And with that, we are going to start in the book of Psalms tonight.

Cannot wait? Talk about looking forward to what the Lord has.

I have been really, really looking forward to the book of Psalms.

And the next book after it, which by the way is the book of Proverbs, one of my favorite books in all of the

Bible, actually really the Psalms and the Proverbs. Whenever I do pastoral counseling, I always

tell people that if you need comfort and encouragement, bathe yourself in the Psalms. If you need wisdom and direction,

spend time in the Proverbs. And if you're anything like me and I know that you are, I need both

all the time, which is why Psalms and Proverbs is a devotional favorite of many a believer.

So the book of Psalms, to me personally, has, well, how do I say this without sounding too

much like it's hyperbole, but it's actually throughout my life sort of saved my life, if I can say it that way, in the sense that there have been times in my life where I was just at the end of myself broken beyond broken.

And it was the Psalms that the Lord really ministered to me from.

And I think the reason, one of reasons is is that the book of Psalms speaks to and deals with

every aspect of our lives every arena of our lives emotionally spiritually psychologically, psychologically, even physically, and especially, I'll add

experientially. It's one of those books that you sort of get the sense that you're standing in

this long line of saints who over the ages have gone to this book, this book of Psalms,

to be ministered to and blessed by. So why don't we pray and we'll ask God to bless our time together as we commence with a study of this amazing book.

Father in heaven, thank you so much for your word and for this book that we have before us tonight.

Thank you for inspiring the writers to pen these powerful and even profound and poignant words by your spirit.

Lord, thank you for what is contained within 150 of these Psalms.

Lord, as we now begin a study of this book,

would you begin to do that work in us, in and through, that which is before us. Lord, it's with an

anticipation and even an expectation that you're going to do grand and glorious things in our study through this book of Psalms.

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