Psalm 15 Prayer Guide

Try entering into prayer with this three-part rhythm: Part 1 Become present to the presence of God: Every morning I lay out the pieces of my life on your altar and watch for fire to descend. (Psalm 5:3 The Message). Pause in silence before God. Practice breathing slowly and deeply. As you inhale, invite the Holy Spirit to fill every part of your being- your body, mind, imagination, affections and emotions. As you exhale, release any burdens you are carrying into this time of prayer. Repeat this breathing prayer until you have brought your whole self -‘as is’ -before the presence of God. Part 2 Slowly read Psalm 15 (ESV) out loud: (for an audio version click here) 1 O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill? 2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; 3 who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his friend; 4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the Lord; who swears to his own hurt and does not change; 5 who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved. Part 3 Use your own words to pray Psalm 15 back to God: Begin by personalizing the pronouns in the psalm. For example, v. 2 (‘He who walks blamelessly and does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart”) becomes ‘MAY I walk blamelessly and do what is right, speaking truth from MY HEART.’ Pray your way through the psalm in this way. Then gather these thoughts into your own psalm of wisdom: "I lament the sorrow and pain in my life and world that has resulted from unwise choices... (my choices and the choices of others) “I thank you God for giving us clear boundaries, for defining for us what is true and false, good and evil, wise and foolish. And thank you for giving us the freedom to choose the good. I bring to you the choices that are before me today… (ex, how I invest my time, thoughts, words, relationships, money, abilities, body, etc.) The psalms were originally written as lyrics, as prayers set to music. Throughout the history of Israel and the church, the people of God have sung the psalms. Song invites us to internalize the Word of God with the whole self- body, mind, imagination, emotions and affections. Take time to listen to a version of Psalm 15 set to music. Try taking the psalm song with you into your day.