Psalm - what is it? How to read them. Church of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of the World of Lycia, Wonderworker, Sovetsky Khmao-Yugra, Tyumen region

Psalter- this is a book of the Old Testament,

composed from the psalms of the King and Prophet David.

Contains 150 psalms, subsequently the 151st was added.

Psalms- these are songs of praise, prayer requests.

They are read or sung.

The Psalter is one of the most used books by many Orthodox Christians.

Moreover, in the first centuries after the Nativity of Christ, many Christians knew the Psalter by heart.

The basis of Orthodox worship is the Psalter. The Psalter is read by the laity in remembrance of the living and the dead, with requests to the Lord in everyday needs, sorrows, and spiritual trials.

Reading the Psalter for every need

The Monk Arsenios of Cappadocia used psalms for blessing, suitable for various occasions;

especially in cases where there was no church order for a special need.

The Greek primary source can be found in the publication “0 Heron Paisios” by Hieromonk Christodoulos, Holy Mount Athos, 1994.

(The number indicates the number of the psalm, and then indicates for what need it should be read)

Index of Psalms

Agriculture: 1, 26, 30, 50, 52, 62, 66, 71, 83, 124, 147, 148.

Animals are hostile: 63, 123, 147.

Children: 22, 76, 109, 113, 114.

Death and the departed: 33, 150.

Disasters: 17, 21, 30, 50, 62, 68, 85, 89.

Physical health: 5, 12, 28, 36, 37, 44, 56, 58, 63, 79, 86, 88, 95, 102, 108, 122, 125, 128, 145, 146.

Mental health: 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 24, 27, 41, 55, 56, 60, 61, 69, 70, 80, 81, 84, 97, 100, 103, 128, 136, 138.

Women's health: 18, 19, 40, 67, 75, 10 142, 145.

Laws and government: 14, 16, 32, 36, 47, 51, 59, 72, 82, 84, 93, 101, 108, 110, 137, 140, 141, 143.

From unclean spirits: 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 33, 57, 65, 90, 94, 96, 121.

Peace and war: 26, 33, 42, 73, 78, 93, 107, 111, 117, 118, 120, 127, 131, 132, 135, 140, 141, 143.

Peace in the family and between friends: 10, 19, 22, 35, 41, 43, 45, 54, 65, 76, 86, 94, 109, 116, 126, 127, 139.

Property: 14, 15, 23, 47, 83, 124.

Protection: 9, 13, 34, 47, 48, 57, 90, 133.

Public issues: 20, 32, 35, 38, 51, 53, 59, 77, 80, 81, 87, 93, 101, 110, 112, 113, 114, 119, 124, 137, 140.

Spiritual issues: 3, 9, 24, 25, 29, 49, 50, 57, 72, 91, 98, 99, 100, 104, 105, 108, 115, 119, 130, 134, 136, 149.

Trips: 28, 29, 31, 92, 135, 150.

Job: 2, 38, 39, 46, 48, 51, 52, 57, 60, 64, 74, 81, 83, 100, 101, 103, 129, 137, 140, 144.

Thanks and praise: 33, 65, 66, 91, 95, 96, 102, 103, 116, 145, 149, 150.

Glorifying God: 8, 17, 92, 102, 103.

Edifying: 1, 32, 40, 45, 84, 89, 100, 111, 126.

Pouring out sorrow: 3, 12, 16, 37, 54, 87, 141, 142.

Expressing hope in God: 53, 85, 90, 111, 120.

Asking for protection and help: 3, 4, 24, 40, 54, 69, 142.

Repentant: 38, 50.

Expressing joy: 32, 83, 114.

