Article July 30, 2001 Issue

The Psalms: prayers of affirmation

Passages from Psalms are said to be among the ones people are most likely to know by heart.

By Jeffrey A. Steffens

Over the centuries, the book of Psalms has been a much-loved part of the Bible and has had a tremendous influence for good on people's lives. They respond to the comfort and inspiration of the 23rd Psalm—"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want"—and of the 91st—"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." It's common for many editions of the New Testament to include the Psalms as well, even though it is a book of the Hebrew Scriptures. And after the Lord's Prayer, passages from Psalms are said to be among the ones people are most likely to know by heart.

Consider the spiritual awakening and uplift that can come from reading the psalms, and you begin to realize how powerful these verses are. The spiritual truths in the psalms do more than talk about future goodness or vague promises of protection or provision. In passage after passage, the psalms state in no uncertain terms what is spiritually true here and now. In short, they're affirmations—prayers that declare and acknowledge what God knows and has done.

There are no formulas for how to pray. But often prayer is one of three types. There is the prayer of petition—asking God. The deepest of such prayers go beyond the request for a specific object; they're humble requests for guidance and goodness. There is also the prayer of gratitude, which thanks God and turns wholeheartedly to Him. And then there is, as the psalms show, a prayer of affirmation, of heartfelt recognition of the good and loving nature of God and His creation.

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