Daily Lesson for Tuesday 9th of January 2024

Praying the Psalms does more than enable worshipers to articulate their prayers freely. The Psalms supervise their experience according to God’s standards and make it bearable by introducing hope and reassurance of God’s presence.

The lamenting words of Psalms 22:1-31:1 may help suffering people express their grief and sense of loneliness: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning?” (NKJV).

These words, of course, have become famous among Christians because they were the same words that Jesus Himself, while on the cross, uttered, showing us how central to Christ’s experience the Psalms were (see Matthew 27:46).

However, even amid the suffering and trials, these words also are expressed: “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You” (Psalms 22:22, NKJV).

In other words, though these exact feelings may not coincide with the author’s present dilemma, the psalmist was still expressing his faith in God and declaring that, no matter what, he would still praise God.

The point is, by giving us words to pray, the Psalms teach us to look beyond our current situation and, by faith, to see the time when our life will be restored by God’s grace.

Praying the Psalms thus takes worshipers to new spiritual horizons. The Psalms let worshipers express their feelings and understandings, but they are not left where they presently are. The worshipers are led to abandon their burdens of pain, disappointment, anger, and despair before God and to trust in Him, whatever their circumstances.

The movement from lament to praise observed in many psalms is suggestive of the spiritual transformation that the believers experience when they receive divine grace and comfort in prayer.

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The post Tuesday: A Psalm of Despair appeared first on Sabbath School Net.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-02-a-psalm-of-despair/

Key Thought: Praying the Psalms has helped many believers establish and maintain regular and fulfilling prayer lives. God gave us the psalms to teach us how we can pray together.
January 13, 2024

A. Have a volunteer read Psalm 44:23-26.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What is this psalm saying to us, and why is it relevant to believers in all ages?
3. Personal Application: Can drawing on good times when God’s promises felt very real, help us deal with times when your troubles make you think that God is far away?” Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of you relatives states, “Why does God allow bad things to happen to those who accept Him and trust Him?” How would you respond to your relative?

B. Have a volunteer read Psalm 22.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What can we learn from this psalm about trust in God amid great suffering?
3. Personal Application: How do you deal with difficulties and trials in your life? Are they easy to go through? Was your faith strong always, or did you lose sight of God at times when struggling? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “I can’t seem to see beyond my immediate present troubles. How can I trust in God when I am facing trials that I have no remedies for and my future is in darkness?” How would you respond to your friend?

C. Have a volunteer read Psalm 13.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Can you detect two main moods in this psalm? What decision do you think brought a radical change in the psalmist’s general outlook?
3. Personal Application: When we are in trial, and many times when not, how do our prayers reflect our focus on self? How do we get to the point when we can focus on others and God’s will in our lives rather than “Woe is me”? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your neighbors states: “I don’t know why bad things happen to good people. God promised to protect us from evil. And yet good people tend to get the most grief. Why would anyone want to become a Christian when that just brings more trouble?” How would you respond to your relative?

D. Have a volunteer read Psalm 60:1-5.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. In what situations would this psalm be a suitable prayer?
3. Personal Application: Who do you know right now, who needs not only your prayers but also your ministering touch? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148)

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-teach-us-to-pray-teaching-plan/