A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Transcription

1 GET INTO THE STUDY 5 minutes DISCUSS: Draw attention to the picture on PSG page 152 and ask Question 1: When have you been overwhelmed by gratitude? GUIDE: Refer group members to the author s story in The Bible Meets Life on PSG page 153 about his simple prayer: Thank you after his daughter was diagnosed with an incurable disease as a child. SAY: In this season when we pause to express our thanksgiving to God for His many blessings, ask God to give us grateful hearts at all times. GUIDE: Introduce The Point on PSG page 153: Express gratitude and trust in the One who hears our prayers. PRAY: Begin the Bible study with sentence prayers, encouraging each group member to express thanks to God for one of His many blessings during this year. SESSION 7 A PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING The Point Express gratitude and trust in the One who hears our prayers. The Bible Meets Life Our belief in the power of praying to God and our trust in Him is reflected in our thanks. As God responds to our needs, we certainly thank Him; but even before we see the answer, we can thank Him because we know the loving character of the One to whom we pray. We can pray with an attitude of thankfulness, knowing God will answer in the best way. The Passage Psalm 138:1-8 The Setting Psalm 138 reflects King David s grateful heart. He thanked God for hearing his prayers. Also, he affirmed his confidence that God would care for him. With the psalm, David offered a message of praise to God that encouraged others to trust Him too. It s placed next to Psalm 137, a psalm of lament. The psalmist wrote about the deep sorrow of God s people as they witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and their grim future in Babylonian captivity. 152 Session 7

2 Psalm 138:1-2 1 I will give you thanks with all my heart; I will sing your praise before the heavenly beings. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your constant love and truth. You have exalted your name and your promise above everything else. KEY WORDS: The heavenly beings (v. 1) A Hebrew word that in this case described idols in David s day that pagan people considered divine and worthy of their worship. In the Model Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13 assures us our Father listens to us when we pray. When we grasp the reality that God hears our prayers, our hearts fill with gratitude. Verse 1. If we follow the path that s carved into the first two verses of Psalm 138, we thank Him for His love and truth. David wrote this psalm to express his sincere gratitude to God. He could have chosen not to express his thankfulness. After all, he faced some difficult challenges once God anointed him to succeed Saul as king. He could have moaned over his disappointments in life and blamed God for them. Or he could have penned an essay on how the people of Israel and Judah should have thanked him more for leading the kingdom to new heights of prosperity and power. His decision to express gratitude to God exhibited his understanding of how much he had been blessed. With his words, therefore, he demonstrated a pure heart full of unblemished thanksgiving. Along with telling about his troubles, David also could have chronicled his royal successes and boasted about his military victories. Likewise, he could have written about his achievements and the trophies he had collected. But he didn t go in that direction either. Instead, he gave himself to praising God alone. By praising God, David allowed the light of glory to shine only on Him. By singing, David channeled the thankfulness that overflowed in his heart through his voice. He didn t try to sing with the measured effort of a professional musician interested in performing so he would win the applause of an audience. Quite the STUDY THE BIBLE Psalm 138: minutes SUMMARIZE: Before reading the passage, refer to The Bible Meets Life and The Setting on page 152 to establish the context of the passage. READ: Read Psalm 138:1-2. GUIDE: Refer group members to the following on PSG page 154: While praise and thanksgiving are closely related, there is a difference. Praise focuses on who God is, and thanksgiving focuses on what God has done. In this passage David does both: praising God and thanking Him. GUIDE: Use the KEY WORDS (PSG, p. 154) to explain the meaning of the phrase the heavenly beings. SUGGESTED USE WEEK OF NOVEMBER

