The book of Psalms is familiar to many of us. We read them when we’re sad or fearful or don’t know what else to read during our quiet time. But as the compiled book of worship of ancient Israel, how should the prayers of the Psalter influence our own prayer life? What would it look like to model our prayers after the prayers of David?

Throughout this nine-week study in the Psalms, we will work exegetically through several psalms, tracing the theme of supplication + submission. Using the words of the biblical poets as our guide, we will consider the biblical call to prayer, the all-encompassing gift of prayer in the life of the Christian, and work to model our own prayers after the psalms – presenting our requests before God and submitting our wills to his own.

Here’s what you have to look forward to in this nine-week study through the Psalms:

Hebrew grammar: If you're familiar with the Psalms, you’ve probably read or heard the word “selah” many times – but do you know what it means? In this study, we’ll look at this Hebrew word and others to deepen our understanding of God’s Word and put it into prayerful practice.

Exegesis tools: Since we’re studying an entire book of the Bible over the next several weeks, our study will start with some instruction on how to do a Book Overview study. We’ll look at the cultural setting, original author and audience, and literary structure and genre.

Here's what you can expect:

• Five days per week of Scripture-based Bible study

• Readings assignments that put the text at the forefront of your study

• Theological commentary that invites you to interact with the passage

• Study tips that encourage you to do the hard work of study, and guide you into a deeper, more robust understanding of the Word

• Daily questions for reflection to help you think deeply about the Word and integrate the truth of God’s Word into your daily life

• Daily prayer points to guide your prayerful response to the text

Here's what you need to do first:

Because this is an exegetical study, we're going to be working verse by verse through several of the psalms. I've created a handy double-spaced printout of the psalms we'll be studying. Print it out and grab a pen. We'll be marking it up, getting up close and personal with this text!