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When You Don't Have the Words: Praying the Psalms
God wants to hear from us. So he gave us the Psalms.
Enter a deeper communion with GodLet every Psalm shape your prayer lifeExperience fresh prayer using ancient practicesSometimes we can’t find the right words to express our grief, longings, or even our joy. But in the Psalms, God gives us words to give back to him. The Psalms are deep and vast, speaking from every season of the soul. As we pray the Psalms, they form us. They teach us how to pray and what to pray.
In When You Don’t Have the Praying the Psalms, Reed S. Dunn shows how the Psalms enrich our prayer lives. Dunn gives deeply practical guidance, relating to the challenges we face with praying the Psalms and highlighting how they can reshape and enliven our prayers.
With the Psalms, we always have words to pray.
Enter a deeper communion with GodLet every Psalm shape your prayer lifeExperience fresh prayer using ancient practicesSometimes we can’t find the right words to express our grief, longings, or even our joy. But in the Psalms, God gives us words to give back to him. The Psalms are deep and vast, speaking from every season of the soul. As we pray the Psalms, they form us. They teach us how to pray and what to pray.
In When You Don’t Have the Praying the Psalms, Reed S. Dunn shows how the Psalms enrich our prayer lives. Dunn gives deeply practical guidance, relating to the challenges we face with praying the Psalms and highlighting how they can reshape and enliven our prayers.
With the Psalms, we always have words to pray.
224 pages, Paperback
Published June 25, 2025
18 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 10, 2025
This has become one of my favorite introductions to the spiritual discipline of dwelling in the Psalter. Ever since I first encountered the Rule of St. Benedict and began visiting monasteries—where the entire Psalter is prayed weekly—I’ve fallen in love with the ancient spirituality of the Psalms. They form a living thread of continuity between Judaism and Christianity.
Pastor Reed Dunn offers a thoughtful balance of historical anecdotes—from the Desert Fathers, the early Church, and the Reformers—with gentle, pastoral application. The tone is more devotional than academic, making it especially accessible. I’d readily recommend it to fellow lovers of the Book of Common Prayer as a way to deepen one’s appreciation for the Psalter.
Too few realize that before there were prayer books—whether ancient, Roman, Eastern, or Anglican—there were the Psalms. Though Dunn is Presbyterian, I appreciated that he doesn’t impose the regulative principle on the reader.
My wife and I have been lamenting the stillbirth of our first baby girl Alice. There are many days of grief where I haven't had words to pray through the emotional weight. While not addressing the grief of loss explicitly, this book has helped me dive deeper into the Psalter for comfort. I paired it with the Monastic Breviary edited by the Order of the Holy Cross and the Order of Saint Helena (Anglican), including their two-week Psalter cycle of Matins, Midday, Vespers, and Compline prayer.
This book would pair beautifully with Hans Boersma’s Pierced by Love, which offers a richer dive into lectio divina across all of Scripture. If one were to combine Dunn’s call to inhabit the Psalter with Boersma’s sacramental vision of reading, they would find themselves rooted in a deeply nourishing spiritual life, grounded in the wisdom of the Church.
*Thank you to Lexham Press for sending me this pre-release review copy.*
Pastor Reed Dunn offers a thoughtful balance of historical anecdotes—from the Desert Fathers, the early Church, and the Reformers—with gentle, pastoral application. The tone is more devotional than academic, making it especially accessible. I’d readily recommend it to fellow lovers of the Book of Common Prayer as a way to deepen one’s appreciation for the Psalter.
Too few realize that before there were prayer books—whether ancient, Roman, Eastern, or Anglican—there were the Psalms. Though Dunn is Presbyterian, I appreciated that he doesn’t impose the regulative principle on the reader.
My wife and I have been lamenting the stillbirth of our first baby girl Alice. There are many days of grief where I haven't had words to pray through the emotional weight. While not addressing the grief of loss explicitly, this book has helped me dive deeper into the Psalter for comfort. I paired it with the Monastic Breviary edited by the Order of the Holy Cross and the Order of Saint Helena (Anglican), including their two-week Psalter cycle of Matins, Midday, Vespers, and Compline prayer.
This book would pair beautifully with Hans Boersma’s Pierced by Love, which offers a richer dive into lectio divina across all of Scripture. If one were to combine Dunn’s call to inhabit the Psalter with Boersma’s sacramental vision of reading, they would find themselves rooted in a deeply nourishing spiritual life, grounded in the wisdom of the Church.
