Today’s passage: Psalm 13

Helpful thoughts:

• This Psalm can be divided into three sections:
  • Verses 1-2 – God, where are You and why aren’t You doing anything?
  • Verses 3-4 – God, I know you have a reason, please help me understand.
  • Verses 5-6 – God, I joyfully praise you for your faithfulness and salvation.

Questions to consider:

1. Do you think David moved through these three phases of emotion in or after his hardship quickly or would it take some time?
2. How could these three phases of David’s struggle help you to think through how you are doing during times of suffering?
3. What (Or Who) was the one constant center of thought which helped David to eventually come to a place of praise and joy in God (Potentially even in the midst of his continued troubles)?

Today’s passage: Psalm 12

Helpful thoughts:

• A flatterer uses words of encouragement to manipulate and take advantage of another.  They sound like they are building you up, but in reality they are using their words to use you for their own selfish interest.
• Flattery is dishonesty.  The hardest part of being flattered is when you don’t know the person was using you until it’s too late.
• God is not a flatterer.  His words are true and pure.  His promises are sure.

Questions to consider:

1. Why might we be tempted to flatter people?  What forms of flattery might be considered “acceptable behavior” and commonplace?
2. How does flattery hurt people?  What is the better way to speak to people?  What has to be true of us before we can genuinely speak kindly to others?
3. How can we know that God’s promises are true?  What characteristics or attributes of God remind us that He always speaks truth and will fulfill His promises?

Today’s passage: Psalm 11

Helpful thoughts:

• The grammatical tense of the verb for “take” refuge refers to a completed action with continual results.
• The idea of the first three verses is that of a counselor telling David to flee because of a surprise nighttime attack against God’s people.
• God sees everything in all people.  The righteous are approved and the wicked are punished.

Questions to consider:

1. Is the LORD ever caught off guard?  Is there anything He doesn’t see?  How can these truths give us hope and confidence?
2. Why should this Psalm cause holy fear?  How does the Gospel turn this Psalm from a message of sure damnation into a message of security and excitement?

Today’s passage: Psalm 10

Helpful thoughts:

• In earlier copies of Scripture, Psalm 9 and Psalm 10 were considered one collective work.
• God’s patience and longsuffering are abused by the proud.  They deny God’s existence simply because He does not act the way they think He should.
• God’s patience and longsuffering are confusing to those who forget who He is.  He has not made any mistakes.  He is merciful.  We have benefited more from His mercy than we realize.

Questions to consider:

1. How do the statements in this psalm resonate with the speculative question; How could a good God allow bad things to happen?
2. How does David answer the above question in verse 14-18?  What truth about God did he need to remember?
3. Is there a hardship in your life that you need to entrust to the Lord as David did?

Today’s passage: Psalm 9

Helpful thoughts:

• Right will prevail, and the reason why it will is because God is on the throne.
• David looks to the past, recounting God’s goodness in his life, and looks to the present in anticipation and expectation.
• The highest delight in David’s requests, the reason for them, is to recount all of God’s praises.  God is our greatest joy.

Questions to consider:

1. What has God done in your life that is deserving of praise?
2. Where is God working in your life right now?  What concerns do you have right now that you should take to Him in prayer?
3. How does the knowledge that God will never forsake His children give you comfort?  What does it mean?

Today’s passage: Psalm 8

Helpful thoughts:

• Creation declares the glory, the power, and the divine nature of God (Romans 1:20).
• God is bigger,better and more powerful than we could comprehend.  And yet He cares about us and gives us purpose, meaning and honor.
• Our purpose, meaning and honor come from our Creator!

Questions to consider:

1. How does remembering that God is big and we are small help us to remember where our purpose, meaning and honor come from?
2. When we look for purpose, meaning and honor in other places (Or from other people), how can that affect our fears, anxiety, pride, desires, actions, etc.?
3. How does the version of majesty that can be acquired by man compare to the majesty of God?  How many ways does earthly fame and wealth fall short of the majesty of God?

Today’s passage: Psalm 7

Helpful thoughts:

• In this Psalm, David is crying out to the Lord after having been falsely accused of a specific wrong doing.  David is not making a case for his total righteousness, simply for innocence in this matter.
• God righteously judges people’s actions all the way to their thoughts and motives.
• God is constantly involved and discerning everyone’s thoughts and activities.  He is not distant, distracted, or disinterested.

Questions to consider:

1. What did David believe that helped him to praise and thank God during this stressful time?
2. How could the honesty and emotion of this prayer encourage you in your prayer life?
3. How does God’s omniscience (He knows everything), encourage you to pursue righteousness, and to be thankful for His loving gift of Jesus Christ?

Today’s passage: Psalm 6

Helpful thoughts:

• Our anguish, anxieties, depression, guilt, etc. can affect our physical bodies.
• David appeals to God for a longer life.  The basis of his appeal?  To display God’s steadfast love for all to see.
• David’s refuge in the midst of suffering comes from his personal relationship with Yahweh.

Questions to consider:

1. Was David’s appeal against those who were “workers of evil” based on the idea that he was better than them?  Why not?  How does the first part of this Psalm show that is not the case?
2. Why was David ultimately able to look forward with confidence, potentially even before this crisis was resolved?  What things had God done that preceded this time?
3. How has God answered your prayers in the past?  How could the faithful practice of prayer help you to grow in your personal relationship with the LORD?