• To protect yourself from serious sins: 18
• Against demonic attacks: 45, 67
• When accusations and slander are raised against you: 4, 7, 36, 51
• When you see the pride and malice of many, when people have nothing sacred: 11
• For humility of spirit: 5, 27, 43, 54, 78, 79, 138
• When your enemies continue to seek your destruction: 34, 25, 42
• In gratitude for the victory over the enemy: 17
• During sorrow and misfortune: 3, 12, 21, 68, 76, 82, 142
• When despondent and in unaccountable grief: 90, 26, 101
• In defense from enemies, in adversity, during the machinations of man and the enemy: 90, 3, 37, 2, 49, 53, 58, 139
• In circumstances so that the Lord hears your prayer: 16, 85, 87, 140
• When you ask for mercy and bounty from God: 66
• If you wish to learn how to give thanksgiving to the Lord: 28
• In order not to skimp and give alms: 40
• Praising the Lord: 23, 88, 92, 95, 110, 112, 113, 114, 133, 138
• In illnesses: 29, 46, 69
• In mental turmoil: 30
• In emotional distress: 36, 39, 53, 69
• To console the oppressed: 19
• From damage and sorcerers: 49, 53, 58, 63, 139
• When you need to confess the true God: 9, 74, 104, 105, 106, 107, 117, 135, 137
• About forgiveness of sins and repentance: 50, 6, 24, 56, 129
• In spiritual joy: 102, 103
• When you hear that they are blaspheming the Providence of God: 13, 52
• Lest you be tempted when you see the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer tribulation: 72
• In gratitude for every good deed of God: 33, 145, 149, 45, 47, 64, 65, 80, 84, 97, 115, 116, 123, 125, 134, 148
• Before leaving home: 31
• On the road: 41, 42, 62, 142
• Before sowing: 64
• From theft: 51
• From sinking: 68
• From frost: 147
• In persecution: 53, 55, 56, 141
• About granting a peaceful death: 38
• About the desire to move to eternal settlements: 83
• For deceased: 118
• If the evil one prevails: 142, 67

Treatment with Divine Psalms

Nikolay Kataev

Treatment with the Divine Psalms of St. King David
With the blessing of Archbishop Herman of Volgograd and Kamyshin

Compiled by Priest Dimitri (Begechev-Ilyin), in 1996.
The lives of the saints and the traditions of the elders contain many examples of the healing of the soul and body of the afflicted by reading psalms.

The Holy Spirit filled the mouth of the psalmist David when he was in need, seeking repentance, protection, joy, grace.

Each psalm reveals a specific hypostasis of the Lord in mercy, peacemaking, justice and allows us, in the image and likeness, to strengthen this property in ourselves.

THE PSALM IS READ FROM 3 TO 24 TIMES A DAY!

(According to St. Venerable Lawrence of Chernigov).

The rule given to Pachomius the Great by the Angel contains prayers read hourly. The monastic rule requires reading selected psalms in accordance with the 3, 6, 9 o'clock hours.

Approach with the fear of God and faith, remember that the psalms are not an incantation, but holy prayers.

Probably each of us in childhood dreamed of a magic wand. How great it would be: he waved, and help immediately arrived. Our ancestors also dreamed of help, whose lives were filled with dangers, illnesses and sorrows, oppression and suffering, perhaps much greater than those encountered in the lives of our contemporaries.

Now everything is much simpler, but not in the life of true Christians. The people of God suffer attacks from people, from evil spirits, waging war with the devil and his minions. Every believer clearly sees that, especially if he clearly professes his faith, he has to suffer a lot for it: in everyday life, in his personal life, while traveling, at work, in society, etc. If he secretly professes his faith, then demons create obstacles in other ways.

But Christ, on the day of his ascension into heaven, promised the disciples who were worried that they were left alone: ​​“I am with you always.” And every true believer knows that He does not abandon anyone who believes in Him and calls for help. One of the main “lifesavers” of any Christian for literally any occasion is a treasure for his spiritual life, a collection of prayers and psalms - the Psalter.

What is the Psalter and Psalms

The Psalter is one of the main Christian books, although it was written long before the birth of Christ by several authors.

Traditionally, the Old Testament prophet and King David is considered the creator of the Psalter. Although he himself in his psalms mentions “my fingers composed the Psalter” - that is, he, being both the author, recognizes himself as the compiler. However, in some psalms, other authors are specifically indicated in the text of the book itself: the first psalmist of David himself, Asaph, the temple gatekeepers, the sons of Korah (Korach), and others. The best Jewish commentator Rashi lists ten authors for the Psalms, including Jedithun, Abraham, Heman, Melchizedek, Adam, Asaph, Moses, the sons of Korah.

In some editions Psalms to psalms p the author is also described. In many of the psalms traces of a much later time than David lived are clearly visible: these are the times of the captivity of the Jews by the Babylonians and even later.

The Psalter is a collective spiritual work

Most likely, the Psalter was formed gradually, like any fruit of collective creativity. However, the authors have one thing in common: they are all people who had full communication with God, were righteous in His eyes and had within themselves the constant presence of God - the Holy Spirit. That is why each psalm is a joint creation of man and God. The Psalter combines the reflection of the difficulties, problems and feelings of a believer with the presence of God.

