The Psalms Prescription

I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! Psalm 145:1-3

“God says he inhabits the praises of his people,” the minister told the woman. “If God lives and dwells in the praises of his people, you invite his presence and power into your life and circumstances today through praising him.”

“How do you expect me to praise God? I’m barely surviving. My husband has disappeared without a trace. We don’t know whether he’s dead or has just abandoned us and left a pile of debts. I have four children and I’m seven months pregnant. I have no hope inside me. I’m not in a praise mode.”

“If your circumstances have obscured your view of God, I want you to read the last seven psalms and let them be your prayer. Think of this as a prescription to take every day. Pray the verses aloud to God, because as you declare that this is the truth, no matter what the circumstances are or how you feel, it will encourage your faith.”

That sounded like harsh instructions for a woman so brokenhearted. But the next morning she gritted her teeth and read the last seven psalms aloud to God, first in a monotone: “Praise the LORD, who is my rock. . . . He is my loving ally and my fortress, my tower of safety, my rescuer” (Psalm 144:1-2). By the time she got to Psalm 145, tears flowed as she read, “The LORD helps the fallen and lifts those bent beneath their loads. . . . The LORD is close to all who call on him. . . . He hears their cries for help and rescues them” (Psalm 145:14, 18-19).

As she read these psalms aloud to God each morning as her sacrifice of praise—whether she felt like praising or not—she began to experience God lifting her up and, against all reason, giving her hope. While she faced the overwhelming responsibilities of single parenting in the years that followed, God never failed to care for her and her children.

I, too, have found the Psalms Prescription a sure antidote for discouragement or depression. Praising God through his own words will help you to focus on who God is, and the power of praise will grow a faith strong enough to sustain you through any storm. —CHERI

Lord, as I praise you, come and dwell within my worship and my heart. Thank you for your words of praise penned by the psalmists in the difficulties and trials of their lives.

In praying God’s Word back to him, the Bible becomes a vast book of praise.

—CALVIN MILLER, POET, PREACHER, AUTHOR, AND TEACHER

From the book