Worship: The Psalms as the Prayer Book of the Church

Athanasius of Alexandria (d. 373) wrote a letter to Marcellinus explaining why the Psalms hold a unique place in Christian worship. He observed that while other books of Scripture tell us about God's actions, the Psalms give us words to respond to God directly. "Most of Scripture speaks to us; the Psalms speak for us." Every human emotion -- joy, grief, anger, praise, confession, longing -- finds expression in the Psalter.

Athanasius taught: "Each Psalm is both a mirror and a pattern: a mirror that shows us ourselves, and a pattern that teaches us how to speak to God. He who recites the Psalms is speaking his own words, not those of another." This is why the Psalms have been the backbone of Christian worship for two thousand years, chanted in monasteries, sung in cathedrals, and whispered at bedsides.

Practical application: Read or chant one Psalm each morning for thirty days (Psalms 1-30 works well). Do not study them analytically but pray them as your own words to God. If a Psalm expresses an emotion you are currently feeling, linger there. Athanasius promises that the Psalms will become a comprehensive vocabulary for your prayer life.