The souls of the holy people, the authors of the psalms, were pleasing to God and He sanctified them with His presence, accompanied them and provided them with the help they needed so much at that time. Each psalm is a symbiosis of human feelings and Divine sanctification. Because God revealed His destinies to each of them and showed His deeds. It is precisely because everything that is described in them, and the way each author perceived what was happening around him, is the truth.

The authors of the psalms were people of different origins - nobles with an excellent education appropriate to their time, and simple people. If David was a king and knew how to handle I am with the word, as can be seen from its beautiful psalms, but with its other author, Moses, everything is a little different.

Moses' contribution

As you know, Moses was “humbling,” that is, he did not know how to speak beautifully and fluently (despite the fact that he was raised at court and did not have royal origin). That is why, when God called Him to serve, he several times persistently asked the Almighty to choose another for this purpose, who would be able to beautifully and clearly tell people what was required of them. To which God even became angry with Moses, making it clear that it was he who pleased Him, and not the other. And he gave Moses his brother Aaron, who was eloquent, to help him, so that he could “translate” to the people what they needed.

We mentioned above that the author of some psalms - and this is a poetic spiritual work that was performed to the accompaniment of a musical string instrument - was Moses. The same tongue-tied one , unable to connect even a few words. His Psalm 89 is an example of spiritual and poetic creativity, in which historical events are also mentioned. Without inspiration from above, it is impossible to convey so briefly, clearly and accurately all your aspirations and praises to the Almighty, to present His deeds, to sing of His power and glory.

Psalm 89 by Moses

“Lord,” exclaims the prophet, “has been a refuge for us from generation to generation.” The prophet testifies that he sees the works of God; they are revealed to him by the Holy Spirit. “All our days have passed in Your wrath; we lose our years, they disappear like sound.” The prophet says that people greatly offended their Heavenly Father by believing not in Him, but in the evil serpent, who tempted Eve to eat from the forbidden tree. Therefore, people on earth in those days, until the Savior came, lived in the wrath of God.

Further, the prophet says: “Our days are seventy years, and with a special strength - eighty, and at the same time their best time is in labor and experiences, in illness, and these best years pass quickly.” And then the man of God draws a conclusion, which develops into a prayer request: “Teach us to spend our days in such a way that we can acquire a wise heart.”

This is how the Lord, with the touch of His Spirit, turns a tongue-tied person into a poet and man of prayer. Those who read and sang these words understood and felt a special, superhuman benefit for their souls and noticed that the Lord, when the words from the psalm were addressed to Him, responded especially quickly to them. After all, He himself participated in their appearance.

Holy people noticed this fact and began to resort to the Psalms, to the words of righteous people more and more often.

When the Psalter is read

Without exaggeration, we can say that you can always read it. This collection contains such depth and wisdom of our predecessors, such a colossal experience of life on earth with God, that there is literally not a single topic to which the words of the psalms would not be suitable. We can briefly outline some situations when people resorted to the Psalter:

In a word - always. Some saints made notes on the psalms, when and in what situation the Lord helped thanks to prayer with one or another psalm, for example, “may the bolt be opened,” “may the lost key be found.”

The Lord is quick to help even when a person appeals to him with even a line from a psalm. This is a proven fact: the angry authorities soften or do not fulfill their formidable promises if a Christian prays to God with the words “Remember, O God, David and all his meekness.” Despite the fact that the name David may not be the name of the one praying, and, to his shame, he does not possess meekness, nevertheless the Lord remembers His man - King David - and helps those who ask for help, protection and mercy to yourself or loved ones.

Which psalms to read under different circumstances

Each situation has its own psalm (or several), which the holy people recognized as most fully reflecting the situation or, according to their experience, especially helping under certain circumstances, even if outwardly the psalm does not reflect the problem that has arisen.

For example, they read:

A psalter for every need

There is such a service book in the Orthodox Church, which is called “Trebnik”. This is a collection that contains a sequence of prayers that must be read and actions that must be done in order to pray worthily before God or ask for His action or constant presence. This includes:

However, a lot is not taken into account by the Trebnik, and it was not created to foresee everything. At the same time, no one in the modern world dares to supplement it by adding their own prayers, thereby putting themselves on a par with the holy people who made up the course of worship and prayer to the Lord. However, this is not an acute problem, since it was the Psalter that became that very addition.

