The books in the Poetry and Wisdom section (Job, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon) differ from the books in the Pentateuch, History and Prophetic sections of the Old Testament in one important way: these books invite us to speak of our own experience of God.

The Psalms, in particular, give us permission to not hold back when speaking to God. They offer language we can borrow to express our joys as well as our hurts. And, they don't attempt to answer any questions, but they serve the very important purpose of sustaining us along life's journey.

King David is responsible for about half of the psalms, including Psalm 23 and Psalm 51. King Solomon wrote two (Psalm 72 and Psalm 127) About a quarter were written by members of the Levitical singing clan and another quarter are anonymous.

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Here are a few interesting facts about the Psalms to keep you interested:

• Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible.
• It has 176 verses.
• It is arranged in sets of eight verses.
• Each set belongs to one of twenty-two Hebrew letters.
• Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible.
• Psalm 118 is the middle of the Bible.
• The verse at the very center of the Bible is Psalm 118:8.