Praying the Psalms with Music

We are so very blessed to be living our Catholic faith among faithful disciples who continually inspire us, and who teach us by their example how to walk more closely with Jesus.

However, in my difficult moments, there have been times when admiration of loved ones has slipped into comparison and then at times, into a feeling of inadequacy. It's easy to journey beside and learn from such beautiful Christian hearts, and then feel like I'm not holy enough or that I don't measure up somehow.

Theodore Roosevelt told us, "Comparison is the thief of joy." I agree, and as it steals our joy, I believe that the spirit of comparison is one way that the Evil One tries to set roots in our hearts.

One way I've experienced this is through prayer, that is, by comparing how I pray to how others pray.


I've witnessed and learned about many types of prayer and have tried many different practices.

Someone whom I admire would share how they pray, and because I can see God working in them, I would try to pray like that too.

However, if I didn't feel the same richness and fruitfulness in that type of prayer experience, I sometimes felt discouraged, like I wasn't as "good" at prayer, wasn't holy enough or maybe that I lacked some super prayer power that my friend had.

Perhaps I didn't have enough faith or trust in the Lord enough.

Maybe I'm not good enough . . . Maybe I'm not enough,
he hisses in my heart. 

I have spent many years getting up before our kids so that I could have time for prayer and Scripture. I love that time. It completely centers me, and I believe that it is one of the primary ways I have grown in my relationship with Jesus over the years.

Overall, it has been fruitful. But there have also been many times when I don't actually know what to DO during that time.

Do I read the New Testament? Again? There are some books of the Bible that are much easier for me to hear God's voice through, so I go back to them over and over again. Leviticus? Not so much. I've also recently struggled and been frustrated as I tried to read Deuteronomy and Isaiah.

Am I not smart enough to understand these books? What is God trying to tell me today in these passages? Am I not open to God's voice enough?

Maybe I'm not good enough . . . Maybe I'm not enough,
he hisses in my heart. 

I have looked to other people's answers for quite some time. How do you decide what to read in the Bible? How do you pray?

Some read the daily readings. I feel closer to God and can better hear His voice when I read a whole book from Scripture, rather than selections from different books. Maybe that's the Charlotte Mason in me :)

I've tried different devotionals. They're nice, but for me, that's about it. Nice. I want deeper than nice.

I've read some of The Liturgy of the Hours. It is very beautiful and I felt a deep connection with the Body of Christ. Jason and I read Night Prayer together sometimes, and I really enjoy that. When I have more time in a different phase of life, I can definitely see The Liturgy of the Hours being a larger part of my prayer life. But only part.

I need time for deep, personal communication with the Lord.

I recently asked our priest, Father Brad, how to decide what to do during that personal prayer time. He said that my goal should be contemplative prayer, so to do whatever is most likely to place my heart there.

He's so smart.

I then read Thirsting for Prayer by Jacques Phillippe, a new author for me, and it was as if I had met a new great friend. I will probably refer to it over and over again, but one point he had especially struck me, and immediately made an impact on my prayer life.

He reminds the reader that God made us all individually. He knitted us in our mother's womb. We know this.

He loves us individually and can number the hairs on our heads. We know this.

As individuals, we were created to love Him in our own, personal and unique way. 

I guess I sort of knew that, but it had never really sunk all the way in.

It also confirms what Father Brad told me--

Do whatever brings YOU to contemplative prayer. 

That will be different for each of us. And that's okay! In fact, that's

p a r t   o f   t h e   b e a u t i f u l,  g l o r i o u s   m y s t e r y!

So my prayer time has become different lately, something I have created with the Holy Spirit. I have been doing an in-depth, musical study of the Psalms.

I first choose a Psalm. I try to follow the Holy Spirit in this. There might be one that was mentioned in conversation, a Psalm from Mass, something quoted in a book. Or I might scan the Psalms until one strikes me.

I then find a musical form. I have realized that God designed my heart to be so receptive to music and that I should not ignore this about myself. God formed me that way. Music is so powerful, and the Lord created music to touch our hearts. I have to do whatever brings me to contemplative prayer. Father Brad said so.

For me, this is most often music.

Once I've chosen a Psalm, I search for it on Spotify and I can usually find a musical version. I don't usually like using technology during prayer because it often distracts me, and I just don't really feel at home in it. I would choose a physical book over an ebook any day. But this is one way that technology has made my prayer life more fruitful and personal.

I usually choose a version by Shane & Shane or The Corner Room, both artists I love who set Scripture to music.

I listen to it. Sometimes a couple of times.

Then I sit in quiet.

That's it. This might take a half hour or more, as I often stop and reflect on something that strikes me. I really like this as I am getting to know the Psalms more and more on a deeper level. I can also play the Psalm again later in the day to reflect more on it.

So have you found a prayer format that is really working for you right now? What is it?