Arseny of Cappadocia, “Psalms for different occasions”

The Monk Arseny turned to the psalms for blessing when there was no specially compiled church rite for a special need. Saint Arseny sorted all the psalms into several very extensive sections:

Each section contains psalms, which approach specific cases in more detail.

Psalm 139

This psalm was written by the Old Testament righteous man David at a moment of great sorrow due to the troubles that befell him. He was persecuted by his son Absalom, who wanted to kill his father. The young man was extremely persistent in his intention, which caused his father terrible grief. The content of the psalm is devoted almost entirely to the enemies, who do not in the least infringe upon themselves in the means to achieve the rightful throne of David.

This psalm is both a prayer and a lament to the Almighty. In it, the author submits to God for judgment what intrigues yesterday’s like-minded people and friends are building against him and, and is horrified by the variety of their tricks. The interpretation of Psalm 139 suggests that David was most depressed by the persistence with which his enemies pursued him: he reports that literally every day they did not give him rest.

The psalmist asks the Creator to create in such a way that the lies from the lips of the wicked will fall on their own heads, and the name of the righteous will be justified.

Psalm 22: why they read it

Let's remember modern American films. An acute moment, the hero’s life is in the balance, and he begins to cry out: “The Lord is my shepherd, I will not need anything.”

The beauty and poetry of the style, the imagery of the language, as well as the brevity of the presentation made this biblical text a true hit among film makers. Several poems from it were heard in many blockbusters and TV series:

• "Terminator",
• "Titanic",
• "Sin City"
• "X-Men"
• "Van Helsing",
• "The Book of Eli"
• "Mentalist" and many others. etc.

​ “The Lord is my shepherd...”, etc. - this is a more modern and less accurate translation of the work. In a more accurate translation, its beginning sounds like “The Lord shepherds me and will not deprive me of anything.”

The main idea of ​​Psalm 22, regardless of its translation and what language it is heard in, remains the following - the Heavenly Father protects and protects his children, directs their thoughts and lives towards spiritual development. Then this thought is revealed. The Almighty provides all His children with everything necessary for life. The only misfortune is that they often do not notice this, they take for granted the ability to live, to know God, and to please their loved ones.

There is also an image of danger, as well as death, in the text, which pushes blockbuster heroes to pray in the most dangerous moments of their lives with these very words. The author of the prayer is unshakably convinced that the Almighty will provide him with reliable protection, because He has all the strength and capabilities for this. Therefore, a believer experiences feelings of joy and hope, trusting in the One who holds everything in His hands.

The Psalter for a Christian is one of the important books. The name Psalter comes from the Greek “psalo,” which means to play on strings.

The Psalms are considered to be a book of prayers for all occasions; even lists are compiled that indicate. They were composed over 8 centuries. More than 80 psalms were written King David(X century BC), in whose life there was grief and joy, love and betrayal of loved ones. In addition to his psalms, the book includes the psalms of Solomon, Moses, Asaph and his descendants, Heman, Etham, the sons of Korah, and 41 psalms of unknown writers.

King David was the first to accompany the singing of his prayers to God by playing the “psaltyrion,” a musical instrument very similar to the modern harp.

Very often during services a thanksgiving song is performed - this is a very beautiful and heartfelt piece.

We are used to reading only prayers, and forget about the psalms. The Church recommends remembering them, therefore many verses from the psalms are included in church services, in modern prayers, and the one that has already become a classic is included in the daily morning rule for reading. Knowing what sin the holy prophet David committed, and the words in which he expressed his regret and repentance about this, recorded in the 50th Psalm, you begin to understand the feelings conveyed in the psalms much better.
These prayerful appeals to the Lord are filled with love and thanksgiving and instill in the hearts of people a feeling of reverence and empathy, repentance and joy in the Lord.

An interesting incident happened to me, the author of the article, at the airport. Our flight was delayed. Just like the previous flight of the same airline, which was supposed to fly to the same destination as us, but an hour earlier, was postponed. We are sitting, waiting for departure. My wife took out a psalter and began to read psalms. I read several psalms and suddenly, the passengers of our flight are asked to board. Our plane nevertheless departed on time, and the departure of the previous flight, unfortunately, was again postponed.

