The Psalms are the "prayerbook of the Bible", the "great school of prayer", and necessary for growth in the Christian life.  As God's Word given to us to pray back to God, it is imperative that we learn to read the psalms and enter the practice of praying the psalms.  As we approach the psalms for this purpose, Psalm 1 stands as a gatekeeper.  It demands that as we come to pray, we also submit ourselves to God's word.  In this we follow the path of Christ the righteous who always prays the psalms with us and for us.     

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