REFLECT: The psalmist describes people experiencing four different kinds of need and despair. For each, what choices did the person make that brought on the trouble? What drove them to desperation? What three actions are common to each of these situations? How did each person experience...
PSALM 50 REFLECT: God’s justice will be evident throughout all of creation. What power exists when God speaks? (Genesis 1:3; John 1:1-3) In God’s eyes, what did his people get right? What were they lacking? How did the wicked fail? What did these two groups have in common? RESPOND...
REFLECT: God’s love, faithfulness, righteousness, justice, strength, joy and life are all described in verses 5-9 with a series of word pictures. Consider each one: what truth is conveyed in the intangibles underlying each image? How would you describe each of these characteristics of God...
REFLECT: Who is David, the author of this psalm, addressing in the beginning of this piece? Make a list of God’s essential characteristics that David wants to keep at the forefront of his thinking. Verses 13-18 contrast the temporal with the eternal. In your daily thought patterns, where...
PSALM 31 REFLECT: Choices matter, in the physical and in the spiritual realms. What is the intentional choice that the psalmist has made? Verses 1-8 describe four actions the psalmist has taken; list the blessings from God that flow in this expectant prayer. What do you think the...
REFLECT: Suffering and injustice troubled this psalmist as it did the prophet Habakkuk…and both brought their raw emotions and unanswered questions directly to God.
REFLECT: When immediate circumstances were dire and dangerous, how does the psalmist describe the confidence he finds in his relationship with God? In humility, the psalmist prays for many ways to maintain that relationship, ending with perseverance. Which of these requests voices a desire of...
REFLECT: Based on the six actions and four restraints that define the person invited into God’s presence, who is able to dwell with God? (Psalm 14:2-3). Jesus, The Righteous One, opened the way to have peace with God and gives us the Holy Spirit to be our strength and guide in daily...
REFLECT: What emotions grew within the psalmist as he interacted with God? Look for at least five areas of life where the psalmist recognized receiving God’s blessing. As you seek to trust God daily, how can you see God’s blessing in your life? Where do you need his help to...
REFLECT Jerusalem was the gathering place for all of Israel’s distinct tribes to be united in worship. What was the psalmist’s outlook about gathering with others in God’s family? Even though they lived in different parts of the land, what did they hold in...