Saint Ephraim the Syrian wrote about the psalms:

Psalm – driving away demons.
The psalm is a weapon against the fear of the night.
Psalm - calmness from the day's labors. Psalm - safety of babies.
The psalm is a consolation for the elderly, the most decent decoration for women. He makes the holidays bright, he produces sorrow for God.
The psalm also brings tears from a heart of stone.
Psalm is the work of Angels, heavenly residence, spiritual censer. It enlightens the mind, it lifts people to heaven, it makes people interlocutors with God, it delights the soul, it stops judgment, it humbles those at war. Where there is a psalm of contrition, there is God with the Angels.

ABBREVIATIONS IN THE PSALMTER

The abbreviations written in the text of the Psalter mean the following:

• Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God. (Thrice).
• Lord have mercy. ( Three times).
• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

At the end of the kathisma, in the last Gloryreads only:

• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

In prayers at the end of any kathisma it is written:
Trisagion. Holy Trinity... Our Father…

• Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. ( Three times)
• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
• Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name's sake.
• Lord have mercy. ( Three times)
• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
• Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

After"Our Father" the troparion indicated in the psalter is read, then"Lord have mercy" ( 40 times) and prayer.

• Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow)
• Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. (Bow)
• Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God. (Bow)

If you finish reading the psalter on this day, then read sequentially:

• Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
• Lord have mercy. ( Three times)
• Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, prayers for the sake of Thy Most Pure Mother, by the power of the Honest and Life-Giving Cross and the holy Heavenly powers, disembodied, and our reverend and God-bearing fathers, and the Holy Prophet David, and all the saints, have mercy and save me, a sinner, for I am Good and Lover of humanity. Amen.

On the Internet you can find descriptions of situations in which reading psalms helps - which will save you from toothache, for a successful marriage, getting housing, etc. These are special cases and perhaps they helped someone, but that is not the main point.

The main idea of ​​the psalms, why they exist, this is repentance for one’s sins and gratitude to God for His mercies towards us people. The texts of the psalms also often contain prayers to the Lord for help in difficult circumstances and for protection from enemies. At the same time, the holy fathers point out that the enemies mentioned in the psalter are precisely internal enemies of a person: pride, anger, hatred etc. Having eradicated them (internal problems), the rest of the troubles, by God’s grace, will leave you alone.

read a psalm of gratitude or glorifying God, then you need to sincerely repent of your sins, perhaps even some specific ones for which God teaches you, creating a certain unpleasant situation that you want to resolve. After the repentant psalm, they usually read a psalm about help or intercession, and then again a psalm of thanksgiving to the Lord.

Everyone can have their own prayer set for different life occasions. In your choice, it is very useful to read the interpretation of the psalms, the history of their origin, and then your soul will help you choose the most understandable and close psalms.

For example, Schema-Archimandrite Vitaly (Sidorenko; † 1992), who is revered as an ascetic, gave the following instructions to his children: before leaving the house you need to read Psalms 26, 50 and 90, and after each psalm you need to read “ Rejoice to the Virgin Mary“, these prayers will help protect you from trouble.

From the holy fathers we find advice about the importance and necessity of reading the Psalter. What psalms should be read in different life circumstances and situations? See our selection.

In despondency and in unaccountable sorrow: Psalm 26

The Lord is my enlightenment and my Savior, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the Protector of my life, from whom shall I fear? Sometimes those who are angry come close to me, they destroy my flesh, they insult me, and they defeat me, they are exhausted and fall. Even if a regiment takes up arms against me, my heart will not fear, even if it rises up to fight me, I will trust in Him. I have asked one thing from the Lord, and this I will require: that I may live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may behold the beauty of the Lord, and that I may visit His holy temple. For He hid me in His village in the day of my evil, for He covered me in the secret of His village, and lifted me up on a stone. And now, behold, I have lifted up my head against my enemies: I have died and devoured in His village a sacrifice of praise and shouting, I will sing and sing praises to the Lord. Hear, O Lord, my voice to which I cried: have mercy on me and hear me. My heart says to you, I will seek the Lord. I will seek Your face, O Lord, I will seek Your face. Do not turn Your face away from me and do not turn away in anger from Your servant: be my helper, do not reject me, and do not forsake me, O God of my Savior. For my father and mother have abandoned me, but the Lord will receive me. Give me the law, O Lord, in Thy way and guide me on the right path for my enemy’s sake. Do not betray me into the souls of those who are afflicted by me, as if I stood up as a witness to unrighteousness and lied untruthfully to myself. I believe in seeing the good of the Lord on the land of the living. Be patient with the Lord, be of good courage and let your heart be strong, and be patient with the Lord.

