How to Pray Psalms with Thanks and Praise
I began praying the P.R.A.Y. – Prayer Model years ago.
P – Praise and Thanks
Begin each prayer thanking God for who He is and for all He has done and that He continues to do in you and in the world around you.
R – Repent
Pause and intentionally confess your flaws and failures and tell Him you know His ways are best and ask Him for help to obey.
A – Ask
Lift up any needs and requests you have for yourself, your family, the church and the world at large.
Y – Yield
“Thy will be done.” (Matthew 26:39) Surrender your prayer to God – telling Him you trust His love and perfect will for you.
I have a confession to make.
Although I’ve known and followed this prayer model for as long as I can remember, it’s easy for me to hurry through the Pray, Repent, and Yield parts while lingering on my Asks. I can too often focus on what I need or want next rather than praising and thanking God for what He has already done for me.
Honestly, I can be like the child who is in a hurry to open the next gift on Christmas morning as I forget to pause and appreciate the one I’ve just opened. Or like the wilderness wanderers in Exodus who grumbled about the food they left behind rather than remembering that God had delivered them from suffering and slavery.
So, I’m pausing today and turning to the words of David in the Psalms . . . verses filled with thanks and praise. David that knew God’s grace that covers a multitude of sins, God’s protection and presence in the toughest of times, God’s unfailing love that endures forever.
You and I often ask God to give us peace. We want freedom from conflict and chaos, hassles and hardships. I read recently that shalom, the Hebrew word for peace, means more than simply absence of problems . . . it means wholeness and happiness!
God’s peace is able to make us whole and happy even when life is hard . . . not because of circumstances but because of His grace, mercy, and love.
Will you join me in praying words of David from the Psalms and thank Him for faithfully giving us shalom through His grace, mercy, and love.
How to Pray Psalms with Thanks and Praise
We thank You, O God!
Psalm 75:1
We give thanks because You are near.
People everywhere tell of Your wonderful deeds.
Father, I thank you! You are always with me whatever is going on in my life. You promised that Your Spirit will never leave nor forsake Your children. (John 14:16) You strengthen me and cover me with a peace that goes beyond my ability to understand. (Philippians 4:7)
I want everyone to know You and experience Your love. I will tell of all You have done for me. Please fill me with Your truth, give me the message You want me to share, and open the hearts and minds of those who receive it. May I live every moment of life with gratitude that all I do and say might be for Your glory!
It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
Psalm 92:1–2
to sing praises to the Most High.
It is good to proclaim Your unfailing love in
the morning, Your faithfulness in the evening.
Father, You are good and it is good for me to give You thanks and praise. Thank you for the music of creation and for those who turn it into beautiful songs of praise. Thank you for Your perfect unfailing love. Thank you for the gift of Jesus who suffered the pain of my punishment and set me free. Please help me live under Your gift of freedom with obedience. Help me know, trust, and follow Your perfect will for me. I love You, Lord. With Your Spirit’s help, I will proclaim Your goodness, faithfulness, and love with every breath I take.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
Psalm 100:4–5
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever, and
His faithfulness continues to each generation.
Father God, I will forever praise Your name with thanksgiving. Through Jesus, You have made it possible for me to enter Your Kingdom through the “narrow gate” of faith. (Matthew 7:13) Jesus has made me righteous and holy in Your sight, not because of anything I have done but because of Your goodness and grace. Because of Your overwhelming love! You are the forever and always the same . . . yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)
Thank you for showing me repeatedly that I can count on You and Your Word. I can trust You with all my heart. I can surrender to Your love because of who You are. You are worthy of my thanks and praise. You are worthy of my all!
Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim
Psalm 105:1–4
His greatness. Let the whole world
know what He has done.
Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises.
Tell everyone about His wonderful deeds.
Exult in His holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
Search for the Lord and for His strength;
continually seek Him.
Father, I thank you! I will proclaim Your greatness again and again. You have shown me Your grace and mercy. You invite me to come to You in repentance and cover me with forgiveness because of Jesus. You pour out Your love on me every single day. You provide for me and protect me. You cover me with peace and words of encouragement. You give me all I need to fight every battle I face. You welcome my prayers and hear me when I come to You with my needs.
Thank you for giving me the Helper, to lead me in truth and fill me with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. (John 14:26, Galatians 5:22–23a) So, I will seek You, Lord. I will come to You when I need strength trusting that You always keep Your promises. You are all my soul needs! I will thank and praise you today and forever.
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of
Psalm 30:11–12
mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give You thanks forever!
Father, when I remember all the things You have carried me through in the past, when I think of the times you have lifted me out of the pit and replaced my mourning with joy . . . I have everything I need to trust You with all of me for all my life. When I ponder all that You have done for me in and through Jesus and all that You continue to do for me every day through the Helper, the Spirit, and Your loving provision, I know I must give myself to You as an offering of thanks and praise.
I surrender myself to You, Lord God. I will SEEK You through Your Word and prayer. I will sit with You in stillness and learn Your will. I will forever praise Your name. With Your help and by Your grace, I will live for Your glory. Amen.
Live with Thanks and Praise
I have come to realize that one of the best ways to experience the shalom of God is to live with an attitude of thanks and praise. When my heart is full of gratitude the Spirit blesses me with wholeness and happiness.
So, grab your prayer journal and write a prayer of thanks every day and if you’re having a particularly hard day and you can’t find the words . . . just write these words from the Psalms:
You are my God, and I will praise you!
Psalm 118:28–29
You are my God, and I will exalt you!
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever.
May God bless you and give you SHALOM!
In these crazy and unpredictable times, may God bless us all with His shalom. He knows how much we all need it!
Blessings, Deb!
I am blessed by this model of praying using the Psalms. In this time of turmoil we need to saturate ourselves in
PRAY ER and the WORD and this is one way in we can get some comfort as we seek to grow Our relationship with the LORD.
I’m so glad it blessed you, Rose. You’re right, there are so many things the enemy is using to try to distract and discourage us. I am setting my heart and mind on staying focused on the Lord. Whatever is going on here, He remains on the throne. Thanks for visiting. God bless you!
What does it mean “Thy will be done”? Does it mean, we have no will of our own, for our lives? I do love how you use David here to inspire your prayer. And I did use your article for inspiration to an infographic on prayer. I would have tag you is I knew you instagram id.
I will let you know, when it goes live. Thanks.
Thanks so much for your encouragement! I’m so glad it blessed and inspired you. Looking forward to seeing your graphic. My Instagram id is BlessingCounter. Thanks again and God bless you!
I believe that praying, “Thy will be done,” is our prayer that God will use us to accomplish His plans and purposes. Martin Luther wrote the following explanation: What does this mean? The good and gracious will of God is done even without our prayer, but we pray in this petition that it may be done among us also.
How is God’s will done? God’s will is done when He breaks and hinders every evil plan and purpose of the devil, the world, and our sinful nature, which do not want us to hallow God’s name or let His kingdom come; and when He strengthens and keeps us firm in His Word and faith until we die.
This is His good and gracious will.
Thanks so much for visiting and for joining the conversation. God bless you!