desires to have the same kind of conversations with us. The bible reflects upon every aspect of life, our joy, our sorrow, our questions, our answers. So how do the Psalms guide us with how to pray or praise? Psalms are prayers in the form of poetry and song. Most were written by David, “a man after God’s own heart.” Many of them contain David’s confidence in God, thanksgiving, distress, hopelessness and even anger. David brought his whole heart to God. Throughout the Psalms, God continually brought David back to His truth. As we pray, let us remember David’s example and see what God does in our life as we have heart-to-heart conversations with Him.
It is important to take time to focus on Who God is and give Him praise. This is a perfect way to begin our prayers. We should take time this week to write down a list of God’s attributes. Then, begin our conversations with God by sharing the things that we appreciate about Him. As we build this relationship of praise and prayer, we will discover a freshness to our life that will bring us great joy!
