When you read the psalms, remember they are prayers that are sung. You know when you read the lyrics to a song, and then you hear the song - big difference! So it is with the psalms - the ancient hymns of Israel. If you are musically inclined, you can put your own tune to each psalm.
When you read the psalm, try praying the psalm. Don't read it to "get something out of it." Read it as a prayer - as your prayer. This can be a odd exercise - usually you use your own words when whispering out your prayers. But then most people I know have a hard time knowing what to say when they do pray. And this is why the psalms are so helpful to us - they give us new words, new ideas, new patterns, new depths for our praying to God. It's a way for God to chart the road you are taking.
Make the psalm personal. Let it shape you and how you think about God. Let it probe you and disturb you. Mull over why the psalter wrote out this prayer - consider what his circumstances may have been. If the word "king" shows up in the song, you'll know that it's probably a royal psalm, connected to politics, national issues, and the monarchy. Israel believed that God would bless their king and nation when he and the people kept Torah with all their heart. The psalms often flow out of this hope - and failure.
When you are praying the psalms, you will find God charting the road you take. So many turns and forks in the road each day - may God be the one to prompt you left, nudge you right, keep you straight. May you invest much time into God's Word, and may it bring forth in you a fruitfulness and vibrancy that adds life to those around you.
As you learn how to pray the psalter, may you take the road God charts for you.
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