*Thank you to Lexham Press for sending me this pre-release review copy.*
July 12, 2025
At the risk of sounding dramatic, this book is life-changing, or, more accurately, prayer-changing. It does NOT contain some gimmicky new way to pray, but in fact, calls us back to the ancient practice followed by Jesus and his earliest followers—using the Psalms as a scaffolding for our own prayers.
I don’t know about you, but so many seasons of my life—often the seasons when I need prayer the most—my own words fall short. This book walks you very practically through the ancient practice of praying the Psalms back to God. Awash in simplicity, this practice gets our eyes off ourselves (and helps avoid that ick we feel when our prayers are always me-me-me). Best of all, it gives us words for the emotions we’re sometimes too bashful to bring to God, which tends to be the emotions we most need to release to Him. From page 58–“God wants to see all the heat that’s burning in our heart, and he provided the Psalms to graciously coax it out of us.”
This book is accessible, imminently practical, and so full of gems you’d better get ready underline a LOT. It’s going to be a game-changer for a lot of weary souls, including mine. ❤️🩹
I don’t know about you, but so many seasons of my life—often the seasons when I need prayer the most—my own words fall short. This book walks you very practically through the ancient practice of praying the Psalms back to God. Awash in simplicity, this practice gets our eyes off ourselves (and helps avoid that ick we feel when our prayers are always me-me-me). Best of all, it gives us words for the emotions we’re sometimes too bashful to bring to God, which tends to be the emotions we most need to release to Him. From page 58–“God wants to see all the heat that’s burning in our heart, and he provided the Psalms to graciously coax it out of us.”
This book is accessible, imminently practical, and so full of gems you’d better get ready underline a LOT. It’s going to be a game-changer for a lot of weary souls, including mine. ❤️🩹
August 10, 2025
Excellent book on prayer for the person looking for a spiritual experience and deeper relationship with God. Dunn is very perceptive, steeped in the fathers, and knowing the human heart well. I was very edified, and want to buy this book for about ten people I know.
July 24, 2025
In When You Don’t Have the Words: Praying the Psalms, Reed S. Dunn shows how the Psalms enrich our prayer lives. This book demonstrates how the Psalms are the perfect instrument to shape our spirituality and guide us to our Lord.
Dunn begins by explaining that the Psalms are not just Israel’s handbook—they are Israel’s prayer book. Each psalm is an invitation to have a particular spiritual experience with God.
Praying All the Psalms
I was most challenged to learn that praying all of the Psalms is as important as praying any of them. Instead of picking and choosing which Psalms I want to pray in my life, I now want all of them to shape and mold me. Dunn describes developing a kind of muscle memory for praying the Psalms—meaning they come to mind naturally through regular practice.
The Psalms help us live in the Spirit. This is true spirituality: being close to God, no matter where we are. Dunn calls this a kind of spiritual stability—the ability to regularly pray through things that would usually derail us. In fact, the tree in Psalm One is a picture of that very stability.
Believing God Through the Psalms
What I found most interesting was how praying the Psalms changes our experience of believing God. We believe in both the natural and the supernatural. We begin to see God as an active participant in our lives. So much of the time, I want to recognize the hidden hand of God. I now believe the Psalms are my way to get there.
The Psalms show us that God is our refuge in many ways. Praying the Psalms frees us to run to God instead of trying to fix ourselves. The Psalms help us become self-forgetful—in a good way—turning our attention Godward. They point us to the righteousness of Christ, the reality of evil, and God’s ultimate victory over it. And when God seems silent, the Psalms give us words to say when we feel separated from Him.
How God Shapes a Soul
The book ends on the note that the Psalms help us relate to and meet with God. After reading this book, I am motivated to make Psalm reading a regular part of my routine using The Kathismata Psalter. I am eager and ready to see how God shapes my soul through the Psalms.
I received a media copy of When You Don’t Have the Words and this is my honest review.
Dunn begins by explaining that the Psalms are not just Israel’s handbook—they are Israel’s prayer book. Each psalm is an invitation to have a particular spiritual experience with God.
Praying All the Psalms
I was most challenged to learn that praying all of the Psalms is as important as praying any of them. Instead of picking and choosing which Psalms I want to pray in my life, I now want all of them to shape and mold me. Dunn describes developing a kind of muscle memory for praying the Psalms—meaning they come to mind naturally through regular practice.
