Paul G

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others. Exercise - While in my office this week I was able to pray with a gentleman who was having marriage problems. And then later in the week, while on a business trip to Boise the Lord led me to two people who I prayed personally with - Rodney, and then Meagan, and then the Lord brought me in contact with another lady, Kristin, who I lift up in prayer to the Lord.

Q3. (Psalm 117 and Lamentations 3:22-23). Why are love and trustworthiness so important as the bedrock of the Old Testament faith? ANS - Love and trustworthiness set the foundation for our New Testament faith, and our understanding of who God is. He wanted a nation who would love Him in return. What kinds of terms does the New Testament use to talk about these characteristics? ANS - His grace, His love, His forgiveness, His Mercies, and His promises to us. Can you think of any New Testament verses that speak of these themes? ANS - John 3:16; the book of Romans; Galatians 5:22, 23 - the fruits of the Spirit

Q2. (Psalm 145) Which aspects of God's character mentioned in Psalm 145 stand out to you in particular? ANS - Vs. 8, 9, 13 - His grace and compassion; Slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is faithful to all his promises. Why is it important for "every creature," every human being, to praise him? ANS - First, He is our creator and our savior. Second, because He is such a great and awesome God. And last, He loves us so very much! What are you doing to help that happen? ANS - Making Him Lord of my life each day.

Q1. (Psalm 103) Which one or two aspects of God's character mentioned in this Psalm stand out to you? ANS - Vs. ll and 12 - So great is His love! He has far removed my transgressions from me. Thank you Lord Jesus that you have been so merciful to me, and extended your Grace into my life. Why do you think the Exodus was so foundational in Israel's understanding of God? According to Psalm 103:10-12, what are the limits to God's forgiveness? ANS - During the time of the Exodus, that is when God revealed Himself to Moses and to the people of Israel, in all aspects of His character and holiness. It was the time that God established the Law, whereby the Hebrew people were instructed by God in how to live their lives. The Law also was a foreshadow of Christ to come.

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms My exercise - A daily event - I will give Him praise and glory for all He has done in my life, and to serve Him, to be obedient to Him, in total subjection to Him, as master of my life.

Q4. (Psalm 24) How do verses 1-2 establish the Lord's right as King? ANS - He created and founded the world in which we live, and everything that is in it. Therefore He is Lord of all! What do verses 3-6 tell us about the requirements of the King? ANS - Those who come to Him must have a pure heart What do verses 7-10 tell us about the glory of the King? ANS - He is strong and mighty. We are to praise Him! How does this psalm speak to you in your situation? ANS - I must always have a pure heart as I declare Him to be the Lord of my life. And I must serve Him and praise Him as truly the Lord of my Life, every day!

Q3. (Psalm 126). In this psalm, the nation is going through some kind of crisis. How does memory of God's deliverance in verses 1-3 prepare them for the prayer of verse 4? ANS - He will bring victory! The Lord, who has done great things, will also restore our fortunes. How do you understand the two metaphors of deliverance: (1) a wadi or dry gully and (2) sowing and reaping? How do these metaphors help you in your situation? ANS - The desert rain brings refreshing, long overdue. Our mourning and weeping will result in much joy! So don't lose heart, there is hope! God does answer prayer!

Q2. (Psalm 96) What does it mean to "ascribe" to God attributes of glory and strength? ANS - "Ascribe" - means to give Him the credit, as it were, the complete authorship, with all its lauditory recognition and praise, for the great and wonderful things He has done - for the glory and honor due His name. What happens when we fail to ascribe such qualities to him? In what sense is praise to God "fitting" or "worthy"? ANS - Then He is really not God in our lives - for to be so, we must in faith accept Him for who He really is.

Q1. (Psalm 57) Why is praise difficult in the midst of trying circumstances? ANS - It is often impossible to get our eyes off of our circumstances, which seem to be an impossible wall to climb, or river to cross, like a prison enslaving us. How does praise affect our faith? Our attitude? Our motivation? ANS - It gets our eyes off of our circumstances and onto God - allowing God to bring the solution and bring the victory, as Daniel in the lions den.

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms What I did - As the various Psalms in this section challenged us to do - I quieted my spirit, and got alone with God in prayer and meditation. Allowing the Lord to speak to my heart. I remember a similar time some weeks ago when I did this was in a quiet place on a secluded walking trail overlooking a beautiful Lake, Lake Wallowa, in Northeastern Oregon. I journaled as I meditated and prayed, allowing the Lord to speak, as the breeze moved through the treetops along the trail, as I viewed the beautiful lake below me. It was a very peaceful and quieting time.

Q5. After you've studied the psalms in this chapter, what do you think it means to "rest" in God? ANS - It means to rest secure in Him, putting my total confidence in Him. It means to be filled with and surrounded with His presence.....to quiet myself and allow Him to refresh me and renew me. It means to be reminded of how great He is, and how much He has done for me, and will continue to do for me. How do you seek God's peace when you have a dozen things coming against you? ANS - I get alone with God in my quiet place, listen to the Word as I read it, mediate and journal, and then spend time in prayer.

Q4. (Psalm 46) How does the imagery of the river and streams in verse 4 function in Psalm 46 to speak peace to the harassed and harried person? ANS - It speaks of the presence of the Holy Spirit which fills us, as "springs of living water", refreshing and renewing us with His peace, His comfort, and power for every day living. Verse 10 tells us: "Be still and know that I am God." How does knowledge of who He is affect our peace? How should it affect our words? Why does He command us to "be still" as a result of this knowledge? ANS - He is the master planner of all things, and all lives. He will be the master of our life as we allow Him to be the Lord of our life in all areas. As we slow down and quiet our hearts, meditating on Him, He will remind us of who He is, and the power, joy, renewal, and strength He has for us.