When accusations and slander are raised against you: Psalm 7

Lord my God, I trust in You, save me from all those who persecute me and deliver me: lest when a lion snatches away my soul, I am not the one who delivers, nor the one who saves. Lord my God, if I have done this, if there is unrighteousness in my hand, if I have rewarded those who repay evil, let me then fall away from my enemies. May the enemy marry my soul and destroy it, and trample my belly into the ground, and place my glory in the dust. Arise, O Lord, by Thy wrath, rise to the ends of Thy enemies, and arise, O Lord my God, by the commandment which Thou hast commanded. And a host of people will pass by You, and about this you will turn to the heights. The Lord judges people: judge me, Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my kindness towards me. May the malice of sinners end, and correct the righteous, test the hearts and wombs, O righteous God. My help comes from God, who saves the right in heart. God the Judge is righteous and strong and patient, and does not bring wrath every day. If you do not turn, He will cleanse this weapon, He will make His bow tense and ready, and in it He will prepare the vessels of death, He will make His arrows burnt up. Behold, by unrighteousness, sickness was conceived, and iniquity was born: a ditch of destruction, and an fossil, and it will fall into the pit that it has made. His illness will turn on his head, and unrighteousness will come down on his head. Let us confess to the Lord in His righteousness and sing to the name of the Lord Most High.

For Humility of Spirit: Psalm 27

To Thee, O Lord, I will cry, O my God, that thou shalt not keep silence from me, and never be silent from me: and I will become like those who go down into the pit. Hear, O Lord, the voice of my prayer, always pray to You, always raise my hands to Your holy temple. Do not bring me with sinners and do not destroy me with those who do injustice, who speak peace with their neighbors, but evil is in their hearts. Give them, O Lord, according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their undertakings: give them a hand according to their deeds: give them their reward. For I have not understood the works of the Lord and the works of His hand: I have destroyed, and I have not built. Blessed is the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my prayer. The Lord is my Helper and my Protector: my heart trusts in Him, and He will help me, and my flesh will prosper, and I will confess my will to Him. The Lord is the strengthener of His people, and the Protector of the salvation of His Christ. Save Thy people and bless Thy inheritance, and save me and take me to the ages.

In defense from enemies, in adversity, during the machinations of man and the enemy: Psalm 90

Living in the help of the Most High, he will settle in the shelter of the Heavenly God. Says the Lord: Thou art my Protector and my Refuge, my God, and I trust in Him. For He will deliver you from the snare of the trap, and from rebellious words, His splash will overshadow you, and under His wing you hope: His truth will surround you with weapons. Do not be afraid from the fear of the night, from the arrow that flies during the day, from the thing that passes in the darkness, from the cloak, and from the demon of the midday. Thousands will fall from your country, and darkness will fall at your right hand, but it will not come close to you, otherwise you will look at your eyes, and you will see the reward of sinners. For You, O Lord, are my hope, You have made the Most High your refuge. Evil will not come to you, and wound will not approach your body, as His Angel commanded you to keep you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their arms, but not when you dash your foot on a stone, step on an asp and a basilisk, and cross a lion and a serpent. For I have trusted in Me, and I will deliver, and I will cover, and because I have known My name. He will call to Me, and I will hear him: I am with him in sorrow, I will destroy him, and I will glorify him, I will fill him with long days, and I will show him My salvation.

To protect yourself from serious sins: Psalm 18

The heavens will tell the glory of God, but the firmament will proclaim His handiwork. Day of days is vomited by the verb, and night of night is proclaimed by the mind. Speech is not the essence, it is lower than words, and their voices are not heard. Their messages went forth into all the earth, and their words into the ends of the world. Place Your settlement in the sun, and He, like the Bridegroom who proceeds from His palace, will rejoice like the Giant of the mother-in-law's path. From the edge of heaven His departure, and His meeting to the edge of heaven, and nothing else will be sheltered by His warmth. The law of the Lord is undefiled, converting souls, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making children wise. The justifications of the Lord are right, gladdening the heart, the commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, abide in the age of the century: the destinies of the Lord are true, justified together, desired more than gold and stone is abundant and sweeter than honey and honeycomb. For Thy servant protects me, and always save me, the reward is great. Who understands the Fall? Cleanse me from my secrets, and spare Thy servant from strangers, if they do not possess me, then I will be blameless and cleansed from great sin. And the words of my mouth and the teaching of my heart will be pleasing before You, O Lord, my Helper and my Deliverer.

