Welcome to answers from an apostolic faith.
In name of the Father and Son, the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen.
Should I be praying with psalms? If I'm asking myself this question, I should also ask myself a different question: What did the early Church do? Did she pray with psalms or no? Because we know that Christ gave to the early Church, to the apostles, the life of the Church, the holy tradition. So, when we go and see what did they do, how did they pray, that counts, because evidently this Church was extremely strong, as it's so shown in the book of Acts.
So, when you look at chapters 3 and chapter 4 of the book of Acts, we find this beautiful story, the story of St. Peter that healed a man that was lame at the gate of the temple. So, in Acts 3, he heals them. In Acts 4, we find that St. Peter and St. John are being questioned by the Jews and they're not too happy about it, because they heal in the name of Jesus.
So, St. Peter, after being threatened, he left, him and St. John, and went to see their companions. And we find, in Acts 4:23-26, that the apostles raised their voice to God in prayer and they prayed a psalm. In Acts 3:1, Acts 10:9, you find even the timing of these psalms that they prayed... St. John and St. Peter prayed the sixth and ninth hours. Because in the Jewish tradition, their prayers were centered around the psalms, because the psalms were the works and the words of the Holy Spirit through the men of God. But look at Ephesians 5. What does it say?
'' 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.'' (Ephesians 5:18-19)
St. Paul here says: when I come and sing and make a melody in my heart to the Lord, so in prayer, I should be using psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. And the verse prior to it implies that it is by this that I'm filled by the Spirit. So, there's something special about using psalms in prayer.
Why are the psalms so important? What I have to realize is that when I pray with the psalms, they constantly remind me of who God is, meaning they remind me that God is Pantocrator almighty. I should not be fearing anything. They remind me, as I am praying, that God is good, that He is merciful. As I am praying, I realize that God is just. As I'm praying, I'm realizing how simple He is, yet how He's wise. I'm realizing all these things. So, my relationship with Him deepens. I get to know Him better through these psalms.
Here's an example. So, this is the Coptic Orthodox prayer book of the hours. In the prime prayer, in the prayer in the morning, Psalm 26 1 will read the following or will pray the following:
'' 1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army [should] encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war [should] rise against me, in this I will be confident.'' (Psalm 26 of the Agpeya)
No matter, war, army, rise against me. I am confident. Why? Because God is my light. God is my salvation. I'm reminded of all these things when I pray the psalms.
Also, the psalms in the Coptic Orthodox prayer of the hours, the Agpeya, are prophetical. Not random psalms are chosen, but we're actually reminded and we see the prophecies of Christ. They're being written by the men of God in these psalms of the Old Testament. But one main thing about the psalms is declared to us by St. John Cassian. he says:
''The constant singing of the psalms is designed to produce a persistent compunction [a repentance] within us so that the mind, slimmed down, may not have a taste for the things of earth and will turn, instead, to behold the things of heaven. And if we carelessly neglect these, then of necessity the mind, filled with the squalor of sin, turns soon and comes rushing toward the domain of the flesh.'' (St. John Cassian, Conferences, sect.17)
What he's saying is that the purpose of the Word of God, the Bible and the psalms are to leads us to repentance when I realize that this commandment has not been fulfilled by me in the last days; when I realize that I have been fearful when I should not be fearful and it leads me to repentance. So, when I pray with the psalms and also offer repentance in prayer, I am guided and directed by the Word of God in prayer. And I when I do this, my mind and my heart will be lifted up to God. And he says if I don't use the psalms, then my mind will be directed toward earthly things.
Finally, there's a big difference between praying the psalms and reading the psalms. When I read the psalms, the words of God connect with my mind, but this connection fails to attain my heart. When I pray with the psalms, I pray with my mind, heart, soul, and strength. I pray with my entire being.
So, when I pray the psalms, I attain a deeper level of prayer. I taste God in a different way. I get to enjoy Him. But many people pray the psalms (or they think that they pray the psalms)
1 This psalm in the Agpeya corresponds to Psalm 27 in the Bible.
and don’t enjoy it. They think it's boring. But in reality, it's because they're not praying the psalms. The problem is not in the psalms. The problem is that I'm reading the palms.
So, if you're not praying with the psalms, you are missing out. I encourage you to give it another chance, but a real chance to truly try to pray these psalms from the bottom of your heart and you will taste prayer in a completely different way.
Remember: Know your faith, live your faith, and teach your faith. And glory be to God forever. Amen.