Prayers for all Occasions, Needs, and Intentions

THE PSALMS

God Himself teaches us, How to Pray

What Is A Psalm?

The Psalms are prayers in which God Himself teaches us how to pray; for they were written under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Here we have the answer to the question: "What prayers shall I say?" Why the prayers of the Holy Scripture itself!" 

The 150 Psalms are the Prayer Book of the Church. When Christians pray the Psalms, they often see images of Jesus and the Church in them. Christians must remember, however, that first of all, the Psalms are the prayers of the Jewish people, and the Christian interpretation of a given Psalm is not the first or only interpretation.

Of the 150 Psalms, one hundred of them are thought to be written by the following authors: David (73); Asaph (12); Sons of Korah (10); Moses (1); Heman the Ezrahite (1); Ethan the Ezrahite (1); and one or two by Solomon. The rest of the Psalms have no recorded author.

Because the Psalms are written by so many people, from different time periods, and they show such a variety of emotions they have had a world-wide appeal and are familiar and loved by many people.

Hebrew poetry often uses pairs of lines. The second line either repeats the thought of the first or gives an opposite. Look for these pairs as you read the Psalms.