3 THE POINT Express gratitude and trust in the One who hears our prayers. GUIDE: Refer group members to PSG page 154 to this statement: We have so much to thank God for, but David focused on two attributes of God for which he was especially thankful: God s constant love. God s truth. Commentary 1 to provide further explanation about verse 2: Worship as a response to being in God s presence. The significance of the temple which represented God s presence among His people. Focusing on the traits of God s love and His truth. GUIDE: Refer group members to the thankful witness of the lady in assisted living on PSG page 156: I get my Bible and read until I can t read anymore. Then I open my hymnal and I sing until I can t sing anymore. Then I pray until I can t pray anymore. Then I just sit in this chair and let God love me. When we reflect on God s great love and truth, it s easy to pray with thanksgiving. 154 Session 7 opposite, his song seemed to be altogether spontaneous, bursting with energy, and completely devoid of any interest in getting anyone s applause. He didn t sing to perform, but to testify. With his song, he bore witness to the truth that only the living God of Israel deserved his praise. His testimony of praise in song sent an important affirmation about God s presence. In surrounding kingdoms, people worshiped idols they considered to be divine beings. They bowed before lifeless deities in futile devotion while David worshiped the living God with a thankful heart. 1 Verse 2. For David, bowing accompanied singing. A gesture of humility, bowing before the Lord expressed David s response to being in His presence. Singing praise to God ushered David into worship. As he continued to worship, he became more aware of the precious holiness of the moment. His awareness that he had come into the presence of God brought him to his knees in humility. Worshiping God has the same effect on growing believers. In personal or corporate worship, we do well to begin with praising the Lord for who He is and thanking Him for what He has done. Our praises beckon us into His presence. There we find ourselves humbled by the reality that He has given us the honor of being His children through Christ. In response, we humble ourselves before Him in sincere submission and grateful devotion. The reference to the temple in this verse could make some Bible students wonder if David wrote it. The temple was constructed during the reign of Solomon, David s son. However, David had the dream of building the temple and even had a building plan in mind (2 Sam. 7). When he wrote about the temple in this verse, he said that he bowed toward it. Perhaps he meant that he looked with humility in the direction of the site where the temple would be constructed one day. Or maybe he had the tabernacle on his mind. Either way, the recognition that it was a holy place gripped him. Looking at the location where God s people worshiped Him humbled David. It moved within him an awareness that he had come into God s presence. As David continued to worship with a thankful heart, he turned his thoughts to God s great name. In those days, a person s name said something about his or her character. When David wrote about God s name, two traits of His character came into view. David had seen for himself that God loved him. He also knew from his personal walk with

4 the Lord that He always told the truth. Across the years, the Lord had shown David that He could be trusted to be faithful in His love and true to His word. The reliability of God s great name had a powerful effect on David s life. Because God took His name very seriously, His people could count on Him to keep His promise. Thus, David didn t live with doubt casting a shadow over his relationship with God. He knew that if God made a promise, He would honor it without fail. Nothing would ever prevent Him from keeping His word to His people. Therefore, David learned how to abide in the assurance of God s promise to him. DIGGING DEEPER LOVING-KINDNESS In the Old Testament the word chesed, translated constant love (CSB), conveys God s active love for His people. To understand God s character, one must understand the word that many biblical writers used to portray the loving side of the Lord. The use of chesed in the divine-human relationship suggest that chesed flows out of the covenant Yahweh established at Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:5-6) with His people Israel. God set up requirements, primarily the First Commandment, to worship/serve the Lord God alone because He is the only God. The Lord promised to be their God always and care for them and protect them if they would be His people (compare Ex. 6:7). Therefore, when chesed describes the Lord s relationship with His people, it typically reflects the covenant relationship s perspective that the Lord established and to which He bound Himself: unfailing love, steadfast love, covenant love. Even as the children of Israel often failed to fulfill the requirements of the covenant, the Lord continued to express His faithfulness, covenant love, loyalty, mercy, loving-kindness His chesed toward those disobedient and rebellious children. Some biblical scholars have suggested that God s chesed was not love or mercy, but merely loyalty to the covenant that He made with the patriarchs. However, this view fails to recognize that the Lord made His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because of His love for them and their descendants, not merely to honor a contract. God chose to make the covenant with Abraham and his descendants. In so doing, He bound Himself to the stipulations of His covenant; in essence, the Lord promised to show chesed to His chosen people, not because of any inherent goodness in them, but because of His own covenant love, mercy, faithfulness, loyalty His chesed. GUIDE: Refer to DIGGING DEEPER on PSG page 155 for information about the term constant love, translated lovingkindness in other translations. DISCUSS: Question #2 (PSG, p. 156): How has God displayed love and truth in your life recently? Alternate: Why do we often fail to give God thanks for what He has done? TRANSITION: In the next verses, we will see how David responded to God s answer to his prayer. OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Prior to the session purchase a Thanksgiving card and display it before the group. Ask the group: What are some words you would use to describe Thanksgiving? What are some family traditions you practice to help focus the holiday on giving thanks? Francis X. Kimmitt, Loving-Kindness, Biblical Illustrator, Summer 2004,

