PSALM 57 Reading Guide. February 2-8, 2014

Transcription

1 PSALM 57 Reading Guide February 2-8, 2014

2 PSALM 57 2 PSALM 57 1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me. 3 He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! 4 My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. 5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! 6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah 7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast! I will sing and make melody! 8 Awake, my glory! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn! 9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations. 10 For your steadfast love is great to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth!

3 PSALM 57 3 DAY 1 Read through Psalm 57 once writing down what you find interesting, what you find helpful, and what you don t fully understand. According to the introductory notes in the ESV Study Bible, The faithful who sing this hymn can identify with David s confidence in the presence of serious dangers, and can look through those dangers to seek God s honor. Read through the notes on Psalm 57 in the ESV Study Bible. Write at least one paragraph highlighting what you learned from the study notes. Reread Psalm 57, personalizing the Psalm as your own prayer. Write out that prayer. DAY 2 Read Psalm 57 again. David cries out to God, asking him to save him. However, David doesn t see his protection and preservation as the end. Instead, he realizes that he is spared so that he can worship God: Be exalted, O God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth! (Ps. 57:5, 11). David understands what the Westminster Shorter Catechism calls our chief end: To glorify God, and enjoy him forever. In Revelation 5 John gives us a glimpse of God s throne room in heaven: God the father is on the throne. Jesus, the King of all Kings, is beside him. Every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, worship them as they say, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever! David knew he was saved to worship God and, in doing so, glorify God. He knew that was his chief purpose while on earth and would be his chief purpose in heaven. It will always and forever be our chief purpose Jesus came to earth, lived, died, and rose again so that we could glorify God forever. Read verses 5 and 11 again. Spend some time thinking about what it means for you to praise God as the one exalted above the heavens. Write out a prayer of praise to God that starts with verse 5. DAY 3 When David wrote Psalm 57, his life was in danger. King Saul wanted to kill him. David was hiding out in a cave. Yet he knew the cave wouldn t be his ultimate protection. So, he cried out to God for help. Charles Wesley wrote a similar prayer in his hymn Jesus, Lover of My Soul. Though the king wasn t seeking to kill him, he was able to apply the themes of a Psalm like 57 to his prayer. Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly, While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.

4 PSALM 57 4 Hide me, O my Savior, hide, til life s storm is past; Safe into the haven guide; receive my soul at last. Other refuge have I none, I helpless, hang on Thee; Leave, oh leave me not alone, support and comfort me. All my trust on Thee is stayed, all help from Thee I bring; Cover my defenseless head in the shadow of Thy wing. Thou, O Christ, are all I want, here more than all I find; Raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind. Just and holy is Thy Name, I am all unrighteousness; False and full of sin I am; thou art full of truth and grace. Plenteous grace with Thee is found, grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart; for all eternity. Read Psalm 57 again. You don t need to hymn writing ability of Wesley to write a prayer similar to Psalm 57. Think of a situation in your life where you need God to rescue you. Ask God for his help. Confess the other places you look for help, ask him to forgive you for doing that, and cling to the only true refuge you have. Be specific in the ways you ask him to help you. End by committing to both praise and thank God when he does deliver you. DAY 4 Read Psalm 57 again, focusing on verses In verses 9-10, David commits to publically praise God for his salvation. For by saving David, God shows his steadfast love and faithfulness. Think of some of the ways God has shown his steadfast love and faithfulness to you this past week. Write out a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking him for what he s done for you. Share that prayer with others, so they too can praise and thank God for his goodness to you. DAY 5 Read through Psalm 57 twice. Write out at least two paragraphs reflecting on what you ve learned about God, yourself, and others from Psalm 57. Write out at least one thing you hope to apply to your life from Psalm 57. Spend at least 15 minutes sharing what you wrote with a trusted friend or family member. If they read Psalm 57 this week, ask them to do the same. End your time in prayer, thanking God for what he taught you this week. * Purchasing an ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Bibles, 2008.) will aid you in your understanding of the Psalms. The first day s reading each week assumes you will have access to the notes in the ESV Study Bible. The ESV Study Bible is the most comprehensive study Bible ever published. It will help you understand not just the Psalms, but also the rest of the Bible in a deeper way. You can either buy the Bible (amazon.com, search: ESV Study Bible) or purchase online access to the notes at Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

5 PSALM Elliot Grudem.