Why You Should Memorize the Psalms

The Psalms are among the most beautiful and powerful prayers in Scripture. Priests and religious pray them when they say the Divine Office. We recite or sing them during Mass.

You should also memorize a few Psalms to pray in your daily life. Here’s why:

The Psalms express longing, delight, fear, and heartbreak with greater eloquence and force than what most of us could make up. They communicate our human experience with raw power and honesty. Consider these examples:

• “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1)
• “I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.” (Psalm 69:3)
• “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me.” (Psalm 23:4)

2. There are Psalms for every occasion.
God calls you to sanctify each moment of your life — the good and bad, the joyful and sorrowful, the serious and fun.

Are you feeling anxious? Few texts are as calming as Psalm 46: “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Have you been abandoned by a once close friend? Turn to: “Thou hast caused my companions to shun me; thou hast made me a thing of horror to them” (Psalm 88:8).

Dreading an impending natural disaster? Pray Psalm 121: “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night.”

3. The Psalms are divinely inspired.
Since they are part of Sacred Scripture, we believe that the Holy Spirit inspired the Psalms. They are prayers given to us by God because He wants us to use them!

Jesus is the model of prayer and He often recited the Psalms. The most poignant moment was when he recited Psalm 22 while hanging on the cross.

Hopefully, we’ve inspired you to grab your Bible and start reading the Psalms. Some will resonate with you more than others. Use those. You’ll be amazed at how they transform your prayer life!

If you don’t have a Bible, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops lists all the Psalms here.