Reading a psalm aloud, slowly, like a prayer

The psalms are poetry, and poetry is tasted differently from prose. It has a breath, images, a rhythm that you don't perceive when reading at full speed in your head. This quest invites you to choose a short psalm and read it aloud, slowly, like a prayer.

What it looks like in your day

Here are a few tips so that this reading becomes a real time of prayer:

1. Choose a short psalm, of six to twelve verses. Psalms 1, 8, 23, 100, 121, 131 or 133 lend themselves well.
2. Take your time. Pronounce each word. Make a short pause at the end of each line.
3. Notice the parallelism. It is the great feature of Hebrew poetry: an idea is said twice, with different words. "Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners": the two lines say the same thing in pictures. When you spot this, the psalm opens up.
4. Breathe. A psalm read too fast leaves you out of breath. Leave a silence between the verses.
5. End with a time of silence. No commentary: listen to what remains.

Try it with the first psalm. You read:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

Aloud, you hear the contrast between the man who walks, stands, sits (three movements that gradually take him away from God), and the one who finds his delight in the law of the Lord and is like a tree planted by the rivers of water. The image is powerful: the tree doesn't need to make any effort, it is simply connected to the source.

If you are in a hurry, a psalm of six verses can be read in a minute. If you are shy, murmur. If you are a beginner, get into the habit of one psalm a day.

What the Bible says

The first psalm gives the key to oral reading:

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”

The verb translated "meditate" means, in Hebrew, a murmur: you don't meditate silently, you murmur the text to yourself, in a low voice. Psalm 1 thus presents meditation as a half-voiced reading, repeated, savored. Day and night: it is a constant companion.

Psalm 119, longer, keeps coming back to this love of the word (Psalms 119:97). Paul invites believers to sing "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" (Colossians 3:16): the psalms have always been a vocal prayer.

Pitfalls to avoid

Reading too fast. A psalm is made to be savored. If you finished in thirty seconds, start again more slowly.

Singing off-key and stopping. You don't have to sing: reading is enough. If the urge to sing comes, let it come, without judging yourself.

Taking a theatrical tone. No solemn voice or declamation. Read with the voice you use when you speak to someone you love.

Not listening. It is easy to read while thinking of something else. Come back regularly to the meaning: "What did I just say to God?"

Ignoring the difficult psalms. Some express anger or anguish. You can read them aloud as a way of putting words to your own state, before God.

Today, read Psalm 1 aloud, slowly. Then leave a silence.