6 Best Psalms to Read on Palm Sunday (Psalms prayers for Palm Sunday)

I remember last year, during Palm Sunday, I prepared the church Sunday school with several memory verses from the book of Psalms.

The congregation was so pleased that some members requested me to compile a list of the best Psalm Sunday Psalms. This was an easy task since I had done thorough research when teaching the Sunday school kids.

I also decided to write this article to put these Psalms out there for a wider audience.

6 Psalms Prayers for Palm Sunday

Psalm 118:19-29

“Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.”

In these verses, the Psalmist prophesies of the humiliation and rejection of Jesus Christ. He goes on to point out that in spite of the suffering that the Lord Jesus went through, greater glory would follow. From humiliation to exaltation, this goes to show that after the crucifixion of our Lord, he would come again triumphantly and become ruler of the world.

Psalm 24:7-10

“Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.”

During Palm Sunday, we celebrate the entry of Jesus Christ into the city of Jerusalem. According to theologians, this Psalm was written by David during the entry of the ark into the temple.

Using this reference, it is safe to say that by praying through this Psalm, you welcome Jesus Christ into your heart. Just like how the ark sanctified the temple, so does Jesus sanctify our souls.

You just have to let him in and welcome him with praises, for he is a savior that is all-sufficient.

Psalm 31:9-16

“Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in distress; my eyes grow weak with sorrow, my soul and body with grief. My life is consumed by anguish and my years by groaning; my strength fails because of my affliction, and my bones grow weak.”

These verses express the distress that the Psalmist is facing and the plea that he has for the Lord. He is in great need of deliverance.

During the Sunday of the Passion, we are reminded of the humiliation and suffering that Jesus went through at the hands of his people.

He suffered unjustly, and this led him to surrender his will unto the Lord, as recorded in the book of Luke 23:46. If you put your trust in God in spite of your suffering, you give him a chance to rescue you from your enemies.

Psalm 35:9

“Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.”

This Psalm, as written by David, shows the joy that he has in the Lord. Palm Sunday acts as a reminder that Jesus died for our sins, and by so doing, he paid for all of our debts.

As Christians, Jesus is the source of our joy, for he delivered us and saved us from great condemnation by dying on the cross.

Psalm 30:4-5

“Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.”

This Psalm is often read when one wants to express gratitude for God’s deliverance. The Psalmist urges the Saints to sing praises to the Lord for his faithfulness and mercy.

This is a prayer that you can use when you want to thank the Lord for forgiveness, remembering that the cost of it was his son, Jesus Christ.

He brought deliverance unto us through his death and, by resurrection, proved that darkness had no hold over us.

Psalm 118:24-26

“The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Lord, save us! Lord, grant us success! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you.”

During the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, the crowd sang songs of praise while proclaiming the glory of Jesus Christ. The Psalmist writes these verses with the intent of encouraging us to rejoice and be glad.

Jesus first made his entry into Jerusalem, and there is a second entry in which more of his glory will be seen. This Psalm is a prayer that will allow you to appreciate the great chance at salvation given to us by God through the Messiah.

Can you read Psalms on other days?

According to theologians, various Psalms correspond to the happenings of Jesus’ journey to the cross; thus, it is okay to read the Psalms listed above on other days, especially those that follow Palm Sunday.

The aim of the Psalms is to thank God for deliverance and salvation through the Messiah. During the days of the Holy Week, which start on Palm Sunday all the way to Easter Monday, you can read Psalms that help you to understand the love of God and the suffering he went through to pay our debts.