Psalter – Community Circle Europe

Nephi’s Psalm

Verse: ‘Behold, my soul delighteth in the things of the Lord; and my heart pondereth continuously upon the things which I have seen and heard’, (2 Nephi 4:16).

When we think of the psalms, we most likely, understandably enough, immediately picture the Book of Psalms, also known as the Psalter, found in the Hebrew Bible. The Bible is certainly rich in its various works of poetry, but many may not know that it is not only the Hebrew Bible that contains these things. The Book of Mormon too has a beautiful psalm hidden away inside of it. The Psalm of Nephi, or otherwise known simply as Nephi’s Psalm, is found in 2 Nephi 4:16-35. This is called a psalm as the text shares many similarities with psalms found in the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Psalms. This psalm is important as it shares the five common elements found in psalms. These are the recognition of sins, pleading for forgiveness, dedication to the Lord’s commandments, petitioning, and finally rejoicing in the forgiveness that God has given in His all-merciful nature. The Psalm of Nephi shares all five of these elements and is one of my favourite psalms found within scripture.

In Nephi’s Psalm Nephi lays out his hopes, joys, sorrows, and problems in his life, following the footsteps of the psalmist. When analysing or prayerfully reading this psalm it is crucial to understand the situation in which it is created. Nephi has just lost his father, Lehi, and these emotions of loss, which are familiar to many of us, are clear to see in this moving passage. These doubts and fears he brings up may be due to the fact that, as we know from the Book of Mormon, he is due to take over and lead not just his family but his people as their leader. Whilst we know how successful and great a leader he was, we must remember that at that time he must have been feeling all the anxieties and fears that we as humans feel also. These words of fear and sorrow are quickly replaced by praise for God and reminders of all that He has done for Nephi. We too can use these proclamations in our own prayer life as inspiration and worship.

I personally find it useful to prayerfully read and meditate this psalm in the evening before I sleep, alongside other psalms from the Hebrew Bible. It is indeed a beautiful reminder of how we should approach God, and our faith. Nephi encourages himself, as we can do ourselves if we pray his psalm as ours, to ‘no longer droop in sin’ but to ‘rejoice … and give place no more for the enemy of my soul’ (2 Nephi 4:28). He also promises that he will ‘praise thee forever; yea, my soul will rejoice in thee, my God, and the rock of my salvation’ (2 Nephi 4:30). Let us too meditate on the words of this psalm and use it to remind ourselves how we should approach and thank God, as well as reinforce and re-establish our covenant with him as disciples.

A Morning Psalm

Verse: ‘You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you …’, (Psalm 63:1).

Moving away from the topic of psalms of repentance I thought it would be fitting to share a morning psalm that I use, and that the Early Church purportedly used in morning worship also. Psalm 63 is an often referred to as ‘Praise from the Wilderness’. I like this title because although a large majority of us live in an urban environment it can often seem to be a spiritual concrete jungle. The lack of spirituality in especially urbanised areas can often feel like we are also in a kind of wilderness. It is a relatively short psalm, therefore easy to pray in the morning without rushing, and is beautiful in the way that the psalmist, and therefore anyone who is praying it, calls out for divine intimacy. It is very clear that the psalmist wants God to come closer to them, and in this way, we too can ask God to come close to us each morning as we get ready for the day to come.

It is important to understand that psalms give us ways in which we can pray to God, be with Him, and understand our own emotions as we pray, which can often mirror the psalmist’s. In the morning it is very beneficial to pray in a joyous manner, praising God for the opportunity to share another day on this planet and with all the loved ones and friends we have around us. For this purpose, Psalm 63 is ideal. Prayer should set the mood for the hours that follow it, a prayer of repentance may bring about feelings of sorrow or a desire to grow closer to God. Similarly, this psalm helps to set a beneficial mood as we start our day. The words ‘your love is better than life’ (Psalm 63:3) and ‘I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods’ (Psalm 63:5) help us to centre ourselves and give examples of how we should proceed throughout our day, not only remembering God but also praising Him and loving Him.

This psalm is recommended by many churches and religious organisations within different Christian denominations for use as a morning psalm within a prayer rule or simply on its own. It has also been said that ‘the spirit and soul of the whole Book of Psalms is contracted into this Psalm’ (J.J. Stewart Perowne, The Book of Psalms, p.486) which I think is a rather wonderful mentality we can have as we recite this psalm in the morning hours. We can think of the ways this psalm encapsulated the Book of Psalms as we read and pray it. As we read Psalm 63 and begin our day, no matter the fears or tribulations we may be expecting, we can utter the words of the psalmist and remember that everything can be overcome if we earnestly seek Him, if we thirst for Him, and long for Him.

The Seven Penitential Psalms

Verse: ‘I confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin’, (Psalm 38:18).

To continue our explorations into the Book of Psalms I thought it fitting to discuss a practice which I try and incorporate into my daily prayer routine when time will allow, but would definitely recommend the practice during the forty days that make up Lent. During the morning I attempt to pray at least one psalm of repentance after my morning prayer. It helps to centre myself and remind me that, despite my best efforts, I will be subject to many vices such as anger, pride, and perhaps even greed – to name the most common – as I have been in the past.

The Seven Penitential Psalms consist of Psalms 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, and 143. The fact that there are seven of these psalms is useful for creating diversity in repentance. Psalm 51 is perhaps one of the most well know psalms of repentance and was discussed last week but repeating it every day, or multiple times a day, can become tedious and boring. Each of these seven psalms follow a similar pattern of prayer. First the recognition that one has sinned against God and the justice and fairness of punishment. This is then followed by expressing sorrow for the sins committed and the intention to make things right, i.e. by no longer committing sin. Hope is then found in the mercy of God.

Each morning after my usual routine prayers I used to pray Psalm 51 attentively. However, even once a day this can become repetitive and almost automatic in nature, leading to a drowsiness of the mind as we don’t think about the words we are actually reciting, especially since the pressures of the day are often compelling us to rush or worry. To counter this some people may find it easier and more effective to use a different one of the Seven Penitential Psalms each day, assigning them a specific day of the week. I would recommend keeping it simple and going through in ascending order as this is easier to remember and makes logical sense. So, Monday: 6, Tuesday: 32, Wednesday: 38, and so forth.

As well as this, in the Hebrew Bible there is an absolutely fantastic example by a prophet of a prayer of repentance, aptly named, it is known as Daniel’s Prayer of Repentance or simply as Daniel’s Prayer (Daniel 9:4-19). One of the reasons this is an interesting example of praying for intercession and repentance is that Daniel does not just pray for himself, rather he prays for others around him and at several points seeks forgiveness for them after confessing their sins (Daniel 9:15-19). It is easy to pray to God to help us in our own suffering and with our own sin, but we should not forget the needs of those around us either. For this reason, Daniel’s Prayer may be a promising alternative to those who may wish to use an Old Testament prayer in place of a psalm.