The Psalter is a collection of poems, prayers, and songs. Collectively, they help retell the history of the Israelites by offering keen insight into their collective consciousness and their way of worship.

By taking a critical, bird’s-eye-view of the Psalter, we see it is much more intricate and detailed than what meets the eye. This hymn book is richly organized in thought and scope. It offers eight different genres (Community Thanksgiving, Individual Thanksgiving, Community Lament, Individual Lament, Royal, Creation, Wisdom, and Enthronement) that each speak truth to our way of being. Learning to hear from of these genres enhances our ability to hear from God. It even improves our posture for worship and gives us a deeper vocabulary for how we can speak to God in prayer.