This past year or so, as Terri and I have been searching for a new church home and trying to balance work and our spiritual lives, I’ve read more poetry than I have in a long while.
Over the years, I’ve found I like to swim in deeper waters than many churches like to wade in.
Honestly, the last few months I’ve been struggling with my prayer life. As I’ve explored ways to reignite and refresh my prayer life, I stumbled across some interesting and deeply spiritual poems.
I just want to go deeper.
I’ve discovered that poetry and prayer are deeply connected. Both are forms of expression emerging from our soul’s depths, reaching out to God and all that is Divine. The Psalms is a poetic book in the center of the Bible that offers a profound example of how poetry can re-awaken and invigorate our prayer life.
Written by David, the shepherd king, many of the Psalms pour out his fears, joys, sorrows, and hopes to God in very poetic form. David uses metaphor, imagery, and rhythm as he invites us to explore a space where the human experience meets the divine presence.
For instance, Psalm 23 opens with the phrase, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want,” a simple yet profound metaphor that communicates God’s guidance, provision, and protection.
By its nature, poetry encourages us to slow down and think and to see the world and our experiences through a lens that transcends the ordinary. Poetry speaks to the heart, bypassing the intellect, which too often dominates our approach to God.
Our prayers connect us to God.
Whether we are reading or writing poetry, we find ourselves articulating prayers and longings we were not even aware we had, connecting with God on a level that travels beyond words.
Moreover, poetry’s use of symbolism and imagery can help to illuminate truths about God and our relationship with Him in fresh and meaningful ways. This can be especially powerful in times of dryness in our prayer life, when words feel inadequate or God seems distant. The vivid images and emotional depth found in poetic language can help bridge that gap, drawing us back into a conversation with our Creator.
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
Be encouraged.
In embracing poetry within our prayer life, we follow in the footsteps of Jesus, who Himself used parables—stories with deep spiritual meanings—to teach, reveal, and connect with the hearts of His listeners.
My encouragement to you, is to allow poetry to invite you into a richer, more vibrant dialogue with God. At its core, prayer is about relationship. Prayer reminds us of our deepest heartfelt concerns meeting the ever-present love of God face-to-face.
You are loved.
Praying for us.
Rainer Bantau —The Devotional Guy™
The Devotional Guy™ 
My pleasure. Yes, the Psalms are good soil to grow our faith. Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
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A blessed discussion. Thank you Rainer for connecting poetry and prayer. The Psalms are an encouraging place to start. My writing of Christian poetry has deepened my own faith walk.
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Thank you for reading, Mary, and sharing your encounter with the poem you recently read. I will have to read it now as well.
I pray your writing is continuing to blossom.
Sometimes we all need help to find the words we want to say.
Blessings 🙏
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I just read a poem called “Small Kindnesses” by Danusha Lameris in which she celebrates the small kindnesses we encounter from strangers in daily life (people pulling their feet in when you walk down a crowded aisle or helping you pick up your lemons when they spill out of the grocery bag) as “the true dwelling of the holy, these fleeting temples we make …” Her reminder of the way we can bless each other with small actions in daily life was itself a blessing for me this morning — as was your blog post. It’s true: “poetry speaks to the heart, bypassing the intellect,” and when we’re at a loss in our prayer life, the psalms give us language to reach out to God.
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