Daily Lesson for Wednesday 10th of January 2024

We all have probably faced times when the presence of God seemed very far from us. Who, at times, has not thought: How could this have happened?

The psalmists, humans like the rest of us, surely faced similar things. Though, yes, at times our sins bring trials upon us, at other times they seem to be so unfair, and we feel as if we did not deserve what we are now faced with. Again, who has not been there?

“How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?” (Psalms 13:1, NKJV). Again, who cannot relate to these sentiments, as wrong as they might be? (Does God ever forget any of us?)

Psalms 13:1-6, then, points to the way to avoid another common ­mistake—focusing on ourselves and our problems when praying. This psalm can transform our prayer by leading us to reaffirm the faithful and unchanging nature of God’s dealings with His people.

Sure, though the psalm does begin with laments and complaints, it does not end there. And that’s the crucial point.

The psalm leads us to deliberately choose to trust God’s redemptive power (Psalms 13:5), so that our fear and anxiety (Psalms 13:1-4) can gradually give way to God’s salvation, and we begin experiencing change from lament to praise, from despair to hope (Psalms 13:5, 6).

However, a mere repetition of the words of the Psalms with only a slight comprehension of their meaning will not produce the authentic transformation intended by their use. When praying the Psalms, we should seek the Holy Spirit to enable us to act in the way demanded by the psalm. The Psalms are the Word of God by which believers’ characters and actions are transformed, not simply informed. By God’s grace, the promises of the Psalms are made manifest in the lives of believers. This means that we allow God’s Word to shape us according to God’s will and to unite us with Christ, who demonstrated God’s will perfectly and, as the incarnate Son of God, prayed the Psalms, as well.

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/24a-02-from-despair-to-hope/

The beautiful picture on the front of our lesson pamphlet brings us our theme hymn for this quarter with its two variations in melody: Hym 552/546 – The Lord’s My Shepherd.

 We sing of the stepping stones in learning to pray in
Hymn 488 – At First I Prayed For Light and then we can enjoy the
Sweet Hour Of Prayer – Hymn 478.

In Times Like These – Hymn 593 we learn to
Only Trust Him – Hymn 279 along with
Hymn 510 – If You Trust In God To Guide You, and find
“‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus – Hymn 524 and then say
I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus – Hymn 535. We have then learned to
Trust And Obey – Hymn 590.

In despair it is wonderful to find
My Hope Is Built On Nothing Less – Hymn 522 (Tuesday and Wednesday). We are then able to sing
Holy God, We Praise Your Name – Hymn 30 because
My Faith Looks Up To Thee – Hymn 517 and we have learned to
Only Trust Him – Hymn 279.

Psalm 92:1 “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your Holy Name, O Most High!”

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org/Search and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/2-teach-us-to-pray-singing-with-inspiration/

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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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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Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/beautiful-message-in-a-book-of-the-bible-i-almost-didnt-read/