About forgiveness of sins and repentance: Psalm 50

Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your mercies, cleanse my iniquity. Above all, wash me from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity and bear away my sin before me. I have sinned against You alone, and I have created evil before You, so that You may be justified in Your words and overcome, never judge You. Behold, I was conceived in iniquity, and my mother gave birth to me in sins. Behold, Thou hast loved the truth, Thou hast revealed to me Thy unknown and secret wisdom. Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Give joy and gladness to my hearing; humble bones will rejoice. Turn Your face away from my sins, and cleanse all my iniquities. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in my womb. Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me. Reward me with the joy of Your salvation, and strengthen me with the Master’s Spirit. I will teach the wicked Your way, and the wicked will turn to You. Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, God of my salvation; my tongue will rejoice in Your righteousness. Lord, open my mouth, and my mouth will declare Your praise. As if you had wanted sacrifices, you would have given burnt offerings, but you would not have been pleased. The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a contrite and humble heart, God will not despise. Bless Zion, O Lord, with Your favor, and may the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then you will be pleased with the sacrifice of righteousness, the wave offering and the burnt offering, then they will lay the bullock on Your altar.

In gratitude for every good deed of God: Psalm 33

I will bless the Lord at all times; I will make His praise in my mouth. My soul will glory in the Lord, that the meek may hear and rejoice. Magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. Seek the Lord and hear me, and deliver me from all my sorrows. Come to Him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed. This beggar cried out, and the Lord heard and saved him from all his sorrows. The Angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him and deliver them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Nan. Fear the Lord, all your saints, for there is no hardship for those who fear Him. Those who are poor and hungry are rich, but those who seek the Lord will not be deprived of any good. Come, children, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Who is a person who loves life and sees good things? Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking flattery. Avoid evil and do good. Seek peace, and get married, and... The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are upon their prayer. The face of the Lord, against those who do evil, will consume their memory from the earth. The righteous cried out, and the Lord heard them, and delivered them from all their sorrows. The Lord is near to those who are broken in heart, and will save those who are humble in spirit. Many are the sorrows of the righteous, and the Lord will deliver me from all of them. The Lord protects all their bones; not one of them will be broken. The death of sinners is cruel, and those who hate the righteous will sin. The Lord will deliver the souls of His servant, and all who trust in Him will not sin.

Reading Christian psalms is an integral part of the prayer rule of any believer. The Psalter is a unique book in which many generations have been collected, because it is already about three thousand years old. Many saints wrote about which psalm to read when, but the teaching of the Venerable Elder Arsenios of Cappadocia is more widespread than others - it is precisely this that Orthodox Christians prefer to use.

On what occasions should we read the psalms?

Arseny of Cappadocia lived in Asia Minor at the end of the 19th – beginning of the 20th centuries, and was a famous holy ascetic, healer and visionary elder of his time. Arseny considered the reading of the psalms to be the basis of the prayer rule and tried to instill a love for the Psalter in all his spiritual children. When they asked him which psalm to read when, he recommended the following (ordinal number - psalm number):

