Scripture & prayer
How to Pray a Psalm When You Don’t Know What to Say
Begin praying with the Psalms through a simple Psalm 23 example, and learn what to do when the words feel unfamiliar or do not match your mood.
You sit down to pray, but cannot find a sentence to begin. You know what has happened during the day; you are less sure how to bring it to God. Opening a psalm gives you words you can receive before trying to compose your own.
The Psalms belong to Scripture, but they are also prayers. You can read them to understand what they say and then address their words to God. This guide offers a simple personal prayer practice, with Psalm 23 as a starting point.
Why pray with words someone else wrote?
The Catechism describes the Psalms as both personal and communal prayer, prayed by Christ and continuing in the Church. Their forms include praise, lament and thanksgiving. They teach us to pray across different circumstances, rather than requiring us to invent a new prayer each time. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2585–2589
Using a written prayer does not prevent an honest response. You might recognize your own gratitude in it, discover a question you had not found words for, or notice that you find its confidence difficult today.
In his catechesis on the Psalms, Pope Francis encourages people to come to prayer as they really are. He describes the psalmists bringing suffering and questions into their relationship with God. You do not have to make your life sound tidier before beginning. General Audience, 14 October 2020
Start with one complete, short psalm
Open Psalm 23 in the USCCB Bible, or find it in your own Bible. Read it once from beginning to end before choosing a verse to linger over.
Notice its two main pictures: a shepherd caring for the flock and a host welcoming a guest. The USCCB’s notes identify both as images of God’s care. Notice, too, that the poem includes danger and enemies alongside rest and welcome. Its trust does not depend on a life without difficulty.
You do not need to understand every image immediately. If one phrase puzzles you, read the surrounding verses and the notes in your Bible. Keep a question for later rather than treating it as a test you must pass before praying.
Try a short prayer with Psalm 23
The following sequence is a suggestion for personal prayer, not a required formula:
- Settle. Put aside another task and make the Sign of the Cross. Ask God to help you attend to the words.
- Read the whole psalm. Go slowly enough to follow its movement, without stopping to analyze every line.
- Return to one verse. Choose a verse you noticed and read it again. Keep it connected to the psalm around it.
- Respond plainly. Tell God what the verse brings to mind: gratitude, a need, a question or someone you want to pray for.
- Leave a little silence. You may finish by reading the psalm once more, or simply close your prayer and return to your day.
For a concrete example, verse 3 speaks of guidance. After reading it, you might name a decision before you and ask for help making it honestly. That response is your personal prayer prompted by the passage, not a claim that the verse supplies a specific answer to your decision.
Keep the Bible open while you pray. There is no need to memorize the passage or write a reflection before the time can count as prayer.
What if the words do not match how you feel?
A thankful psalm may feel distant on a difficult day. A lament may seem unfamiliar when life is going well. You do not need to pretend that every sentence describes your present mood.
Pope Francis explains that even the most personal psalms belong to a shared prayer: they are prayed with and for others. Their scope reaches beyond the individual’s immediate concerns. General Audience, 21 October 2020
One way to put that into practice is to remember someone whose circumstances are different from yours. With a lament, bring to mind a person who is grieving. With thanksgiving, give thanks for a good thing in someone else’s life, even while acknowledging your own difficulty.
You can also respond honestly to the distance you feel: ask for help growing into trust, or admit that gratitude is hard to express today. You do not have to manufacture an emotion to continue. Our guide to prayer when it feels dry offers help with that particular difficulty.
Carry one thing away, without making a new assignment
At the end, you might remember a verse, a person to pray for, or a question to discuss with a parish priest or Bible-study leader. If notes help, write the psalm number and a few words in a notebook. If they distract you, leave them out.
This is a way to begin personal prayer, not a substitute for following the texts and responses of a liturgical celebration. When praying with a group, follow its leader and agreed text.
You can return to the same psalm another day. You can also make room for Scripture through the daily Mass readings. For today, choose one psalm, read it attentively, and let its words help you begin speaking to God.