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Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible
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In this beautiful little book, Bonhoeffer guides the Christian to the Scriptures for lessons in how to pray. He affirms that the Lord's Prayer is the primary prayer of the Christian, which he asserts contains every prayer that a Christian ought to pray. Bonhoeffer also makes a startling but wise claim that jolts us out of the narrowness of our focus in prayer: "The richnes
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Paperback, 88 pages
Published
1974
by Augsburg Books
(first published 1959)
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Tamara Rodrigues
No, Psalm 23 is mentioned a couple of times, but nothing in detail.
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
I found this very short book useful for 2 reasons:
1. It provided a good overview of how to classify Psalms under particular topics. So those psalms that are about guilt, suffering, the church, the Law, etc. This is particularly useful when understanding how to use them when praying.
2. It had a brief 20 page biographical sketch of Bonhoeffer's life that I appreciated. Reading more extensive bios on him has always been on my list but I haven't been able to get to it, so having this abridged versi ...more
1. It provided a good overview of how to classify Psalms under particular topics. So those psalms that are about guilt, suffering, the church, the Law, etc. This is particularly useful when understanding how to use them when praying.
2. It had a brief 20 page biographical sketch of Bonhoeffer's life that I appreciated. Reading more extensive bios on him has always been on my list but I haven't been able to get to it, so having this abridged versi ...more
This work is one of Bonhoeffer’s great but oft overlooked contributions to Christian devotional literature. Many works have been written on prayer and call readers to greater prayer lives, but few succeed in offering a true methodology for doing so that is not mundane, legalistic, or self-centered. Bonhoeffer, ever the man of prayer, offers a unique method of approaching the throne of grace that empowers fresh, grace-filled, and God-centered prayers. Bonhoeffer’s solution is not complex or myste
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Such a short book with a long lasting impact. I have always thought of Psalms as songs unto the Lord however, Psalms are the basis of the Lord's Prayer. Many times Jesus quoting a psalm in prayer. Which makes perfect sense with the Sela in many Psalms. Sela indicates that one must be still and quickly think through the words of the Psalm, to quiet the heart, and to know the greatness and goodness of the Lord.
A brief but splendid introduction to the Psalms which teaches us how to pray them in light of the first and most important pray-er, Jesus. In him the psalms are fulfilled, prayed aright, and become our own.
2017 -- Always good.
2016 Review: So tiny and yet it has some exhortations that have stayed -and will stay with me always:
"If we wish to pray with confidence and gladness, then the words of the Holy Scripture will have to be the solid basis of our prayer."
"If we want to read and pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the Psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have to do with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ."
"If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessa ...more
2016 Review: So tiny and yet it has some exhortations that have stayed -and will stay with me always:
"If we wish to pray with confidence and gladness, then the words of the Holy Scripture will have to be the solid basis of our prayer."
"If we want to read and pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the Psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have to do with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ."
"If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessa ...more
I ordered this book not knowing anything about it, and was surprised, almost disappointed to find a small 80 page book. Bonhoeffer however, did not disappoint and went into great detail in how to practically pray the Psalms, and to apply them to everyday life. This book is a must read for an intro to the Psalms and the Christian life. This work has gleaming insights into what prayer is and isn't. Also, how the Old Testament agrees and points to the New Testament. Jesus is the one praying in the
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The chapter "The Enemies" really helped me understand how we can pray with Jesus that our enemies be directed to him, the righteous one, who forgives the sins of the world. Super helpful for those Psalms that seem so vengeful, violent and just plain antiquated- not loving our enemies like Jesus instructs in the New Testament. Now I can pray these Psalms with confidence knowing that Jesus is petitioning God alongside us to place God's wrath for sin on himself and forgive his enemies (including my
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A very short, but good introduction to some themes in the Psalms. As usual, Bonhoeffer connects the Psalms to Jesus and shows how we can only pray them by looking at Christ. A lot of wonderful insight into how the Psalms affect our prayer life. He closes with a short exhortation to morning prayer. This book would be good to pick up every now and then to put some spiritual adrenaline back in one's prayer life.
This is a beautiful little introduction into the Psalms and how they teach us to pray. Bonhoeffer points always to the dual nature of Christ, of His and only His ability to teach us to pray, and the necessity of our accepting both our guilt and, through Christ's great sacrifice, our innocence - our right and the rightness of our taking everything to God.
Our prayer is prayer insofar as it’s joined with the prayer of Jesus.
