Praying And Praising The Psalms-Part 10-Lord, It's Unfair

The Psalms are a collection of 150 Songs carefully placed inside 5 books of Psalms:  Book 1:1-41, Book 2:42-72, Book: 3:73-89, Book 4:90-106, Book 5:107-150.  The first three books are primarily lament Psalms.  Sadness, anger, and bewilderment are prayed out.  The final two books include two very angry Psalms, 109 and 137, but these books are dominated by Praise.  The final six Psalms thunder with the praise of the "I Am "God. The five books of Psalms are clearly intended as responsive speech to the five books of the Pentateuch, Genesis - Deuteronomy.  The Pentateuch is the story of "I am" calling Israel to be His crisis relief for the entire creation. The Psalms are prayed from the time of David, 1000 B.C., from inside the story the Hebrew scripture tells.  The Psalter was not collected into its current form until the 4th century B.C.  By then Israel had been in exile for two hundred years.  Yet the Israel of the 2nd Temple, 530 B.C. to 70, AD., is singing her faith in the rebuilt temple and those living outside Judea are singing inside synagogues throughout the Roman empire.  The Psalms were Jesus' prayer book and were prayed by the early church.  (Matt. 27:46, Col. 3:16, Eph. 5:19) We will pray and praise a representative collection of the Great Psalms of the Psalter -Psalms 1, 2, 3, 8, 16, 19, 22, 23, 42, 51, 73-74, 88-89, 90, 104-106, 109, 110, and 139.  We will pray out to the Lord God our emotions and struggles, but we will continue praying through from confusion, doubt, and anger to more clarity, trust, and peace.  We will be encouraged, rebuked, and discipled by the ancient Songs of Israel, Jesus, and our Church Fathers and Mothers. The "I Am," the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, will bless us as we draw near to God together.  Come join us on the Way.