Today’s passage: Psalm 80
Helpful thoughts:
- It is believed this psalm was written in response to the captivity of the northern tribes.
- Asaph was confident in this, if God’s people could see Him, they would be changed (Verse 3, 7, 19).
- Looking at all the problems and the cares of this world will never lead us to righteousness.
- Look to Jesus! Meditate on the glory of God!
- The Vine out of Egypt represents the people of Israel.
Questions to consider:
- What happened with this illustration of the vine moving forward into the New Testament? (Matthew 21:33-40, John 15:1-11) How might the correlation between this psalm’s verses 3, 7, and 19 correlate with Jesus’ command to “abide” in Him?
- Why is it hard to focus our attention on Jesus in the midst of everything happening in our lives/in this world? What do we often want God to do with all of these issues and problems? What might God be using these issues and problems to do to you and for you?
- Christ told us to take His yoke, that it is “easy” (Matthew 11:25-30). If we are asking God to make our lives easy, what have we gotten backwards? How would looking to Jesus, abiding in Him, beholding God’s glory revealed in the Scriptures cause us to reorient our view of all the events happening in and around our lives? What would it take in our hearts/minds to make following Jesus “easy” in the midst of trouble or even persecution?