Sep 27, 2011
Bill
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Shelves:
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An unusual book, so short. It's almost like a pamphlet promoting and introducing daily praying of the psalms, but because of Bonhoeffer's insight and authoritative manner, not to mention reputation, it becomes something more weighty. The little chapter on morning prayer is a gem.
Very powerful. The book is only 88 pages, but it takes time to read and digest. I kept stopping to read and re-read the Psalms that Bonhoeffer cited. Highly recommended.
Favorite quote: "Decisions become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men but only in the sight of God."
Favorite quote: "Decisions become easier and simpler where they are made not in the fear of men but only in the sight of God."
Very short, but worth reading for a Christological look at the Psalms.
My full review is at http://bookwi.se/psalms-the-prayer-bo...
My full review is at http://bookwi.se/psalms-the-prayer-bo...
Short read, great encouragement to pray the Psalms.
A very short and accessible way to get into Bonhoeffer’s writing. Nice little biography at the back.
Quotes:
If we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the Psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have to do with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ. We must ask how we can understand the Psalms as God’s Word, and then we shall be able to pray them. It does not depend, therefore, on whether the Psalms express adequately that which we feel at a given m ...more
Quotes:
If we want to read and to pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the Psalms, therefore, we must not ask first what they have to do with us, but what they have to do with Jesus Christ. We must ask how we can understand the Psalms as God’s Word, and then we shall be able to pray them. It does not depend, therefore, on whether the Psalms express adequately that which we feel at a given m ...more
Well, it's a tiny book with only 86 pages.
But nevertheless huge in its spiritual value.....
Dietrich Bonheoffer was a Lutheran theologian/pastor, who lost his life for his faith and conviction under the national socialist regime in Germany.
He was martyred and was hanged for his faith in Flossenbürg on April 9. 1945.
His last words where:" This is the end, but for me the beginning of life".
"Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible" consists of an introduction to the Psalms, with an added biographical s ...more
But nevertheless huge in its spiritual value.....
Dietrich Bonheoffer was a Lutheran theologian/pastor, who lost his life for his faith and conviction under the national socialist regime in Germany.
He was martyred and was hanged for his faith in Flossenbürg on April 9. 1945.
His last words where:" This is the end, but for me the beginning of life".
"Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible" consists of an introduction to the Psalms, with an added biographical s ...more
Bonhoeffer cherishes the psalms and highlights their importance by linking them to the New Testament, especially the Lord's prayer and the person of Jesus Christ. Bonhoeffer surveys the Psalter by leading us through the following categories of subjects: the creation; the law; holy history; the Messiah; the church; life; suffering; guilt; enemies; the end. I find that part of the book helpful and inspiring. I had to put the book down a few times to read one of the psalms that he's addressing.
Bon ...more
Bon ...more
I didn't know that I was going to like this at first, which is unusual because I'm rather a Bonhoeffer fan. The first quarter or so is interesting, but a little heavy-handed in terms of Christianizing the Psalms--each one has a direct correlation to the Christ, they are to be prayed in all their richness, so on and so forth. Not that that isn't important or an interesting point to make, but again, it felt very obvious in some ways.
Once he got into actually categorizing the Psalms, though, I was ...more
Once he got into actually categorizing the Psalms, though, I was ...more
An excellent little book that helped me understand that 1) the Psalms are not about me and my experience primarily, they are about Jesus, 2) which means that we can't cherry pick which Psalms we read. It also helped me understand how we can pray for destruction for God's enemies in good faith (because we want God to triumph at the end of times), and how we can pray that we are innocent when we are all sinners (because in those who are in Christ are innocent in the eyes of God because of Christ's
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A lean book full of amazing depth and insight. I just finished reading this book as part of my morning devotional. I carefully digested only one chapter a day. Like most of his other works, Bonhoeffer must not be breezed through at all. He essentially makes a case for praying the Psalms almost exclusively, and why this is in line with how Jesus taught us to pray through the Lord's Prayer. He breaks down the types of Psalms into Davidic and non-Davidic, as well as Psalms about guilt, praise, plea
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This short, 80-page book is a great topical reference for the Psalms. It includes some great insight into 1) how to approach the Psalms and 2) which Psalms relate to various topics.
I've been reading more in the Psalms lately and it is going to be helpful to revisit this book as I do so.
It concludes with a very brief [20 pages--UNLIKE Eric Metaxas' 500+ version] biological sketch of German Christian Dietrich Bonhoeffer--who exposed Nazi strategies to those outside of Germany.
