worship but which nevertheless inform and shape our private prayers in those most challenging of times (see for example Psalm 137.7-9).
The Psalms as a whole offer us a quarry where we find over the course of a lifetime many rich and good things: phrases, verses, half verses that become food for meditation, that we set deep within our spiritual life like jewels, that become intrinsically part of who we are as followers of Jesus Christ. Part of praying the psalms is taking time to discover these channels of grace, to live within them and to allow them to dwell within us.
Christ the King
The Psalter has always been both an invitation to dwell on God’s written word (caught by Psalm 1) and a witness to God’s living Word, the Christ (caught by Psalm 2). As we have seen, many of the psalms were originally composed for use by God’s anointed, the king. Psalms 2 and 110, and many others, speak directly of the king who will come, the Messiah, the Christ (Hebrew and Greek for anointed). To the Christian, therefore, the Psalter is more than a rich resource for prayer. It is also a handbook and guide for exploring the inexhaustible riches of Christ. Use it deeply and use it well.
Steven Croft
Psalm table for reading the Psalms over the course of a month (BCP)
In the Book of Common Prayer lectionary, the whole Psalter is set to be read from beginning to end at Morning and Evening Prayer over the course of every month, according to the following table.
| Psalms 1–5 | Day 1 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 6–8 | Day 1 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 9–11 | Day 2 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 12–14 | Day 2 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 15–17 | Day 3 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalm 18 | Day 3 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 19–21 | Day 4 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 22–23 | Day 4 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 24–26 | Day 5 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 27–29 | Day 5 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 30–31 | Day 6 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 32–34 | Day 6 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 35–36 | Day 7 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalm 37 | Day 7 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 38–40 | Day 8 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 41–43 | Day 8 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 44–46 | Day 9 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 47–49 | Day 9 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 50–52 | Day 10 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 53–55 | Day 10 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 56–58 | Day 11 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 59–61 | Day 11 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 62–64 | Day 12 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 65–67 | Day 12 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalm 68 | Day 13 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 69–70 | Day 13 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 71–72 | Day 14 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 73–74 | Day 14 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 75–77 | Day 15 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalm 78 | Day 15 | Evening Prayer |
Note: Where there are 31 days in the month, the Psalms for Day 30 are repeated.
| Psalms 79–81 | Day 16 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 82–85 | Day 16 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 86–88 | Day 17 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalm 89 | Day 17 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 90–92 | Day 18 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 93–94 | Day 18 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 95–97 | Day 19 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 98–101 | Day 19 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalms 102–103 | Day 20 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalm 104 | Day 20 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalm 105 | Day 21 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalm 106 | Day 21 | Evening Prayer |
| Psalm 107 | Day 22 | Morning Prayer |
| Psalms 108–109 | Day 22 | Evening Prayer |
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