FEARS brought in prayer to the 'LORD'

Psalms - why bother?

‘songs on strings’ … showing the importance of strong emotion in prayer

longest book ahead of Isaiah

composed over 900 years by many authors

most quoted by NT writers

earliest is Ps90 by moses

latest is Ps127 and Ps147 composed after the babylonian captivity

david wrote 73 (most of Book 1 and Book 2, 3-72; one in Book 3, 86; and another dozen thru to Ps145

other writers are asaph, sons of korah, solomon, ethan and heman

a timeless message … all scripture is about Jesus (Luke 24:44) but in psalms there are more prophecies of Christ than in any other OT book

here is the language of prayer by which generations have talked to GOD

pointing us to Christ the ‘source of salvation’; decribing the 'life of the saved’

teaching us to be much occupied with God -

treasure his word

delight in his worship,

reflect on his glorious attributes,

rehearse his great acts in history

trust in his care

glory in his gospel

anticipate his final victory

teaching us to praise GOD - not from hearts full of earthly concerns but from hearts that know the soveriegn Lord who made us pours from his bountry countless blessings … chief of which is eternal salvation

Tim Keller - praying with psalms

Psalm 3 - the psalm of david when he fled absalom … and was forced to rediscover his shield, glory and identity

The lament of Israel’s golden king

who had all but lost his way

but in psalm 3 we hear him pray through his fear and anxiety