Key: Read each Psalm as a unit to minimize the risk of losing context!
Psalms have several distinguished composers: David authored 73, Moses authored 1, Solomon authored
2, etc. Their purpose was to worship God in a heartfelt manner through musical poems. Instead of being
instructive, Psalms are principally for guidance; they provide an example of how one can communicate
their thoughts and feelings while still remaining faithful and dependent on God.
It is believed that David wrote Psalm 3 when he was fleeing from Absalom (2 Sam 15 - 2 Sam 18); thus,
many Psalms may have a historical connection. Psalm 3 is an example of a Lament. It has 6 successive
elements to its structure:
Introduction or address,
Confession of trust,
Petition or deliverance,
Confidence or assurance,
As inspired prayers and hymns, Psalms offers an example of how we may communicate with God. In the
case of adversity, a prayer of lament is one such example. From the pattern above, one can observe some
interesting details. For instance, notice that the complaint is followed by the confession of
trust and that the petition is followed by the assurance! Notice how many verses are
spent on each. What does this reveal about the lament? Do your prayers have elements? How are those
elements balanced? What are your prayers for help like? Take a look at the Psalms and discover other
details that could help your prayer life!