The Psalms help us live in the Spirit. This is true spirituality: being close to God, no matter where we are. Dunn calls this a kind of spiritual stability—the ability to regularly pray through things that would usually derail us. In fact, the tree in Psalm One is a picture of that very stability.
Believing God Through the Psalms
What I found most interesting was how praying the Psalms changes our experience of believing God. We believe in both the natural and the supernatural. We begin to see God as an active participant in our lives. So much of the time, I want to recognize the hidden hand of God. I now believe the Psalms are my way to get there.
The Psalms show us that God is our refuge in many ways. Praying the Psalms frees us to run to God instead of trying to fix ourselves. The Psalms help us become self-forgetful—in a good way—turning our attention Godward. They point us to the righteousness of Christ, the reality of evil, and God’s ultimate victory over it. And when God seems silent, the Psalms give us words to say when we feel separated from Him.
How God Shapes a Soul
The book ends on the note that the Psalms help us relate to and meet with God. After reading this book, I am motivated to make Psalm reading a regular part of my routine using The Kathismata Psalter. I am eager and ready to see how God shapes my soul through the Psalms.
I received a media copy of When You Don’t Have the Words and this is my honest review.
June 26, 2025
If you ever struggled with your faith, if you’ve ever struggled with what to pray, if you’ve ever felt like your praying a Christmas list to God that never feels fulfilled but more like a shopping list, if you’ve ever felt like your prayers aren’t heard and your simply talking to the air- this book will guide you down the ancient road of prayers to God from God. In this book, the author guides the reader back to the beginning of prayer with the book of prayers given by God: the Psalms (Psalter). If you’ve ever been told that “you can’t ask God for that” or “you can’t be angry/sad/upset at God,” this book will show you that you are not alone. The author shows the reader that the Psalms hold prayers for every moment, season, and emotion; the author gives the reader, through the Psalms, the words given by God to pray through every high and through every dark valley.
The book is broken into two sections: the first introduce the reader to the original purpose of the Pslams and includes many practical tips and ways to implement praying the Pslams in one’s own life. The second section is 7 sections focusing on prominent themes found through the Psalms. Each chapter includes a reflection that focuses on a group or particular Psalm and a more in-depth examination and reflection of that Psalm(s).
The author does an excellent job in balancing strong theological history and knowledge with his own personal journey down this ancient road of prayer. The author also illuminates how the Psalms are connected and prayer throughout the Bible to further strengthen the reader’s understanding that the book of Psalms is a book of prayers given by God to His people.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who feels lost in their prayers and is seeking to find the path to God. They will find that guide in this book as the author leads the reader down the road of the Psalms.
I was sent this book for free from the publisher to review but was not required to give a positive review. I had already intended to buy and read the book before I was asked to review it.
The book is broken into two sections: the first introduce the reader to the original purpose of the Pslams and includes many practical tips and ways to implement praying the Pslams in one’s own life. The second section is 7 sections focusing on prominent themes found through the Psalms. Each chapter includes a reflection that focuses on a group or particular Psalm and a more in-depth examination and reflection of that Psalm(s).
The author does an excellent job in balancing strong theological history and knowledge with his own personal journey down this ancient road of prayer. The author also illuminates how the Psalms are connected and prayer throughout the Bible to further strengthen the reader’s understanding that the book of Psalms is a book of prayers given by God to His people.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who feels lost in their prayers and is seeking to find the path to God. They will find that guide in this book as the author leads the reader down the road of the Psalms.
I was sent this book for free from the publisher to review but was not required to give a positive review. I had already intended to buy and read the book before I was asked to review it.
June 18, 2025
I did not expect to like this book so much. You never know with a new author. I've read plenty of books on prayer, and few of them stand out. This one does. The premise of the book is that prayer is an incredible gift from God to people. It is the gift and offer of access to God himself. It is not something to overlook or take lightly.
At the same time, that offer of access can be overwhelming. What should I say to the God of the universe? What is he like? What does he like? Is it okay to pray for some things and not others? Can I express my real emotions or does God want me to address him in a certain way?
We live in a time that values authenticity over formality. As a result, many who pray prefer to do so in their own words rather than pre-written ones, which is understandable and often very good. But it can also put pressure on us to find the right words, trying to get God to understand or even respond in the way we want.
