The Psalms play a crucial role in corporate and personal worship because Christians believe the richness of God’s Word ought to determine our prayers not the poverty of our own hearts.

Why do we avail ourselves of the Psalms? The Psalms help us to know more intimately, love more fervently, and treasure more deeply our Lord. They are absolutely necessary for the cultivation of our spiritual lives. It is often said: “He that would be wise, let him read the Proverbs; he that would be holy, let him read the Psalms .”

Eugene Peterson explains: “The Psalms teach us how to answer God. They are God’s gift to train us in prayer that is comprehensive and honest… What is essential in prayer is not that we learn to express ourselves, but that we learn to answer God. The Psalms show us how to answer God.”

Everything we ask for in prayer is in response to what God has spoken in His Word. King David underscores this pattern in 2 Samuel 7:27: “You have made this revelation to your servant… Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.”

Let us worship God by praising Him for speaking to us in His Word and bidding us to answer Him in believing prayer!