So often when we pray, we feel helpless, especially at those times when we are not even sure what to pray (see Rom 8:26) God’s Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to guide us in prayer: as Donald Whitney says, ‘can you have a greater assurance that you are praying the will of God than when you’re praying the Word of God?’
The Psalms anchor us in God’s revelation of Himself (Ps 103:8-18, Ps 9:16, Ps 11:7, Ps 24:8, 10) and teach us much about the need for persistence in prayer (see Luke 18:1-8). We are frequently urged by the psalmists to wait for the Lord (see Ps 27:14, Ps 130:5-6, Ps 5:3, Ps 33:20), something we tend to find hard to do! The Psalms help to remind us that God is at work, even in those times when His footprints are unseen (Ps 77:19). One commentator has said, ‘the Psalms are spiritual levees that control the flood of negative emotions and worry, guiding it along safe channels where it can be dissipated safely.’ (Ps 32:6-7, Ps 69:1) We can see in them the whole gamut of human emotion as the psalmists tackle subjects such as anger, injustice, frustration, fear, insecurity and hatred, along with confidence, joy, trust and faith, and as such they help us to pray honestly and authentically to a God who reigns over all the earth. (Ps 93:1, Ps 96:10)