Reading tips for the Psalms:
- Pay attention to the whole of a psalm, not just to the parts of a psalm.
- Read the psalms consistently, rather than occasionally and sporadically.
- Pay attention to the internal coherence of a psalm or a section of psalms, rather than allowing them to remain fragmented parts, reflective of our immediate and self-absorbed interest.
- Read the psalms out loud, not just silently.
- Read and sing and pray the psalms together, not just alone.
- Pay attention the Psalter’s “hospitable ‘I’” and its “intimate communal” sense, rather than allowing the individual expressions to devolve to individualism and the communal expressions to devolve to an impersonal communalism.
- Immerse yourself in the metaphors that the psalmist employs, rather than remaining distant and detached from them.
- Pay attention to the placement and role of the psalms in the biblical canon, rather than viewing them as isolated and idiosyncratic.
+ These suggestions were written by David Taylor. Read his curated list of resources on the Psalms here.
“What can I give back to God
for the blessings he’s poured out on me?
I’ll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God!
I’ll pray the name of God;
I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do,
and I’ll do it together with his people.”+ Bono frequently reads Psalm 116 from Eugene Peterson’s The Message at the beginning of U2’s concerts.
