Praying the Psalms in Union with Christ

Abstract

The believer’s oneness with Christ creates profound roots within the believer’s soul. This union undergirds the believer’s spiritual life as he or she prays the Psalms. This essay explores the theological realities that explain the spiritual resonance Christians experience when praying the Psalms. I propose that as believers pray the Psalms in union with Christ, their souls resonate with the Spirit of Christ, the sonship of Christ, the sufferings of Christ, the body of Christ, and the intercession of Christ. Believers share this salvific oneness with Christ by faith, so that they share in his life, death, resurrection, ascension, inheritance, and beloved status as God’s righteous son. In praying the Psalms, believers echo the Spirit of Christ, sense the sonship of Christ, taste the sufferings of Christ, harmonize with the body of Christ, and join in the intercessions of Christ.

Keywords

• psalms
• psalter
• union with christ
• prayer
• spirit