Which Bible book contains the largest number of chapters? Which Bible book contains the longest chapter? Which Bible book was written by multiple authors?
The answer to each of the above questions is the same. The Book of the Psalms. Really, there are no chapters in the Psalms. Rather than 150 chapters in the book, there are 150 Psalms. Psalms are songs, or poems. a collection of poems, hymns, and prayers that express the experiences of Jews throughout the various periods of their national history.
I can remember, as a child in Sunday School when we were required to memorize a verse or chapter of the Bible, most of us would go to the Psalms to find the shortest chapter we could find to memorize.
Most of us have memorized, or at lease can recite a portion of, the Psalm 23.
Many of the Bible's main ideas are echoed in the Psalms: praise, thankfulness, faith, hope, sorrow for sin, God's loyalty and help. And at the heart of all the Psalms, there is a deep trust in God.
During your time in the Word today, let’s look at a few of the situations in which the Psalms express our experiences and needs.
Psalm of Praise - Psalm 145:1-4
I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name forever and ever.
Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.
Psalm of Thankfulness - Psalm 7:17
I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the name of the Lord Most High.
Psalm of Faith - Psalm 119:89-90
Your word, Lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens. Your faithfulness continues through all generations; you established the earth, and it endures.
Psalm of Hope - Psalm 33:22
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you
Psalm of Sorrow for Sin - Psalm 51:1-3
Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
Psalm of God’s Loyalty and Help - Psalm 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Psalm of Trust in God - Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
And finally, here is a Psalm which embodies nearly all of the situations we may face as we come to God for answers.
Psalm 62:5-8
Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Truly he is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge. rust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
These are but a very few of the words from God that can help us get through each day. As you read through the Psalms focus on His faithfulness to us because of His love for us.
----- Gary K Fair
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