PRAYING THE PSALMS Intro Week LOGISTICS: Review the handouts. The schedule of topics The way to prepare each week. INTRODUCTION Why Psalms? Why not Psalms? Like reading someone s journal get ready for the good, the bad, and the ugly. Should make us feel better about ourselves we re not the only ones with thoughts and feelings that aren t all sugar and spice and everything nice. Each Psalm that we ll read will challenge us to reflect on how we express the emotion that it deals with. Our end goal is finding a healthy & holy expression of each emotion (not always pretty, but shooting for healthy & holy) and even if, like the Psalm writers, we don t start in the best place, perhaps we can learn how to end with our minds set on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. The author of our study book Juanita Ryan describes the Psalms this way (see page 5): In intense language of poetry, the Psalms address God with frankness and urgency. They give voice to our inner turmoil. They teach us to talk to God about our deepest needs and longings with childlike vulnerability and spontaneity. They immerse us in a spiritual life that is a passionate struggle to love and to know we are loved by God. I hope you ll read the rest of the introduction but, suffice it to say, we re fixin to get real! When you start talking about needs and longings and using words like vulnerability and struggle, we get a little uncomfortable and start wondering how this is going to all turn out.
My encouragement to you is stop wondering and start feeling. Go back to page 5 take out your pen and underline these three phrases that our friend Juanita uses to describe what the Psalms have in store for us: Gift of expression Gift of courage Gift of celebration Now, I don t know about you but I love gifts and to think that we get to unwrap these gifts together gets me that much more excited. So, next week it starts! THIS WEEK But this week you ll notice on the schedule that our topic is Preface to Prayer. In another study book on Psalms, this one by Eugene Peterson, the first lesson is on the first psalm. When Peterson describes this Psalm, he says this: Psalm 1 is not prayer, exactly, but the preface to prayer. We do not begin to pray by praying but by coming to attention. Psalm 1 is the biblical preparation for a life of prayer. Step by step it detaches us from activities and words that distract us from God so that we can be attentive before him. Psalm 1 provides a kind of entryway into the place of prayer. (10) Anybody else struggle with coming to attention when it s time to pray? (RAISE HAND!) What thoughts and concerns most often distract you when you begin to pray? For me, it s whatever is right in front of me whether it be my kids, my husband, the flooding in Louisiana, and so on. If it can distract me, it will! One day last week as I began to prepare for this study, I made a list of my distractions at that moment and then I wrote, in spite of because of all this Lord, please help me focus on what You want me to learn. So, Lord, we ask that now with Psalm 1 right in front of us, we ask for Your wisdom, Your Holy Spirit to show us -- fresh and new -- what we need to learn in these verses! READ PSALM 1
Eight and a half years ago, I was invited to speak at a ladies luncheon in south Louisiana and I focused on this text in my presentation because of the psalmist s strong connection to water. Did you catch it in v. 3? He (the blessed man) will be like a tree planted by streams of water. If you know anything about my story, then you know that we were living in New Orleans in 2005 when the city flooded as a result of levees breaking after Hurricane Katrina, filling our home with about three-and-a-half feet of water. And here we are five days shy of the 11 th anniversary of this life-changing experience and a region just 60 miles up the interstate from New Orleans is reeling from the same kind of widespread disaster all because of water. So forgive me if I have to work through my issues with water. Too much of a good thing and all that. But apparently the psalmist is trying to drive home another point that no water may be just as destructive as too much water. Let s go back to the beginning of the chapter and look for three takeaways: What the blessed man doesn t do What the blessed man does do What happens as a result WHAT THE BLESSED MAN DOESN T DO Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, and does not stand in the way of sinners, and does not sit in the seat of scoffers. I like how the New Century Version translates this verse: He doesn t listen to the advice of godless people He doesn t go where sinners go He doesn t do what those who mock God do One commentary pointed out that the great lesson to be learned from the whole is, sin is PROGRESSIVE, one evil propensity or act leads to another. He who acts by bad counsel may soon do evil deeds; and he who abandons himself to evil doings may end his life in total apostasy from God. (Clarke). Wow!
Another way to look at the progression is to see that each step indicates a greater degree of involvement or commitment. Walking can be compared to thinking about or considering the counsel of the wicked. Standing is more behavioral; behaving in the way of sinners. Sitting is more like belonging; identifying with the mockers. Ladies, the progression of sin is real in our lives. Do you remember God s words to Cain in Genesis 4:6 when God rejected Cain s offering? Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. To be a blessed woman, we need to NOT give in to the progression of sin which means nipping it in the bud (thank you, Barney Fife!). WHAT THE BLESSED MAN DOES DO In addition to nipping it in the bud, the psalmist is specific about how to live a blessed life. In v. 2, we read that the blessed man s delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. Let s start with the word delight. Keeping in mind that it means something that gives you extreme satisfaction or joy, what do you DELIGHT in? Keep in mind, this is more than what do you enjoy? or do because you have to. ASK: What do you DELIGHT in? Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. D.E.L.I.G.H.T.: Daily everything laid into God s hands thankfully. In Psalm 1 we re told that to be blessed, we re to delight in the law of the Lord The counsel of God, not the counsel of the wicked the ways of God, not the ways of sinners
to sit in HIS presence, not in the seat of mockers Isn t that just like God to not leave us wondering where to go for counsel and direction? He even instructed us in Proverbs 3:5-6 to not depend on our own understanding but instead to trust in Him and acknowledge Him THEN we would know the way to go, the way to live. So our DELIGHT is to be in the law of the Lord. And we are to MEDITATE on it day and night. What does this look like in your life? I have a friend who has a devotional time in the morning and then, every evening, before she goes to bed, she has a time where she reads some scripture. For her the evening reading started as a way to try and head off some bad dreams she had been having. So instead of ending her day watching CSI, Law and Order, or even the evening news, she filled her mind with words of hope and promise from God s word. It might be that you want to put scripture verses around your bathroom mirror or other places you frequently pass to be a constant reminder that the truth of God s word is applicable all day, every day. I ve mentioned before the benefit of carrying a small notebook in which you can write out scriptures that encourage and help you I called it your switchblade. Remember? If the whole word is sharper than any two-edged sword, then individual verses are like switchblades. ASK: What are other ways you keep God s word in front of you so that you can meditate on it day and night? TRANSITION We ve looked at what a blessed person DOESN T do We ve looked at what a blessed person DOES do But what about the results what difference does the water make? WHAT HAPPENS AS A RESULT v. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever He does prospers.