Q3. (Psalm 31) What does it mean to say to the Lord, "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (31:5)? How does that statement bring peace to a person? How does the statement, "My times are in your hands" (31:15), bring peace to the troubled soul? ANS - I can place my complete and total confidence in the Lord that He will take care of us. That He loves you enough that you can entrust your entire life to Him. This brings a deep inner peace and job to our inner most being.

Q2. According to Psalm 23, how does the Lord our Shepherd quiet his sheep and give them confidence? How many ways can you find in this psalm? ANS - He settles our hearts in places of quietness (green pastures), and leads us where it is calm and we can drink deeply of His Spirit (still waters); He restores us as we do this, and guides us in His paths. His presence and His Word (rod and staff) comforts and protects us; He fills me with His Holy Spirit.

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (<a href="http://www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm" target="_blank">www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm</a>). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others. ANS: As the wife and I travel to Portland this week we will completely trust in Him for His travelling mercies, to give us peace and joy in our inward heart and spirit that there will be no harm or accident.

Q4. Since Christians don't seem immune to accident, persecution, and death, how are we to understand these psalms of protection? Why don't some believers seem to be protected? Does God really protect us? How? ANS: Based on these great scriptures from Psalms we must always trust and believe in Him regardless of what the outcome might be. I think of the Jews in Europe during World War II, millions losing their lives. God's Word was no less true, and He was with those that perished, We will never totally understand God's perfect will until we get to the other side. But we know that His Word will always stand true, and we can, and must always totally and completely trust in Him.

Q3. (Psalm 121). What reassurance is it to you that God keeps you and watches over you? ANS: It makes me feel loved and protected. How does Psalm 121 make you feel? ANS: We are greatly encouraged through this Psalm! Like a child knowing that his mom and dad are always there, giving a great sense of security and love.

Q2. (Psalm 91) What does this psalm teach us about God's protection when in danger? ANS: We can rest in God's protection. Many images are given to us in this Psalm to show us we can trust in Him. If we trust in Him then no harm will befall us; we do not have to be afraid. What does it teach about our authority to vanquish our enemies? ANS: Vs. 13 gives us the promise that we will tread upon, and defeat, the powers that would come against us. God's power is so much greater than any power the enemy has. What promises does Psalm 91 contain? How does this psalm make you feel? ANS: In verse 14 - 16 there are eight promises given to us - He rescues us, protects us, answers us, He is with us, He delivers us, honors us, satisfies us, and shows us His salvation. We have an awesome God who will watch over us and protect us always.

Q1. (Psalm 61:1-4) What images does the psalmist evoke to communicate his trust in God's protection? How do the first four verses of this psalm make you feel? ANS: He leads me to the rock that is higher than I. He is a refuge, a strong tower, a dwelling place. We take refuge in the shelter of His wings. We have confidence, and can take strength in the Lord. I can trust Him totally when I feel threatened.

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms (www.jesuswalk.com/psalms/psalms-exercises.htm). These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others. EXERCISE - I will pray my prayer of repentance in my quiet time each day this coming week.

Q5. (Psalm 80) If you were to formulate a personal prayer for revival for your own life or for your congregation, how would you word it? What elements should be present in a prayer for personal or congregational revival? What would this prayer have in common with 2 Chronicles 7:14? How does this kind of prayer pave the way for revival and restoration to take place? Prayer - "Lord, revive us again, bring us back O Lord, we have sinned, we have truly strayed from you. We are so consumed with our own selves, fighting and bickering that we have lost total focus of your vision for our lives. Rekindle our hearts and our churches, our community, our nation, once again. Remove the dross from our lives. We repent before you, we ask your forgiveness. Renew us in our hearts and spirit. Turn us towards you and drive the Spirit of Babylon from us. Set us on fire again, and prepare us for your soon return."

Q4. (Psalm 40:17) In this verse David combines both humility and faith in his prayer to God. Why are both humility and faith necessary? What happens when one of these qualities is missing? ANS - Faith is built on utter dependence on God, which is built on a spirit of humility, knowing that apart from God we can do nothing. Moses was a man of great humility, burt also a man of great faith who walked and talked with God. To not have humility or faith would be putting confidence in our self or ego, which will always fail in the light of eternity.

Q3. (Psalm 40:5b) When you realize that God's thoughts and plans are focused on you in particular, how does that make you respond? ANS - It makes me feel very humbled, to know that the God of the universe loves me that much. I am in great praise and thanksgiving. Thank you dear Heavenly Father for your great love that you have my life planned out for me. Help me to be faithful to you and walk in that plan!

Q2. (Psalm 69:30-32) Why does this lament (and nearly all laments in the Psalms) end with an upswing of hope and praise? What does this teach us about our own laments and prayers? Why is praise, the language of faith, so important in our prayers, especially prayers of desperate pleas for help? ANS - David got his eyes off of his own circumstances and onto the Lord. Hew realized God is the only one who has the answer and can deliver Him out of his pit of despair. Thus he turns his eyes to the Lord and Praises Him. We must always praise an integral part of our prayer life, knowing that praise releases our faith to trust God and to thank Him for his mercies and grace, and answers to life's difficult situations. I'm reminded of the book written years ago, "Prison to Praise" by Merlin Carothers. What a great book.