The author of this book provides an ancient and happy remedy to these all-too-human tendencies: the Book of Psalms. He writes, "God has provided a guide, an ancient path, that can lead us into his presence. This guide pierces through the veil of mystery with something that we can actually hold in our hands. It brings together the ordinary act of praying with divine words that come straight from God himself" (p. 3).
But what makes the book stand out is the author's voice, his experience, and his pastor's heart. Halfway through the book, knowing I would write a review at the end, I wrote in the margin: "theological, personal, practical, funny, pastoral." This book is all those things and more. It has refreshed and strengthened my prayer life. I highly recommend it.
I was given this book for free but was not required to provide a positive review.
At the same time, that offer of access can be overwhelming. What should I say to the God of the universe? What is he like? What does he like? Is it okay to pray for some things and not others? Can I express my real emotions or does God want me to address him in a certain way?
We live in a time that values authenticity over formality. As a result, many who pray prefer to do so in their own words rather than pre-written ones, which is understandable and often very good. But it can also put pressure on us to find the right words, trying to get God to understand or even respond in the way we want.
The author of this book provides an ancient and happy remedy to these all-too-human tendencies: the Book of Psalms. He writes, "God has provided a guide, an ancient path, that can lead us into his presence. This guide pierces through the veil of mystery with something that we can actually hold in our hands. It brings together the ordinary act of praying with divine words that come straight from God himself" (p. 3).
But what makes the book stand out is the author's voice, his experience, and his pastor's heart. Halfway through the book, knowing I would write a review at the end, I wrote in the margin: "theological, personal, practical, funny, pastoral." This book is all those things and more. It has refreshed and strengthened my prayer life. I highly recommend it.
I was given this book for free but was not required to provide a positive review.
July 1, 2025
I found this book to be accessible, informative, and enlightening. Dunn provides a truly tangible way to improve your prayer life. Having grown up in the church, I was genuinely surprised to find out to find out that not only was praying the psalms something people did, but that people had been doing it for thousands of years!
Aside from the typical laundry list of please and thank you's, I have never been great at knowing what to pray, so too often I skip it altogether. It's quite refreshing to realize that God has given us the psalms as prayers.
I really appreciated all the historical context provided. It gives me confidence and comfort to know that this method of prayer is the same way God shaped the mindset of Israelites making pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem in the Old Testament.
I look forward to using Dunn's clearly laid out methods for praying the psalms and am confident his reminder of this ancient path will be helpful to many believers and seekers.
Aside from the typical laundry list of please and thank you's, I have never been great at knowing what to pray, so too often I skip it altogether. It's quite refreshing to realize that God has given us the psalms as prayers.
I really appreciated all the historical context provided. It gives me confidence and comfort to know that this method of prayer is the same way God shaped the mindset of Israelites making pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem in the Old Testament.
I look forward to using Dunn's clearly laid out methods for praying the psalms and am confident his reminder of this ancient path will be helpful to many believers and seekers.
June 28, 2025
This is my book of the summer. When You Don’t Have the Words gave me such a refreshing take on the Psalms—one of the most familiar parts of Scripture, yet somehow the author made them feel brand new.
He walks you through how to read, pray, and actually experience the Psalms in a deeper, more personal way. This book is one that meets you where you are and gently draws you closer to God through these poetic prayers of the Psalter.
This is definitely one I’ll keep coming back to again and again. If you’ve ever struggled to find the right words in prayer or just want to fall in love with the Psalms again, I highly recommend this book!
He walks you through how to read, pray, and actually experience the Psalms in a deeper, more personal way. This book is one that meets you where you are and gently draws you closer to God through these poetic prayers of the Psalter.
This is definitely one I’ll keep coming back to again and again. If you’ve ever struggled to find the right words in prayer or just want to fall in love with the Psalms again, I highly recommend this book!
July 30, 2025
Highly recommend. This book makes a compelling case for using the Psalms as intended, i.e.,prayer, not study. There is a good deal of time spent on how to deal with Psalms that strike us as offensive or reactionary. The author redirects our focus on prayer as a formula into its proper object, God Himself. The book is sprinkled with subtle humor and is divided into very manageable chunks, giving easy reading for a hectic life. Do yourself a favor and read it.
October 1, 2025
Dunn offers the reader pastoral insight that is steeped in his close reading of the Psalms. It reminded me of Eugene Peterson's lived in and biblically rich insight. As the title suggests the Psalter is our prayer book when we don't have our own words, and even when we do.
September 28, 2025
This book helped me view the Psalms and prayer in a new and very helpful way.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews