Songs of Life

The Book of Psalms is the longest and biggest book of the Bible, with 150 chapters and 2,461 verses. It is a big book, and it’s something like the greatest hits of Israel because the Psalms are songs. We do not have the music recorded or written down, but we do have the words of the music. There’s not just one author; there are at least eight different authors, including King David, King Solomon, and Moses. Some of those authors are groups of people, so we don’t know how authors wrote it.

You may remember the 70s when the greatest hits of the Eagles came out. Every single song that is on that album is mind-blowing to me. It’s so well produced, the songs are so well written and they are harmonized so well. We should look at the Book of Psalms like that. It is a collection of writings, and we must know and love the Book of Psalms. It teaches us neither to ignore our pain nor to let it determine our lives.

When we read it all the way through, the Book of Psalms teaches us that God Almighty will fulfill His promises from the Torah, and He will send the Messiah. It teaches us how to put our hope in the Lord. It assures us that God Almighty will show up and will fix things. This book is about the lament, the praise, the faith, and the hope of God’s people.

If you don’t know how to mourn without freaking out and spinning off a couple of years, then you need to know the book of Psalms. If you don’t know how to praise in the midst of a big mess, then you need to know the book of Psalms. If you don’t know how to have faith in the midst of a sea of doubt or if you don’t know how to have hope, you can find all of that in the anointed words of the book of Psalms.

The book of Psalms is quoted 116 times indirectly in the New Testament, 77 times directly, and is referred to over 400 times in the New Testament. The New Testament is packed with Psalms. Our lives should look like the Bible, and our lives should be full of Psalms.