10 Psalms to Strengthen Your Relationship With God — By Dean Marini
Psalm 145:2 reads: “Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name forever and ever.” During a recent talk show appearance, I was asked what I thought the best way to grow closer to the Lord was. My response came quick, “Spend more time with Him.” Many Christians say they want to know God better; they want to discern His will for their lives. But most, candidly, feel too busy for Him. And even when they do spend time with Him, they struggle to hear His voice. But here’s the reality: the more time we spend with Him – through prayer, Scripture reading, listening and meditation – the deeper our relationship naturally becomes.
This kind of relationship building, the closeness we want to feel with our Heavenly Father – and contrary to popular belief – will not be built by attending an occasional church service, a once a week bible study, or even through bedtime prayer. It is done by our all day commune with Him – daily conversation, prayer, and general time spent. One of the greatest ways to do this is to spend time with Him in His Word. And, one of the best resources we’ve been given within His Word is The Book of Psalms.
Allow the below passages from the divinely inspired Book of Psalms to teach and encourage you (how) to spend quality time with God and, inevitably, strengthen your relationship with Him. It is through this time spent that you’ll be blessed beyond what you can imagine. Listen closely for Him and … enjoy the process.
10 Psalms to Strengthen Your Relationship With God
In the morning, Lord, You hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait expectantly.
Key Word(s) for meditation: wait expectantly
But I cry to You for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before You.
Key Word(s) for meditation: My prayer comes before You
Beginning your day with prayer and Scripture builds a solid foundation for everything that will follow. It properly aligns our heart and mind to better prepare for the circumstances, events and personal interactions we’ll encounter throughout the day. By committing our ways to His ways first, we allow God to go ahead of us and lead rather than follow behind our own uncertain choices.
My tongue will proclaim Your righteousness, Your praises all day long.
Key Word(s) for meditation: all day long
But I will call on God, and the Lord will rescue me. Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.
Key Word(s) for meditation: call on the Lord; rescue me
For many of us, the only time we spend with God is in quick prayer before meals. One of the best decisions I’ve made recently was to make a conscious effort throughout the day to spend time in Scripture. Psalm91.com has been a great complementary resource for this endeavor (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a contributor either). Their daily posts – i.e. devotionals, verse’s of the day, prayers, etc – can literally be read within a couple minutes (or less!), yet have maximum impact in aiding my (our) daily spiritual walk. Taking this time to re-focus every few hours has been invaluable to my personal growth and strengthening my relationship with the Lord. It consistently invites Him back into my daily routine and puts Him as, once again, first priority.
I will praise the Lord, Who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
Key Word(s) for meditation: praise the Lord Who counsels me
When I was in deep trouble, I searched for the Lord. All night long I prayed, with hands lifted toward Heaven.
Key Word(s) for meditation: all night long I prayed
Spending time in evening prayer offers us a chance to present the day’s experiences and challenges to God. A time for honest and thorough examination of conscious. In addition, it affords our Lord the chance to speak to us about how we’ve conducted ourselves throughout the day. Evening prayer is also a perfect time to present our petitions to God. To place before Him our needs and wants for the future – especially after a long day’s work.
O Lord, God of my salvation, I cry out to You by day. I come to You at night.
Key Word(s) for meditation: I cry to You by day; I come to You at night
It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to the Most High.
To proclaim [His] loving devotion in the morning and [His] faithfulness at night…
Key Word(s) for meditation: give thanks to the Lord
I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in Your Word. My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on Your promises.
Key Word(s) for meditation: my hope in Your Word; meditate on Your promises
One thing is clear through these passages: there is no wrong time to pray. In fact, we should pray without ceasing – morning and night! One of my most effective times to pray is when I am awakened in the middle of the night. I have several missionary friends overseas who’ve shared miraculous deliverance testimony stories – only to find out that someone had been praying for them in those dark early morning hours.
God is available to us morning, noon and night. He can rescue us at any given hour. Most of all, He desires that we would call upon Him – morning and night – in praise and in trust; believing Him for our every need. As you look for ways to strengthen your relationship (and prayer life) with the Lord, read and meditate on these passages. Just like they’ve done for myself and millions of others around the world, they will speak to you and guide you in a way that only God can.
Written by Dean Marini
[*The above pictured Olive Wood Cross can be purchased HERE]
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