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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In my current personal devotions I read through the Psalms, and then kept cruising through Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. When I came to Song of Solomon I asked myself if I really needed to continue. After all some people wonder why such a book as Song of Solomon is even in the Bible. It’s a love story that some think gets a little too personal. Nonetheless, I reminded myself that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable, so early this morning I prayed for the Holy Spirit to teach this book to me and I dove in. What I found was a beautiful ending to an ugly story I had already read in Revelation 3:14-21.

About 17 years ago I woke up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep. Lying there half awake and half asleep, I realized that if I left the house now, I could make it to Daytona Beach to see the sunrise. I jumped in my car and started listening to the book of Revelation as I drove. I listened as the narrator gave Jesus’ account of how wretched, poor, blind, miserable and naked His last-day church is. After such a discouraging message Jesus really woke me up when I heard Him say,

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:21 NKJV

What? Is Jesus talking about the same church He called wretched, poor, blind, miserable and naked one day overcoming just as He overcame? Wow, Jesus just never gives up!

Photo courtesy of William Earnhardt

I remember years ago when I was working at UPS, I made a mistake and my supervisor got really upset and chewed me out. He ended his lecture by saying, “You may think I am making a big deal out of this by being so angry and upset, but one day when you become a supervisor you will understand.” I walked away feeling rebuked and encouraged at the same time. My boss just chewed me out and told me I would be promoted one day all in the same breath. This is what Jesus was saying to His last day church. A dire warning that ended with a beautiful promise and hope.

Fast Forward to this morning as I was reading Song of Solomon. Chapter 3 ends with a wedding. Chapter 4 is the groom describing his bride. Further study led me to conclude that this is also symbolic of Jesus describing His bride, the church. The church He once described as wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked. After being redeemed read how Jesus describes His bride and church now.

You are beautiful, my darling,
    beautiful beyond words.
Your eyes are like doves
    behind your veil.
Your hair falls in waves,
    like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
Your teeth are as white as sheep,
    recently shorn and freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
    each tooth matched with its twin.
Your lips are like scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth is inviting.
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
    behind your veil.
Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David,
    jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
    twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.
 Before the dawn breezes blow
    and the night shadows flee,
I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh
    and to the hill of frankincense. You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
    beautiful in every way. Song of Solomon 4:1-7 NLT

The church Jesus once said was wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked He has redeemed. Now as He inspects every part of her body He exclaims she is beautiful beyond words and beautiful in every way!

Just as the groom is inspecting every part of his bride’s body, so Jesus inspects every aspect of our lives. Some parts of our lives may be downright ugly right now. Just like there are parts of our body we don’t want people looking at, there are parts of our lives we really don’t want Jesus to see. We know what sin and ugliness He will find there. Here is the good news: Not just good news, it is beautifully wonderful news. We can turn those ugly parts of our lives over to Jesus. Let Him cleanse us and redeem us. Then the same Jesus who looked at us and said we are wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked, will inspect every aspect of our being and go on and on about how beautiful we are. Beautiful beyond words. Beautiful in every way!

Jesus is the Faithful and True Witness. He is being honest when He tells me how ugly my sins are. Now that He is redeeming me I can’t wait to hear Him say how beautiful I am. And when Jesus raves on and on about how beautiful we are – even too beautiful for words and beautiful in every way-He will still be just as honest, faithful and true as He has ever been!

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