Before you start
Thanks for leading this. Here’s the whole idea: for 30 days, everyone in the group prays the same psalm each day, and once a week you talk about it.
How to pray a psalm back: read it once. Stop at the line that catches you. Say it back to God in your own words. Then go to the next line, or stay there.
Donald Whitney teaches this method in his short book Praying the Bible. If you want to go deeper, that’s the place.
Your job each week is about 15 minutes of the meeting: open with the next week’s first psalm, ask two or three of the questions, and close by praying one line together. You don’t need to teach. The psalms do the work.
Prayers stay private. People share what a line meant, not what they prayed, unless they want to.
Week 1 He leads days 1–7
Open (2 min)
Read Psalm 23 aloud, slowly, once. Then read verse 1 again: The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Pray that one line back to God out loud, in your own words, as an example. Keep it short and plain.
What to ask (pick 2 or 3)
- Which line from this week’s psalms do you keep coming back to?
- Psalm 131 is only three verses. What was it like to pray something that short?
- Where in your life right now is it hardest to say “He leads me”?
- Did any psalm bring someone to mind? (Just the first name, or “someone at work”, is plenty.)
Close
Everyone reads Psalm 62:1 together: In God alone my soul finds rest; my salvation comes from Him.
Then a minute of quiet.
Leader note
The first week is about learning the habit, so expect some people to say “I didn’t know what to say.” That’s normal. Point them to Romans 8:26.
Week 2 Honest with Him days 8–14
Open (2 min)
Read Psalm 13 aloud. It starts with How long, O Lord?
and ends in trust. Point out that the psalm doesn’t skip the hard part. This week’s psalms are honest with God about pain, waiting and feeling far from Him.
What to ask (pick 2 or 3)
- Which psalm this week said something you’ve felt but never prayed?
- Psalm 42 says “Why are you downcast, O my soul?” What’s it like to hear Scripture talk to itself like that?
- Most of these psalms turn toward trust by the end. Did that turn feel real to you, or not yet?
- Psalm 142 is titled as David’s prayer from the cave. Where’s your cave right now, if you have one?
Close
Pray Psalm 40:1 together: I waited patiently for the Lord; He inclined to me and heard my cry.
Leader note
This week can stir up real grief. Let people be quiet. If anyone talks about not wanting to live, take it seriously, stay with them, and point them to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) and your pastor.
Week 3 Coming clean days 15–21
Open (2 min)
Read Psalm 51:1–2 aloud. Its title says David wrote it after the prophet Nathan confronted him. Point out that a psalm of confession is also a psalm of mercy.
What to ask (pick 2 or 3)
- Psalm 32 starts with how good it is to be forgiven. Which line hit you this week?
- Psalm 103 lists what God does: forgives, heals, redeems, crowns. Which one did you need?
- Psalm 139 ends with “Search me, O God.” Was that easy or hard to pray?
- Did praying confession in someone else’s words change how you confess on your own?
Close
Read Psalm 103:12 together: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Leader note
Nobody confesses anything to the group unless they choose to. The questions are about the psalms, not anyone’s sin.
Week 4 Thanks, then looking back days 22–30
Open (2 min)
Read Psalm 34:1–3 aloud. Its title ties it to David’s escape from Abimelech (1 Samuel 21). A thank-you psalm, written right after a close call.
What to ask (pick 2 or 3)
- Psalm 136 repeats one line 26 times: “His loving devotion endures forever.” What did that repetition do for you?
- What’s one thing from the last four weeks you’d thank God for that you wouldn’t have noticed before?
- Psalm 90 is the only psalm titled as a prayer of Moses. It asks God to “teach us to number our days.” What would you keep doing after day 30?
- Look back at the line you picked in week 1. Has anything happened since that you’d bring back to God?
Close
Read Psalm 150:6 together: Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Hallelujah!
Leader note
The last meeting falls before or after day 30 depending on your group’s night. Either way, ask question 4. It’s the “what has He done since?” moment the app is built around.