5 THE POINT Express gratitude and trust in the One who hears our prayers. STUDY THE BIBLE Psalm 138: minutes READ: Ask a group member to read Psalm 138:3-6. SAY: Along with God s love and truth, we thank Him for providing what we need. Commentary 2 to explain how God provided David what he needed: God responded to David s request on the day he asked. God also gave him strength. Psalm 138:3-6 3 On the day I called, you answered me; you increased strength within me. 4 All the kings on earth will give you thanks, Lord, when they hear what you have promised. 5 They will sing of the Lord s ways, for the Lord s glory is great. 6 Though the Lord is exalted, he takes note of the humble; but he knows the haughty from a distance. 2 Verse 3. Along with God s love and truth, we thank Him for providing what we need. That s the affirmation we make when we take a close look at this section of the psalm. David celebrated the faithfulness of the Lord to him when he asked for help. He didn t mention the details swirling around his prayer request. Instead, he focused attention on God s response. He may have recalled a specific day when he brought his need to God. Or he could have been celebrating the way God faithfully answered him each time he presented a need to Him. With his recollection of God s answering his prayer, David reminded God s people about the value of a long memory. Like God s people then, disciples today can have a tendency to forget God s faithfulness. Along with keeping a prayer list of items we need, we do well to keep a record of God s answers. Surveying the list of His provisions will have a powerful effect on our prayer lives. Remembering how God provided made a huge difference to David. Not only did God meet his need, something else happened to him. By answering his prayer, God strengthened him spiritually to the point he could become extremely bold. His fierce courage came from his unbending assurance of the Lord s provision. He knew he would have what he needed so he could carry on with God s work each day. 156 Session 7

6 3 Verse 4. Such a deep and abiding sense of assurance enabled David to serve the Lord in a day when the kings of surrounding nations worshiped idols. Their deities had been formed from their hands and set up as objects of spiritual devotion. Therefore, the kings didn t have the same spiritual satisfaction that came only from serving the Lord. As David thought about them, he wrote about the anticipated day to come when the Lord would be the center of their worship and service too. He went on to be specific about what would make them turn to the Lord in complete devotion. They would be prompted to give themselves to the Lord once they encountered His promise for themselves. Instead of cold and empty silence from lifeless deities, they would experience profound hope in a relationship with the living God. Their relationship would be nourished by a consistent awareness that the Lord keeps His promise. They could trust Him to do what He said. If He said He would be with them, they could count on His presence each day. Also, if He promised He would hear their prayers and provide them with what they needed, they could stake their lives on His faithfulness. Verse 5. Just like David broke out in song over the Lord s care for him, the kings in the surrounding nations would also sing about Him. Their song would center on God s involvement in their lives and kingdoms. Compared to the idols, the Lord would work with them in ways that would result in their adoration of Him. He alone would be worthy of their praise. They would be captured by His intimacy as well as His majesty. He would show them that He possessed all power, but they would also be gripped by His compassion. They would live in the delight of knowing He loved them enough to care for them. He would be attentive to their needs, and He would listen as they poured out their hearts to Him. As the kings of the earth came to the Lord and bowed in grateful worship before Him, they would affirm His greatness. They would exalt Him as the Lord. No other ruler would receive greater acclaim. They would refuse to cast the light on themselves or their kingdoms or their accomplishments. The light of glory would shine only on Him, and He alone would be exalted above everything and everyone else. Commentary 3 to learn how other world leaders would respond when David shared with them what God had done. Commentary 4 on this page and page 158 to provide further explanation about God s response to the humble and to the proud: The Lord looks with favor on people who walked in humility before Him. The Lord would not allow a person consumed by selfish pride to come into His presence. 4 Verse 6. The kings who sang about the Lord would agree on one aspect of His reign. He exerted sovereign rule over them and their kingdoms, and He looked with favor on people who walked in humility before Him. The lifeless 157