If you ve followed any of the news of the flooding around Baton Rouge and nearby areas, you ve seen pictures of how high the water got in some of the homes. As the water recedes, it leaves behind a stain or scar which is known as a waterline or a watermark. It s interesting to make the comparison if we are the tree and the Word of God is the water the question becomes, how has the Word of God marked your life? How have you been changed? The tree planted by streams of water yields its fruit in season. Quick quiz: What fruit is in season now? Peaches, nectarines, and apricots: May August Watermelon: late July October Oranges: available some places year round but mostly in winter months in warmer climates Apples and pumpkins: fall months Pecans: October to January Strawberries: late March to late May (unless grown in greenhouse) When is the fruit of the Spirit in season? Perhaps a better question would be, have you been cultivating it? Have you been delighting in the Law of the Lord? If yes, then The fruit of the Spirit is in season whenever you need it: o You need patience? Practice it. o You need joy? Choose it. o You need self-control? Claim it. o You need kindness? Give it. o You need love? Live it. In Matthew 7:15-17, Jesus says that we ll know false teachers by their fruit: Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
It serves to reason that if we ll be able to pick out false prophets by their fruit, then we ll be able to identified as Christians by our fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and selfcontrol. Is THIS fruit evident in YOUR life? The tree planted by streams of water has leaves that do not wither. What causes leaves to wither? Disease and fungus Being cut off from their connection to the roots (think cut flowers, even in vases with water will eventually wither) And then, obviously, lack of water. I ve got a daily routine for watering my container plants. I get out there with my two gallons of water and make sure my pansies and geraniums and other plants have enough water for the day. I love flowering plants and do my part to make sure they have the water they need. Leaves need water to flourish. Last part of the verse: Whatever he does prospers. While we typically associate prospering with financial gain, let s keep in mind that it s so much more than that. The dictionary actually associates the word prosper with the word thrive. I love that! The person who delights in the law of the Lord, who meditates on this law day and night, is the one who THRIVES in whatever he or she does. Interesting that God said something similar to Joshua as he was getting started in leadership. In Joshua 1:8, God said, Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to DO everything written in it. THEN you will be prosperous and successful. THEN you will thrive and not just survive. After the hurricane and its aftermath blew into my life, it was all I could do to survive. NOT in the sense of having no food or water or electricity; no, we had all of that with the family we were staying with. Instead, it was our focus that was turned upside down. It was blurred. We were shaking in the wind, trying to figure
out which way to turn next. But even with the chaos swirling around us, our roots were connected. No matter how hard the wind, how tough the decisions, we knew in our heart of hearts that God would bring us through this overwhelming situation. One thing I did was to get back into the Word. My mind was jumping in so many directions but I knew I had to find a handle to hold on to, so I started reading in Psalms. Not in chapter 1 like a normal person. I started with the day of the month it was so on August 30 th, I read Psalm 30, and just followed that pattern for the next month. If you ever have time, skim over those chapters, and you may be as surprised as I was to see all that is written in these chapters about trusting God and believing Him to be our refuge and strength and salvation in times of need. Back to Psalm 1 In verse 6, we read, The Lord watches over the way of the righteous. He is not a distant observer; He is with us where we go. He is in the midst of every storm, every drought, every situation, using us for His kingdom purposes. CONCLUSION Today marks the one-year anniversary of the suicide of my best friend s husband. It was an amazing privilege to walk through those first four months of shock and grief with her as she stayed in our home until she found some transitional housing and we prepared for our move. Even after that, we have continued to process the pain and loss. Christian singer Sara Groves wrote a song a while back called Less Like Scars. In it, she talks about a difficult year she had just been through, reflecting on the progress made in her life. It seems to speak loudly to my friend s year as well. It s been a hard year but I m climbing out of the rubble. These lessons are hard, healing changes are subtle. But every day, it s Less like tearing, more like building Less like captive, more like willing
Less like breakdown, more like surrender Less like haunting, more like remember And I feel you here. And you re picking up the pieces, forever faithful. It seemed out of my hands, a bad situation, But you are able. And in your hands, the pain and hurt look less like scars and more like character. Today, I wrap up by asking the question: How has the water marked you? More specifically, how has the water of God s Word marked your life? I m looking forward to this semester of Disciple U as we explore the heart cries of the psalmists may it free up the way we talk to our Heavenly Father in the good, the bad, and the ugly of life! PRAY!