Sermon Recap - Psalms
Speaker: Pastor Carey Tanzola
Read: Psalm 1, 13, 22:14-15, 43:5, 37:1-12,27-28, 139
There are times when our lives do not work the way we want and we don’t have the words to adequately express the pain we are going through or the depth of our feelings. The Psalms help us to transcend the limitations of our human language and give expression to those things not so easily expressed in words. Through the words of David and other authors, the 150 Psalms cover the full gamut of human experiences and give us language for every season of the soul. They include lament, repentance, faithfulness, hope, relief, and praise. They give us patterns to move from our lowest point to the highest level of praise.
The honesty of the authors as they pour out their raw feelings of fear, anxiety and despair set an example for us to be authentic. For God cannot help us through our seasons if we fail to be honest with Him. As we read and meditate on The Psalms, we can receive healing that we didn’t know we needed, we are reminded of our significance and God’s presence everywhere and His omnipotence. We learn to wait on Him with gratitude, how to navigate our emotional heath and how to be human and walk honestly with God.
1. What resonated with you as you listened to this sermon and reviewed it?
2. It was said that The Psalms are a testimony to God’s intimate awareness and active participation in our lives even when it doesn’t look or feel like it. What does that mean to you?
3. How hard or easy is it for you to be honest with God about your feelings or circumstances? If hard, what holds you back? If easy, what makes it easy? Why do you think honesty is so important?
4. How can memorizing some of the Psalms be helpful to us?
5. Instead of quickly reading through The Psalms, we were advised to:
a. Invite the Holy Spirit to guide our reading
b. Determine what the passage is saying
c. Meditate on it and listen to hear God speaking
d. Pray about what we hear and
e. Open ourselves to His will and do what he says.
How do you think following this process will benefit you?
6. Read the Scriptures given above. What kind of circumstances do you think the author is experiencing? In what situations do you typically read The Psalms?
7. How do you think The Psalms help us to mature in our relationship with God?
