Praying the Word: A Psalm 37 Reflection

Christian Living, forgiveness, spiritual growth

Praying the Word: A Psalm 37 Reflection

Praying the Word is profoundly impactful, as can be seen through this personal exploration of Psalm 37. Scripture is a guiding light during tumultuous periods. Praying the Word is a source of strength. It offers solace, opens the way for forgiveness, and ushers in inner peace. Read more for a practical application of Biblical wisdom…

I received explosive news one Sunday afternoon last year. My immediate response was to lash out angrily. Then, resorting to my usual emotional outlet, I grabbed my headphones and went for a brisk walk.

The still, small voice speaks

I cried as I walked. I had headphones in but wasn’t listening to anything because my thoughts were wild and swirling. What should I do now? How do I make sense of it all? I knew I needed to calm down, but instead, my heart raced as I sped through the walk route I use every day. About a mile in, I had started to breathe easier when I felt, more than heard, a whisper of “Psalm 37”.

It was so faint that I ignored it as I returned home. Then I heard it again, the second time a little more loudly. When God speaks in a still, small voice, it is easy to ignore. The roar of our thoughts and emotions and the busy lives we lead make it easy to dismiss what He is whispering into our hearts.

I finally took the time to look at the passage a couple of days later and recognized that it was exactly what I needed in this situation. Psalm 37 became what I read every day for months. It gave me inner strength and provided a way forward as I prayed for guidance. It quieted my heart. I could do nothing to change the circumstances, but I could take my eyes off the situation and people involved, and focus my attention instead on God and what I could do to help myself.

Refocusing

This experience reminded me that we have a part to play and God has His. We are responsible for working on ourselves and how we react to situations. I loved the promises in the Psalm but realized that it also gave specific steps I needed to take in the days and months that followed.

Do not fret
Do not be envious
Trust in the Lord and do good
Live in the moment
Practice faithfulness

These became my focus. I kept praying through Psalm 37, breaking it down verse by verse, and reading what others had said about the Psalm. I started to change. Daily, I felt the anger fade away, allowing space for forgiveness, and I softened on the inside. The internal work didn’t change the circumstances, but it helped me to come out on the other side of the fire. By praying through Psalm 37 and meditating on it, allowing it to give me daily direction on how to live, I was actively trusting God to partner with me.

Pray the Word

Praying a particular Bible verse, passage, or chapter is a way to take action and even do spiritual warfare in difficult times. This is faith-based resilience! There is a verse for every challenging moment and every joyful one. The Bible has the answers we need, even if those answers aren’t what we want to hear because they are so counter-cultural. “I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your Word.“ Psalm 119: 15-16.

None of us can escape hardship. That is the nature of the world we live in. But God has provided a way for us to get through it. On that afternoon last year, as I walked and cried, it felt like my heart couldn’t take any more hits. God’s still, small voice reminded me of something I already had access to, but I had to reach in and open it. The lessons I learned through that pain are invaluable to me. The settling that took place within me wasn’t acceptance of a bad situation, but rather, hope rising in expectation for how God will redeem it. Peace, forgiveness, and calm replaced the hysteria, and personally I’m just amazed at the work God did in me as I meditated on the Psalm and prayed through it.

The ball is in your court

Is there a verse, a story, or a chapter of the Bible that you’ve been thought of more than once recently? It might be an excellent place to practice praying the Word to receive Biblical inspiration for your life today. ”All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;“ ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬. Praying the Word will bring peace and forgiveness. It will refocus your eyes from other people to fasten them on yourself, your thoughts, and your actions. That is, on the things you do have control over. Try it today.