7 THE POINT Express gratitude and trust in the One who hears our prayers. DISCUSS: Question #3 (PSG, p. 158): When has God s faithfulness to you given you courage and a sense of security? Alternate: How does physical or emotional fatigue affect us spiritually? TRANSITION: In the next verses we will see David s confidence because of God s faithfulness. deities they worshiped before they came to the Lord didn t have hearts of compassion for humble people. But the Lord s compassion prompted Him to reach down to the humble and help them. People in those days connected the idea of humility with the harsh reality of adversity or poverty. Accordingly, being humble meant being submissive. Kings expected their subjects to approach them in humility. For God s people, humility came to be an important feature of acceptable worship. They came into His presence humbly, submitting themselves to Him because they recognized His ultimate authority. Therefore, the Lord would not allow a person consumed by selfish pride to come into His presence. Kings who ruled over their nations expected everyone to bow before them in humility. They never thought about being humble themselves. In fact, the notion would have been repugnant to them. Their self-indulgent pride would not have allowed it. A king who humbled himself before the Lord and sang praises to Him for His greatness would be difficult to find. Yet, David knew that any king who knew the Lord intimately would bow before Him in grateful humility. STUDY THE BIBLE Psalm 138: minutes READ: Read or ask a volunteer to read Psalm 138:7-8. Psalm 138:7-8 7 If I walk into the thick of danger, you will preserve my life from the anger of my enemies. You will extend your hand; your right hand will save me. 8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. Lord, your faithful love endures forever; do not abandon the work of your hands. 5 Verse 7. Our God provides for us, and He also keeps us and protects us. David drew us to that affirmation as He directed attention to God s ways and our future. In other psalms, David wrote about walking into dangerous situations. In Psalm 23:4, for example, he testified he would not be afraid even when he came so close to death 158 Session 7

8 that he could sense its shadow hovering over him. Fear did not factor into his life because he had learned to trust the Lord completely. The years he spent as a fugitive on the run from King Saul had taught him that the Lord would protect him (1 Sam ). Years later, he had to flee for his life because his son, Absalom, tried to overthrow him. At the end of that terrible episode, God protected David and restored him as king (2 Sam ). Because he had been protected through some terribly dangerous events, David refused to live in fear so long as the Lord guarded his path. Notice that David brought up the anger of his enemies. His encounters with Saul as well as Absalom had been marked by anger. Saul s anger boiled over from his jealousy of David. Jealousy coupled with selfish pride and arrogance fostered Absalom s anger against his father. In both cases, anger moved David s enemies to take extreme measures. However, neither of them succeeded because God protected David. At other times in David s reign, he probably observed anger swelling in the hearts of his adversaries that could have provoked them to kill him. Of course, each of their attempts failed, and David made sure he expressed his gratitude to God for protecting him. 6 When David incorporated the image of God s hand, he had God s awesome power in mind. Throughout the Old Testament, writers used the idea of God s hand to describe His limitless strength and His ultimate authority. For example, God rescued Israel from the grip of Egyptian bondage. His unmatched ability to deliver His people was portrayed as His strong or powerful hand (Ex.13:16). Writing about God s right hand in this verse gave David the picture he needed to describe His tremendous strength. God s peerless power insured victory for His people when He used it in their favor. When we think about God s powerful work in our lives, we echo David s sentiment about thanking Him for protecting us. By keeping us from harm, He underscores His watchfulness. When He helps us through dangerous times, He makes an indelible mark in our hearts that bears witness to His constant attention to us. 7 Verse 8. David s statement about God s purpose gives us confidence about what He s doing in us. It also brings to our minds the instruction Jesus gave us in the Model Prayer. Jesus instructed us to pray with a heart of submission to the Father (Matt. 6:10-11a). Surrendering to Him when we pray means we give up on building our own kingdoms. Instead, we devote ourselves to His kingdom Commentary 5 on page 158 and this page to show how David trusted God s protection. God had watched over David throughout his life as a shepherd. while a fugitive on the run from King Saul. on the run after his son Absalom rebelled and tried to overthrow him. Commentary 6 to show how David incorporated the image of Your hand, Your right hand, to show God s unlimited strength and power. Commentary 7 on this page and page 160 for further explanation of how God would fulfill His purpose in David, and how we also can depend on Him to finish the work He began in us when He saved us through Christ. DISCUSS: Question #4 (PSG, p. 159): What s the relationship between thankfulness and faith? 159

