Because we live in a world that is hectic and chaotic, our lives can become complicated and difficult, weighing our hearts down. When these things strike, we yearn for comfort and the marketplace has capitalized on this. They provide comfort foods, comfortable cars and media that take us to lands which are trouble-free and tranquil. Unfortunately, this comfort is fleeting. There is, however, another source of comfort for Christians and the study of the Psalms delivers.

The Psalms truly are a well of inspiration, relatability, and comfort, so it’s not surprising so many frequently study the words of this book. We can understand from experience the raw emotions found between the lines of these songs and prayers, so learning and incorporating one extra step in studying this book can be eye-opening.

The simple method for enhancing the study of these comforting Psalms is in the discovery of the events that prompted the author to write each one. For example, David wrote Psalm 51 when Nathan confronted him concerning the affair David had with Bathsheba. Knowing this, when the Holy Spirit confronts us with our poor choices, we can view phrases like, cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean. (verse 7) and the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. (verse 17) Reading word such as these when we know we’ve sinned against God can bring us conviction and hope of restoration.

The question now is, how do we find out what was going on historically when the authors of the Psalms wrote them? Many versions of the Bible have an author’s note before the first verse, such as Psalm 51, but there are other ways to discover the historical context of the Psalms. There are reliable websites you can check out.

Blue Letter Bible is a good resource and can be found here. Its mission statement reveals they hold to the inerrancy of the Scriptures, a statement that is vital when looking for resources that handle the Bible with integrity.

If we consider the historical context when studying the Psalms the words will breathe in more insight and comfort when it’s so desperately needed.

Resource Used:

Probable timeline of when each psalm was written – study resources (no date) Blue Letter Bible. Available at:

https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/parallel/paral18.cfm (Accessed: 23 June 2023).