King and Community: Joining with David in Prayer

Wallace, Howard N. (2007) King and Community: Joining with David in Prayer. In: Psalms and Prayers. Brill, pp. 267-277. ISBN 978-9004160323

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Abstract

The psalms have been the core of the prayer life of the Church over its entire history, and one could say the same for the Synagogue in different but not unrelated ways. How these ancient prayers have commended themselves, and been commended by others, to countless faithful people seeking to speak to God in moments of either desperation or elation is an intriguing question. In the case of the psalms of
praise, the fact that in many of these the voice of the psalmist speaks directly to the community or congregation aids in the appropriation of these words by a later and larger community. But what about the private world of the laments where more often than not we hear only
the psalmist’s voice speaking to a mostly silent deity? Is it simply a matter of association generated by later hearers/readers/prayers that allows a wider appropriation of these psalms? My present question is: are there factors internal to the Psalter that encourage this process
of later appropriation and use? What are some of the aspects of this collection of psalms that allow it to get under the skin of faith communities and take pride of place in their prayer life?

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