I've been reading more in the Psalms lately and it is going to be helpful to revisit this book as I do so.
It concludes with a very brief [20 pages--UNLIKE Eric Metaxas' 500+ version] biological sketch of German Christian Dietrich Bonhoeffer--who exposed Nazi strategies to those outside of Germany.
This book was alright. It was the first Bonhoeffer book that I’d read (rather than selections of his writings or books about him), and it was good, but wasn’t the most amazing of his material. However, I do have to admit that I feel inclined to like it more if only because I know that Bonhoeffer took a big risk publishing it (since it spoke highly of the Hebrew Scriptures and was written during the Nazi regime), and was, in fact, the reason why he was banned from publishing anything else.
Bonhoeffer took on all my major questions and confusions when approaching the psalms and I received the answer: Jesus. Confused? Read the book and it will make sense. How can I pray the destruction of wicked people when I to am wicked? How can I proclaim my righteousness to God? I know know thanks to God speaking through this man. Reading the Psalms can now be such a richer part of my prayer life, and hopefully I can encourage so in my family and other community.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was imprisoned and later hanged by Hitler. Bonhoeffer was a Christian man of God, who realized that there is a prayer book nestled in the Old Testament--a prayer book filled with poetry, passion and purpose. "Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible" is a little book (it's just 88 pages) with big meaning: It will help you better understand and appreciate the power of the psalms, including how they can be used as powerful prayers.
Wonderful, poignant (as Bonhoeffer always seems to be), and fascinating to read alongside C.S Lewis' Reflections on the Psalms. The only prevailing discomfort I had with this compact read was the absence of the Holy Spirit -- exchange some of Bonhoeffer's use's of Christ in regards to the Psalms with the Holy Spirit, and it all makes much more sense. Leave it as it is...and potential problems arise...?
Excellent guide to reading the psalms in a whole new way. The first section gave such a thought provoking overview that I brought up points I learned from reading in many conversations afterward. The second section divided the psalms topically and I took time with each section to meditate on the psalms he mentions, reviewing Bonhoeffer's ideas about the topic as I went. It made for a very enriching exercise in my devotional time. Highly recommended.
This book is not much longer than a magazine article, and yet probably much of what has been written about the Psalms in the past 50 years is only an elaboration of it. Interesting to read in the biography at the end of the book that after its publication, he was no longer permitted to publish. Will have to re-read it and see what set the Nazis off. I enjoy reading about the Confessing Church and its stand against the Nazis.
One sentence of Bonhoeffer could take hours to unpack. This slim volume is deceptively simple to read - within his straightforward sentences is the hope that the whole church will learn to pray the Psalter together. And as we do, Christ will mediate on our behalf, perfecting the prayers that God gives us already in his Word.
A nice little book on the Psalms, organizing them into classes and talking about each class of Psalm. Ties all the Psalms to the Lord's Prayer and to Christ. Neat little 10-15 page bio on Bonhoeffer at the end. This was the last work he was able to publish before the Nazi's cut him off publishing. This was my first Bonhoeffer read, planning to read Life Together next.
A short book, but a great book!
At times, people have asked me for a list of books that I believe Christians should frequently read. Usually, outside of the Bible, I only answer with two books - John Owen's Mortification of Sin and N.T. Wright's The Resurrection of the Son of God. I will now include on that list Bonhoeffer's short book about praying with and through Christ the Psalms.
At times, people have asked me for a list of books that I believe Christians should frequently read. Usually, outside of the Bible, I only answer with two books - John Owen's Mortification of Sin and N.T. Wright's The Resurrection of the Son of God. I will now include on that list Bonhoeffer's short book about praying with and through Christ the Psalms.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor and theologian. He was also a participant in the German Resistance movement against Nazism, a founding member of the Confessing Church. His involvement in plans by members of the Abwehr (the German Military Intelligence Office) to assassinate Adolf Hitler resulted in his arrest in April 1943 and his subsequent execution by hanging in April 1945, sho
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“But it is a dangerous error, surely very widespread among Christians, to think that the heart can pray by itself. For then we confuse wishes, hopes, sighs, laments, rejoicings–all of which the heart can do by itself–with prayer. And we confuse earth and heaven, man and God. Prayer does not mean simply to pour out one’s heart. It means rather to find the way to God and to speak with him, whether the heart is full or empty. No man can do that by himself. For that he needs Jesus Christ.”
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“If we are to pray aright, perhaps it is quite necessary that we pray contrary to our own heart. Not what we want to pray is important, but what God wants us to pray.”
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