There are many interesting contrasts between the biblical faith as expressed in the psalms and the polytheistic religions of the ancient Near East. Ancient religious texts often include rituals with various incantations that are prescribed for getting various things from the gods. If you wanted a certain local deity to do this or that, you had to utter certain words, like a spell. This common ancient religious practice is conspicuously absent in the biblical texts. The psalms are not incantations but conversations with God. God wants to have a relationship with us, and he has made this possible through Jesus Christ. We don’t need to invoke God by saying the right things. That’s the stuff of man-made religion. The psalms are prayers that we can pray together, but they are not incantations. The same is true of the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ (Matthew 6:9-13). These prayers are given to us as examples of how we can respond to God’s love and grace. This response must be guided by Scripture, but it should be free and relational. God wants relationship, not religion. In religion, you say what you think you should say. In a relationship, you express how you feel. And that is exactly what is happening in so many of the psalms. There is a wonderful childlike approach to God exemplified in the psalms and this is what God loves.
Talk to God about the things that most concern you right now.
Read Psalm 31
