It’s good and right to seek God when we are struggling. In fact, he wants us to.

But what about when life seems fine? It might not be so intuitive to go to prayer when your heart is at peace.

Though we can rightly think of prayer as a simple conversation with God, that conversation quickly goes away if prayer doesn’t become a habit.  When we learn to develop it in the not-so-hard moments, it becomes easier to employ it in moments of stress.

There is a precedent in Jewish tradition of going to God regularly—praying as a habit, and not in a way that is based on our changing moods. Many Orthodox Jews still pray three times a day, whatever the weather. And even for the not-so-traditional, our holidays and Shabbat services take us through liturgies with a comfortable sort of predictability.

God is always available to listen.

It’s a bit like the predictability of knowing you can pick up the phone to call a good friend, and they will be there—except that God doesn’t ever have to silence his notifications. Rabbi David Wolpe put it this way: “One of the things that makes God different from people is that God is always available to listen.”¹

The psalmists definitely relied on God’s listening ear. They lived through war, exile, and sickness; but they also experienced times of prosperity, of abundance, and of simply remembering all the ways the people of Israel had been cared for. And they practiced talking to God through all of it. Thus, the Psalms are filled with words you can pray in good times as well as the hard ones.

Here are some of our favorite Psalms to pray in times of calm.

Psalm 16: An Expression of Trust

The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. (vv. 5–8)

Psalm 92: A Song for the Sabbath

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

The Lord is upright;
he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him. (vv. 1–4, 15)

Psalm 98: A Joyful Noise

Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
have worked salvation for him.
The Lord has made known his salvation;
he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises! (vv. 1–4)

Psalm 103: God as Father

The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
As a father shows compassion to his children,
so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust. (vv. 8–14)

Psalm 105: Remembering Our Journey through the Desert

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;
make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
tell of all his wondrous works!
Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
Seek the Lord and his strength;
seek his presence continually!
Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
O offspring of Abraham, his servant,
children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.
He remembers his covenant forever,
the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations. (vv. 1–8)

Psalm 119: A Declaration

Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame,
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me! (v. 1–8)

Psalm 136: An Encounter with Hesed (Steadfast Love)

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever. (vv. 1–9)

Psalm 150: Praise

Praise the Lord!
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens!
Praise him for his mighty deeds;
praise him according to his excellent greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;
praise him with lute and harp!
Praise him with tambourine and dance;
praise him with strings and pipe!
Praise him with sounding cymbals;
praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord!

The Amidah

If your child or friend has ever come to you when they were hurting, you know what a privilege that is. It’s an honor to be thought of as a safe person or a resource in times of need.

But you probably also hope the people you care about won’t only come to you when they are in need. That they wouldn’t only call you on rainy days, but on a random Tuesday afternoon just to say hello.

Praying through Psalms can become a habit.

One prayer that’s used to connect with God in the midst of the everyday is the Amidah. Sometimes it’s just called “The Prayer” because it is central to regular worship.² It encompasses many things and concludes with the priestly blessing:

The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24–26)

Praying through Psalms, this blessing, and other words from the Scriptures can become a habit for you too. And who knows—developing the habit of praying in times of calm may help us experience more times of calm.

Endnotes

1.Rabbi David Wolpe, as quoted in “Ten Rabbis Explain God,” Beliefnet, accessed 4/22/25, emphasis added.

2. Rabbi Daniel Kohn, “The Amidah,” My Jewish Learning, accessed 4/22/2025.