9 THE POINT Express gratitude and trust in the One who hears our prayers. LEADER PACK: Display Item 11: Prayer of Thanksgiving poster. Distribute sticky notes and pens. Invite group members to consider what they are thankful for when it comes to God s love and truth, God s provision, and God s protection. Ask them to write one item per sticky note. Allow 2-3 minutes for them to complete this. Then, ask them to place their Thanksgiving notes on the poster. Using this list, lead your group in a prayer time of thanksgiving for what God has done for us. DISCUSS: Question #5 (PSG, p. 160): What are some practical ways you can incorporate more gratitude and trust into your day-to-day life? Alternate: How can thankful prayer move us from worry to trust? and His will. When we take our devotion to Him seriously, we tap into an encouraging assurance. We rest assured that He has given us a purpose in keeping with His kingdom. When we live it out, we abide in His joy and contentment. Growing believers want to fulfill God s purpose. Just as important, we trust Him to work within us so His purpose for us can be fulfilled for His glory. Pay close attention to what happened next in this verse. David stopped writing about God and started talking directly to Him. Specifically, he focused his attention on God s loyal love or mercy to His people. David lived with the abiding certainty that God s unending love would be demonstrated in His faithfulness. Therefore, God s people could depend on Him to be at work in their lives, enabling them to fulfill His purpose for them. His unique love had a persevering quality that would make it extremely durable. Accordingly, His steadfast love for them would last longer than a lifetime. Once more, David brought up God s hands. Earlier, he used the picture to describe God s power at work to protect His people. In this verse, he incorporated the image to convey the truth about God s initiative. Because the Lord loved His people faithfully, He would enable them to carry out His purpose. He would take the lead in their lives so they would not falter in carrying out His plan for them. In that context, David asked the Lord to never allow them to leave His work unfinished. King David didn t want anything to stand in the way of God s people fulfilling His purpose for them. Like David, we thank the Lord for His magnificent investment in us so we can fulfill His purpose in our lives. In addition, we re most grateful for His faithful love for us. Because He loves us, He keeps on nudging us about living out His purpose for us. We know He expressed His loyal love to us perfectly at Calvary. There He removed the sin that stood in the way of a purposeful walk with Him. With grateful hearts, we sing our praises to God with David. And we ask Him in humble submission to finish the work He began in us when He saved us through Christ. DO: Encourage group members to take a few minutes to complete the activity Gratefulness Ratings on PSG page Session 7

10 LIVE IT OUT The celebration of Thanksgiving Day can mean different things to different people, but the heart of giving thanks is tied to faith and prayer. If we want to have a fully developed prayer life, we have to learn to regularly offer thanks to God in prayer. > > Be thankful. Every day this week tell God something you are thankful for. > > Write out your thanks. Make a list a long list! of all the reasons you have to be thankful. Pray through the entire list and thank God for the different ways He has blessed and touched your life. > > Thank someone. Write a handwritten note to someone for whom you re thankful and tell them why you thank God for them. Include a prayer of thanksgiving. LIVE IT OUT 5 minutes GUIDE: Emphasize The Point: Express gratitude and trust in the One who hears our prayers. REVIEW: Review Live It Out (PSG, p. 161); (see text to the left). Encourage each group member to follow through this week with at least one of the applications. WRAP IT UP GUIDE: Remind group members to continue to express their gratitude and trust in God as a regular part of their prayer life. PRAY: Father, we love You. We are grateful for all You do for us. We trust You. Free additional ideas for your group are available at BibleStudiesforLife.com/AdultExtra 161

11 COMING IN WINTER The Full Picture of Christmas This six-session looks at the birth of Christ from the perspective of different people in Scripture. The study is written by Cliff Lea, senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Leesburg, Florida. SUGGESTED FOR THE WEEK OF December 2 Session 1 Isaiah s Prophecy... Isaiah 7:10-14; 9:6-7; 11:1-5 December 9 Session 2 Joseph s Obedience... Matthew 1:18-25 December 16 Session 3 Mary s Trust... Luke 1:26-38 December 23 Session 4 The Angels Announcement.... Luke 2:1-14 December 30 Session 5 Simeon s Proclamation Luke 2:25-35 January 6 Session 6 The Wise Men s Worship... Matthew 2:1-11 Engaging Culture in an Ever-Changing World This seven-session study examines several areas of life where the world seeks to redefine truth, ethics, and morality. Grant Ethridge, senior pastor of Liberty Baptist Church in Hampton Roads, Virginia, leads us to examine these issues in light of God s unchanging truth. January 13 Session 1 When Races Collide... Ephesians 2:11-22 January 20 Session 2 When Life is Expendable... Exodus 1:16-17,22 2:9 January 27 Session 3 When Circumstances Overwhelm... Psalm 42:1-3,6-8; 43:3-5 February 3 Session 4 When Substances Take Over... Ephesians 5:15-21 February 10 Session 5 When Marriage is Questioned... Genesis 2:18-25 February 17 Session 6 When Materialism Consumes John 2:12-17; 3:16-18 February 24 Session 7 When False Religions Deceive... 1 John 2: BIBLE STUDIES FOR LIFE