The genre of Psalms is Songs and Poetry of all kinds. It is written by multiple authors; David wrote 73, Asaph wrote 12, the sons of Korah wrote 9, Solomon wrote 3, Ethan, and Moses each wrote one, and 51 of the Psalms are anonymous. They were written over the span of approximately 900 years (Beginning at the time of Moses 1440 B.C. and thru the captivity in 586 B.C.).

The Psalms include praises, laments, blessings, and thanksgivings. They are directed at God and they help us to express and communicate ourselves to Him. We read about the Psalmist’s emotions from one extreme to another; from praising and worshiping God with fervor, to repentance and crying out to Him in despair.

Psalms sits at the very center of the Bible. The major themes found in Psalms are Praise, God’s Power, Forgiveness, Thankfulness and Trust. “My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever” (145:21).

The book of psalms was originally divided into five books. Book 1 is consists of chapters 1-41, book 2 corresponds to chapters 42-72, book 3 is chapters 73-89, while book 4 includes chapters 90-106 and book 5 is chapters 107-150. Mainly they are written to help us deliver praise to God who is worthy such as psalms 150:6 reads, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.”

How do we know what God wants for us in our lives? “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (119:105). The answer is found by studying His Word, read it, any apply what it teaches to yourself.