Nourishing: Learning (Psalm 27)
We would like to ask the members of your housegroup to undertake a little exercise on the theme of LAMENT: to write a psalm, poem or letter that reflects what you have lamented over the past year. It is not something that needs to be shared (unless people wish to do so) or necessarily completed during a meeting.
Last week we were thinking about LAMENT. This week, as we start to “come out of the valley” we are encouraged to consider what we have learnt as a result of the Covid pandemic – and no doubt will continue to learn. As you work through the Psalm, you may like to keep the following questions in mind:
We should be confident that God has been with us and continues to be with us, but we are not exempt from the trials and tribulations of life. What has the past year been like for you and your family?
What have you learnt from God in the past year? (accepting that some of the things you have experienced may not have been at all pleasant).
Jesus clearly taught that as disciples we should bear fruit in our lives. How will your experiences of the past year help you to lead more fruitful lives? (cf Lk 6.43-45)
This Psalm, is said to have been written by David, though the occasion when it was composed is unknown. There are many occasions in David’s life when he could have expressed such words. The Psalm is a reflection of how his faith in the power of God sustained him through many trials. It falls into 3 sections:
David expresses complete confidence and trust in God (1-6)
Therefore he feels able to pray for deliverance from his enemies (7-12)
Trust is now the solution as he waits for God to act (13-14)
READ the Psalm and work through it verse by verse:
LIGHT is an important word in the Bible, always seen in a positive way as opposed to darkness. Can you think of any examples? (Ps 18.28; Is 60.1; Jn 8.12; 1 Jn 1.5). When David was surrounded by problems, he didn’t focus on his problems but on God. He did not ask himself, “What can I do?” but rather, “What is God able to do?”
David had many enemies, the worst being those from his own household who turned against him and sought to destroy him. Do you think that the Church today has its “enemies”? David’s faith in God “was forged in the furnace of difficult experiences”. What have been some of the circumstances behind your own growth in faith?
Despite everything, David is confident of the Lord’s protection. You may like to reflect on the story of Gideon (3a) – Judges 6,7).
David’s greatest concern was to live in God’s presence and live by his purposes for us. Is this your greatest desire? His PRIORITY was “one thing”. His PETITION was “to dwell in God’s presence”. His PREOCCUPATION was to gaze upon the Lord. What was Mary’s one thing? (Lk 10.38-42) Do your problems in life drive you AWAY from God, or do they draw you TOWARDS God?
It is as if God had built a wall/hedge around him so that his enemies could not succeed. With the reference to a “rock”, in what ways might we see Jesus as our rock in troubled times?
A song of victory – even before the battle has begun, David is confident of victory. Are we sometimes guilty of not praising God even after the “victory” has been won in our lives?
A prayer for God to HEAR, show MERCY and ANSWER him. Do you believe God hears and answers prayer? (the answer may not be what we wanted!)
What does it mean to “seek God’s face”? It has been suggested it is seeking His presence, His counsel and His fellowship – and then to wait.
Have you ever felt God has forgotten you; that he is not listening to your prayers? Look at the last words in Matthew’s Gospel.
God will never abandon us! David is confident that EVEN IF he is forsaken by family and friends, God’s presence will remain with him.
Teach me your way – we need to ask ourselves what it means to “walk with the Lord” in our daily lives. It is not always an easy road to walk (Mt 7.14). David may have been a great king, but he was far from faultless.
You might like to consider how false witnesses worked to have Jesus put to death.
I am still confident of this … you might like ask members of the group to finish this sentence in their own words, especially after a year when Covid-19 has had such an impact on our nation and our individual lives.
Waiting is never easy. “Wait at His door with prayer; wait at His foot with humility; wait at His table with service; wait at His window with expectancy.” (Charles H Spurgeon)
The heading of this study is to be nourished through LEARNING, so what key lessons have we learned as a result of studying this Psalm?
“Wait on the Lord – this is the sum of all the instruction in the Psalm; the main lesson which the Psalm is designed to convey. The object is to induce others, from the experience of the psalmist, to trust in the Lord; to rely upon Him; to come to Him in trouble and danger; to wait for His interposition when all other resources fail.”
(Of course, we should wait upon the Lord at all times, and not just in times of trouble)
PRAYERS
You might like to focus your prayers this evening on some of the issues that have been raised in your discussion – personal; church; national. If group members are happy, ask each one to name just “one thing” that they would value prayer for this evening.
(At the time of writing these notes the death of the Duke of Edinburgh has just been announced, so do be prepared to amend your time of prayer as appropriate).