List of psalms: which ones to read when

1. About the fertility of trees and grapes.
2. About sanity and enlightenment of those who go to a meeting or council.
3. From human malice.
4. To strengthen the soft-hearted.
5. About healing the eyes of a person who has suffered from an attack.
6. From spells.
7. Saint Arseny recommended the reading of this psalm to those who are threatened by criminals.
8. From attacks by demons and wicked people.
9. From fears inspired by demons.
10. From marital quarrels.
11. To calm aggressive mentally ill people.
12. For liver diseases.
13. From demons (read three times a day).
14. For admonition and repentance of criminals.
15. According to Arsenius of Cappadocia, reading this psalm with faith helped to find lost keys.
16. From slander.
17. From storms and earthquakes.
18. During difficult births.
19. From infertility.
20. To soften the heart of a rich man, to give alms and help the poor.
21. From a fire.
22. To discipline disobedient children.
23. To open a door without a key.
24. Read this psalm when you are constantly losing something.
25. So that God fulfills the prayer without harm to the person asking.
26. From enemies and foreign invaders.
27. From mental and physical illnesses.
28. For seasickness.
29. Read for those and about those who are on long journeys.
30. About the fertility of the lands.
31. About the lost.
32. About those unjustly convicted.
33. Read this psalm when a loved one dies seriously.
34. From evil machinations.
35. To reconcile those who quarreled.
36. From an attack by robbers.
37. For toothache.
38. To find a job.
39. On employee reconciliation.
40. In case of premature birth.
41. From unhappy love.
42. About deliverance from captivity.
43. Reading this psalm helps reveal the truth to quarreling spouses.
44. For heart and kidney diseases.
45. Read this psalm when obstacles to marriage arise.
46. On reconciliation between boss and subordinate.
47. In case of severe disasters (read 40 days).
48. Working in dangerous work.
49. About granting repentance to one's neighbor.
50. About bringing the authorities to their senses.
51. About a good fish catch.
52. To restore a good name.
53. Read this psalm when your neighbors offend you.
54. For headaches.
55. So that good luck accompanies you in your work.
56. About healing from dumbness.
57. About discovering the truth.
58. From laziness.
59. From an unjust judge.
60. About getting rid of misfortunes.
61. From drought.
62. From attacks by rabid animals.
63. For good trading.
64. From evil and crafty guests.
65. About livestock.
66. From miscarriages.
67. From the flood.
68. The reading of this psalm is indicated for those who often fall into despair over every trifle.
69. From despair caused by loneliness.
70. About the blessing of the new harvest.
71. About the repentance of criminals.
72. On the protection of peasants working in the fields during the war.
73. About bringing some sense into an evil boss.
74. From fear during childbirth.
75. About mutual understanding between parents and children.
76. About the mercy of creditors, so that debts are not extorted.
77. To protect against robbers.
78. From dropsy.
79. From despair caused by poverty.
80. About good trade among peasants.
81. Read this psalm when you know that someone is planning a murder, so that God will not allow it.
82. To protect the household from robbers, fires and other misfortunes.
83. About the healing of those wounded by criminals.
84. From plague (epidemics).
85. About extending the lives of people on whom other family members depend.
86. From the hard-heartedness of neighbors.
87. For strengthening while working.
88. About sending down rain.
89. Reading this psalm helps those who personally.
90. About prudence.
91. About protecting the ship from adversity.
92. About enlightening those who bring confusion to the people.
93. So that spouses do not quarrel.
94. About healing the deaf.
95. About dispelling spells cast by sorcerers.
96. About consolation in grief.
97. About strengthening those who decided to take monastic vows.
98. So that God bless those who do his will.
99. About the gift of talents.
100. About enlightenment and blessing of the authorities.
101. From female diseases.
102. About household prosperity.
103. For God to grant repentance.
104. So that people do not deviate from the path of salvation.
105. From infertility.
106. About humility and admonition of enemies.
107. For epilepsy.
108. Read this psalm when younger people lose respect for their elders.
109. About repentance and admonishment of unrighteous judges.
110. About the protection of warriors.
111. Read this psalm when creditors are persecuting a widow.
112. About healing children from dementia.
113. To admonish and console poor children, so that they do not become despondent when looking at a friend’s wealth.
114. About healing from the passion of lies.
115. About love in the family.
116. From enemy attacks.
117. To deter criminals who kill women and children.
118. About the long-suffering of those who are forced to live with wicked people.
119. About deliverance from slavery.
120. About getting rid of superstition.
121. About healing from blindness and eye diseases.
122. From snake attacks.
123. About protecting fields from robbery.
124. For headaches.
125. About peace in the family.
126. About protecting home and family from evil people.
127. For migraines.
128. About blessing those who got a new job.
129. About the gift of repentance and hope.
130. So that the Lord will show his mercy and stop the wars.
131. On the enlightenment of peoples.
132. Reading this psalm delivers from all misfortunes.
133. About attention during prayer.
134. This psalm should be read when people are forced to leave their homes (to refugees).
135. From hot temper.
136. About educating the authorities so that they see the needs of the people.
137. About getting rid of blasphemous thoughts.
138. From the difficult character of the head of the family.
139. From the cruelty of the authorities.
140. About the humility of a troublemaker.
141. To safely carry the child.
142. So that there are no riots and revolutions.
143. About the blessing of labor.
144. From bleeding.
145. About healing the wounded and bitten.
146. About pacifying wild animals.
147. About sending down good weather.
148. The reading of this psalm expresses the love and gratitude of a believer to God.
149. About neighbors who are in distant lands, as well as about the dead.