Psalm 18 Prayer Guide

Try entering into gratitude with this three-part rhythm: Part 1 Become present to the presence of God: I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. (Psalm 9:1 ESV). 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. Optional prayer of approach: “All dark and deathly things hide their faces; all living things laid bare before You, as the Maker of all things descends lower still, and the Son of God, Inhabiter of eternity, steals into the dark of the womb. The Word became flesh; we beheld Your Glory. Through Your cross and resurrection breath, You have saved all who believe in Your name, delivering us from the snare of death; lifting us from the curse we brought upon ourselves; triumphing over the Enemy; sheltering us beneath Your wings. If not for Your grace, I would have no place to stand.” (Sheltering Mercy, by Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt: Psalm 18). Part 2 Slowly read from Psalm 18 out loud: (for an audio version click here) 1 (NIV) I love you, Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. 4 The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. 5 The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears. 7 The earth trembled and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains shook; they trembled because he was angry. 8 Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it. 9 He parted the heavens and came down;… 16 … He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. 17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. 19 He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me… Part 3 Use your own words to pray Psalm 18 back to God: Begin by personalizing the pronouns in the psalm, turning the words about God into a prayer directly to God. For example, v. 2 (‘The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer…’) becomes ‘YOU are my rock, my fortress and my deliverer…’; and v. 3, (‘I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise,) becomes ‘I called to YOU Lord, YOU are worthy of praise.’ Pray your way through the psalm in this way. Then gather these thoughts into your own psalm of thanksgiving: Describe an experience of pain or difficulty… What reminded you to call on the Lord? Describe your experience of God’s deliverance, provision, or guidance. Give him thanks! With whom can you share this story? 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 18 set to music. Try taking the psalm song with you into your day. from the album ‘First Circle’ (1999) by Waterdeep. waterdeep.com From the album Songs for the Journey, Vol 2 (2015) by The Shiyr Poets.