How To Use The Psalms, Starting With Your Favorite

Many believers cherish a favorite Psalm, one that has provided comfort and strength throughout their journey with Jesus. While repetition of a single Psalm can be comforting, intentionally adding a couple more Psalms to the mix can be profoundly stabilizing.

The Three Types of Psalms

Walter Brueggemann, a distinguished scholar, offers insightful teachings on the Psalms, categorizing them into three types: Psalms of Orientation, Disorientation, and Reorientation.

Psalms of Orientation

These Psalms express praise and highlight the beauty and goodness of God's creation. These are prayers offered up when life is good and everything feels right. For example, Psalm 8 marvels at the wonder of just being alive:

"When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man that you are mindful of him and the son of man that you visit him?"

When do you feel oriented? When do you feel that life is as it should be and you are simply lucky to be alive? For my daughter, it’s like the Psalmist - she feels oriented when she looks at the moon and stars. We recently visited the Kennedy Space Center, and she was in awe of the galaxy. For me, it's evenings with my family, enjoying time together with snacks, movies, and laughter.

Psalms of Disorientation

These Psalms come into play when life is tough, expressing sorrow, frustration, and a plea for God's help. Psalm 13 is a potent example:

"How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me? Consider me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death."

When do you feel disoriented? When does everything seem out of order? It could be during times of great injustice or personal crisis.

The Psalms cover the full range of disorienting emotions, including depression, anger, anxiety, and even the feeling of being abandoned by God. This inclusion reassures us that these emotions are a normative part of the Christian experience, welcome in our prayers to God, and that we are not bad Christians for feeling them.

Psalms of Reorientation

These Psalms celebrate God's deliverance and the restoration of order after a period of chaos. They reflect moments of salvation and renewed hope. Psalm 34, for instance, is a common example:

"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

When have you felt divinely reoriented? When have you been filled with gratitude because God came through and saved the day? For me, it’s the support and healing I've received in my struggles with OCD. I’ve felt like the “poor man” in Psalm 34 on many occasions. I cried out and God saved me in his goodness.

Add to Your Favorite Psalm

Now, consider your favorite Psalm. Reflect on that one Psalm you’ve gone back to over and over. How does it fit into Brueggemann’s framework? Is it a Psalm you read when you're oriented, disoriented, or reoriented?

Now, match your favorite Psalm with two others that correspond to the other states of being.

For example, If your favorite Psalm is one of reorientation, pair it with a Psalm of orientation and one of disorientation.

Or, If your favorite Psalm is one of orientation, such as Psalm 19, pair it with a Psalm of disorientation, like Psalm 22, and then one of reorientation like Psalm 30.

Instead of just going back to one Psalm while experiencing one emotion, you’ll be going back to the Psalms with each emotion, thus experiencing a more steady recognition of God as life continually unfolds.

So, In moments of orientation, pray your favorite Psalm of gratitude and awe.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." - Psalm 19:1

In times of disorientation, pray your favorite Psalm of despair and doubt.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" - Psalm 22:1

And when you experience reorientation, pray your favorite Psalm of salvation and grace.

"I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me." - Psalm 30:1

This practice will enrich your emotional and spiritual health, guiding you through the ups and downs of life, which the Psalms are designed to do.