Month 4

Psalm 88

1. What does the psalmist say about his God in v1?
2. How much have we identified with vv4-5, not only that we become exhausted defending our lives, but that God has appeared to have abandoned us?
3. V11 has two questions to God, but it is very clear what the answers are. What purpose does God create us? Share in the group any different answers we have.
4. What do we learn in v12 in pleading with God when we are under a lot of stress?
5. The psalm ends in a very negative tone (v18); it lacks a “pick me up”, but having that takes away the sting many of us face when facing hardship and panic attack. What experience of tremendous mental strain have we come across?
6. Consider for a few minutes what verse(s) in this psalm might be helpful for those we know who are suffering from stress. Jot down the opening of a message to them to share our understanding of their feeling and situation. Share this in the group without disclosing unnecessary personal details.
7. Read through the psalm again as a group and find out how much the psalmist has abandoned God. Consider how helpful this lesson might be in our future growth in Christ. Jot down one or two sentences to remind ourselves regularly, e.g., “Remember to pray and praise God regularly in gladness and hard times.”
8. Consider how the group might support one another so that Jesus can be strong in each of us. Conclude this study with prayer.

Some notes about this psalm.

Psalm 6

1. Imagine the most pressing of moments, we are beyond “how do I survive this?”, our mind unable to think clearly and our body seems to have switched off to stimuli. How far would we identify with the psalmist David’s words in v1?
2. In v6, the flooding of tears on my bed might sound like figurative or real. When was the last time either you had, or someone told you about, this experience of distress?
3. V7 says that the cause of eye problems is enemies. How could this be for the psalmist, and how might this arise in our own circumstances? Perhaps think about family, at work, and voluntary activities.
4. What did the psalmist request God to do to his enemies in vv8-10?
5. The immediacy, the sense of “now”, is stark in this psalm. It has more requests and descriptions than emotions. A striking verse is 3, that we can experience heart failure, and God can restore us. What is a striking verse for you?
6. V9. In pairs, share with each other what our pleas to God are. Has God heard us? Has God answered us?
7. In your pairs, share about making our request to God. Pray for each other.

Psalm 73

1. Verses 1-4: this section begins with a contradictory note that God is good to Isreal, i.e. those (Israel or not) who are faithful to him, the contradiction being the suggestion that God is absent from the psalmist, “losing my footing” is the first evidence. What has been our response when bad things happen to us despite our faith in God?
2. What evidence is there that v10 is still applicable today?
3. How might our church in this place, time and networks respond positively to the situation in v10?
4. V24: How does God guide us as a community of faith?
5. When our church earned the “eco-friendly” badge from our area synod, we couldn’t stop telling other churches about it and encouraging them to take similar steps to help the environment. V28 says finding God as our shelter is the best thing that has happened (perhaps a church, as a building, a community, or both). Could we stop telling people about it?

Some notes on psalm 73