Welcome to the Gospel One Psalm At a Time, our small group study for the Winter and Spring. Throughout the week prior to your group's meeting, take some time to:
1) Prayerfully read and study the week's Psalms;
2) Watch the short videos that will be posted here on our website - they are also available on PDT's Youtube channel; and
3) Answer the questions in preparation for a conversation in your small group.
It's a simply ryhthm...
First Psalm: Pray - Read - Watch - Answer - Pray.
Second Psalm: Pray - Read - Watch - Answer - Pray.
Third Psalm: Pray - Read - Watch - Answer - Pray.
My prayer this is a great season of spiritual growth for you and our church as we invest in this together!
All for Jesus!
pg
Psalm 74: How To Pray
1. When you approach God in prayer, how do you typically start? What do you appeal to? Do you ask him to remember the good he’s promised you? Do you ask him to remember what he has committed himself to as he’s communicated with us in the Scriptures? If not, what has stopped you from praying that way (forgetfulness, ignorance, anger, sadness, frustration, etc.)?
2. Why is coming to God in prayer so important for us to do with frequency each day? Why is approaching God in prayer not about how great we’ve been lately (and therefore worthy of coming to him), but really about how great and glorious he is?
3. How can you go to God right now, knowing that he says to you, “Remind me of my zeal for my name, remind me of my promises, remind me that I have joy when my will is done”? How would that biblical mindset change the way you pray? What kinds of specific things can you pray to God with the framework of this overarching thought: on earth as it is in heaven?
4. How does knowing that going to God is really about him (and his glory, will, and goodness) change the way you think about praying? Ask God that his glory would be seen in your life right now. Ask him for his promises to be fulfilled in your heart, your family, your job, and your relationships. Ask him for his will to be done in your life right this moment.
Psalm 75: Let Justice Roll Down
1. In what ways have you experienced injustice in your life or known someone who has experienced it? How have you processed that injustice in the past and what kinds of emotions have you experienced as a result? Why do you think injustice is so discouraging and disheartening to us? Why do you think we as human beings value justice so much?
2. Is it hard for you to genuinely believe that there is one sitting on the throne of the universe who is a perfectly just judge? As you re-read Psalm 75, how does that change your perspective in any way? How does knowing that God will judge perfectly in wisdom and impartiality help to give you hope where at one time you might have felt hopeless in your longing for justice in this world?
3. Why might trusting God’s timing in bringing justice be something that’s difficult for you to do? How can waiting patiently for his justice be something that changes us for the better? Why is justice delayed not the same thing as justice denied, and how might that truth bring you hope?
4. God hears, cares, and understands exactly what you’re going through. Knowing that (combined with knowing that God will defeat all evil one day), how might God be calling you to renew your hope in him at this very moment as you wait for the one who is good, wise, and holy?
Psalm 78: Telling Secrets To Your Children
1. In the past, what has been your main focus in parenting? If you could boil down your parenting style and purpose, what would you say its essence would be? How has your parenting style been a reflection of your own wants, needs, and desires? What would you say has been the overall goal of your parenting as you have raised your children up to this point (don’t give a “right” answer here, but an honest one based on what your day-to-day parenting looks like)?
2. What might it look like for you to shift your parenting from circumstantial and behavioral focus to “the great secret” of parenting with a God-focus? What kinds of conversations can you initiate with your kids that might help them to dwell on God’s existence, character, power, glory, goodness, grace, and work in the world? Take a moment to write down an idea or two of a conversation starter with each of those God attributes as the heading and then purposefully plan out an initiation with your child(ren) to engage with them. And don’t be afraid to do trial and error with these talks…just because one conversation may not go the way you want it, don’t abandon the idea of approaching that heading again from a different perspective or talking point.
3. How can you purposefully weave in stories or talking points into your conversations with your kids that illustrate how God has helped you in your neediness? In what ways can you intentionally unpack the beauty of the gospel to your kids by showing them how God has changed you and is continuing to change you? In what ways do you currently need to change and yield to the power of God’s Spirit in order to be a living, breathing example of the Lord’s work in your life? How might that change be a catalyst for growth and development in the hearts and minds of your children?