Conversations Bible Study Resource Taking our pain to God
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS Taking our pain to God THE INTRO The Psalms are the hymnbook of God s people. Historically, they cover all of Israel s history from the Exodus out of Egypt to the Exile in Babylon. But the Psalms also cover the experiences of life joy and wonder, sorrow and despair. Through the Psalms, all of life is brought before God. Often rooted in very specific, very personal individual and national circumstances, the Psalms take life and turn it toward God in song. For thousands of years, God s people have read and sung these Psalms and through them, have taken their own very specific, very personal individual and national circumstances to God. Throughout the Psalms we find Psalms of lament. A lament is a complaint, addressed to God. Laments take the troubles of life to God, and look to God for answers. Underpinning all of the Psalms is a confidence that God is a God who hears and who answers. As you read and reflect upon these Psalms, may they provide a way for you to bring your pain to God, and as you do this, may you know that God hears and that God will answer. To encourage this activity of bringing our troubles to God and looking to him for answers, each study ends with an invitation to compose your own lament to God, based on your reading of and reflection upon the Psalm. OUTLINE OF STUDIES This series of studies looks at six different lament Psalms. Three of these contain profound questions that arise from suffering: Ps 10, 13 and 42. The other three Psalms look at pleas, cries for help, that the Psalmist brings to God in the midst of suffering: Psalm 57, Psalm 69, and Psalm 102. Ps 10 Ps 13 Ps 42 Ps 57 Ps 69 Ps 102 Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? How long, O LORD? Why are you so downcast O my soul? Have mercy on me, O God. Save me, O God. Hear my prayer, LORD.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS Taking our pain to God THE METHOD Each of the individual studies uses the Conversations style. Conversations is a method of Bible study developed by the Scottish Bible Society and the Contextual Bible Study Group. Conversations seeks to encourage people to actively engage with the Bible and apply it to life. The questions are designed to stimulate conversation within groups where people may have varying backgrounds and knowledge of the Bible. You will notice a similar pattern of questions used throughout the studies. All of the questions are open questions which don t presume an answer but instead invite people to reflect personally on the text. The first question is always, What jumps off the page at you? an opportunity for people to begin to share their thoughts on a passage. Then there are listing questions that encourage a closer reading of the text, theological questions that seek to understand the meaning, and finally contextual questions that begin to apply the text to life. We hope you find this a refreshing and stimulating way to study the Bible. More Bible study resources that utilise the Conversations method can be found on the Scottish Bible Society website: scottishbiblesociety.org/equip Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version - UK (NIVUK) Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicized, NIV Copyright 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 1 Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? Psalm 10 1 Why, LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2 In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak, who are caught in the schemes he devises. 3 He boasts about the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD. 4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. 5 His ways are always prosperous; your laws are rejected by[b] him; he sneers at all his enemies. 6 He says to himself, Nothing will ever shake me. He swears, No one will ever do me harm. 7 His mouth is full of lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue. 8 He lies in wait near the villages; from ambush he murders the innocent. His eyes watch in secret for his victims; 9 like a lion in cover he lies in wait. He lies in wait to catch the helpless; he catches the helpless and drags them off in his net. 10 His victims are crushed, they collapse; they fall under his strength. 11 He says to himself, God will never notice; he covers his face and never sees. 12 Arise, LORD! Lift up your hand, O God. Do not forget the helpless.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 1 Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 13 Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself, He won t call me to account? 14 But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. 15 Break the arm of the wicked man; call the evildoer to account for his wickedness that would not otherwise be found out. 16 The LORD is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. 17 You, LORD, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, 18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed, so that mere earthly mortals will never again strike terror.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 1 Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? QUESTIONS 1. What jumps off the page at you? 3s/FB 2. List the attitudes and activities of the wicked in the passage. FGP 3. What, according to the Psalmist, is God doing/not doing? FGP 4. Where do you see the truths of this Psalm in your own context? 3s/FB 5. What activities of God, seen in this Psalm, could we mirror, so that wickedness might be both exposed and opposed? 3s/FB Study Key 3s / FB - Groups of 3 with feedback to whole group FGP - Full Group GPS - Larger groups of 6 (if desired) ACTIVITY Take some time over the next week to write a lament to God about the wickedness you encounter in your context.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 2 How long, O LORD? Psalm 13 1 How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? 3 Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, 4 and my enemy will say, I have overcome him, and my foes will rejoice when I fall. 5 But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. 6 I will sing the LORD s praise, for he has been good to me.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 2 How long, O LORD? QUESTIONS 1. What jumps off the page at you? 3s/FB 2. How would you summarise the Psalmist s complaint? 3s/FB 3. List the actions the Psalmist wants God to take. FGP 4. List the statements of faith in God the Psalmist makes. FGP 5. What has been your experience of waiting for God? 3s/FB Study Key 3s / FB - Groups of 3 with feedback to whole group FGP - Full Group GPS - Larger groups of 6 (if desired) ACTIVITY Take some time over the next week to write a lament to God about waiting for God in your context.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 3 Why are you so downcast O my soul? Psalm 42 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, Where is your God? 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go to the house of God under the protection of the Mighty One with shouts of joy and praise among the festive throng. 5 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. 6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 3 Why are you so downcast O my soul? 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God my Rock, Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy? 10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, Where is your God? 11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 3 Why are you so downcast O my soul? QUESTIONS 1. What jumps off the page at you? 3s/FB 2. List the words the Psalmist uses to describe how he is feeling. FGP 3. List the words the Psalmist uses to describe the physical impact of his suffering. FGP 4. How does the Psalmist describe his current experience of God? 3s/FB 5. What has been your experience of having a downcast soul? FGP Study Key 3s / FB - Groups of 3 with feedback to whole group FGP - Full Group GPS - Larger groups of 6 (if desired) ACTIVITY Take some time over the next week to write a lament to God about the experience of having a downcast soul.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 4 Have mercy on me, O God Psalm 57 1 Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed. 2 I cry out to God Most High, to God, who vindicates me. 3 He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me God sends forth his love and his faithfulness. 4 I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts men 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 spread a net for my feet I was bowed down in distress. They dug a pit in my path but they have fallen into it themselves. 7 My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. 8 Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 9 I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 4 Have mercy on me, O God 10 For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 4 Have mercy on me, O God QUESTIONS 1. What jumps off the page at you? 3s/FB 2. List the words the Psalmist uses to describe his enemies and their activities. FGP 3. List the words the Psalmist uses to describe God and his activities. FGP 4. What does the Psalmist ask God for? Why do you think the Psalmist asks God for this? 3s/FB 5. What, in your context, might lead you to call out to God, Have mercy on me? 3s/FB Study Key 3s / FB - Groups of 3 with feedback to whole group FGP - Full Group GPS - Larger groups of 6 (if desired) ACTIVITY Take some time over the next week to write a lament to God, beginning with the line, Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 5 Save me, O God Psalm 69 1 Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. 2 I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. 3 I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. 4 Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. 5 You, God, know my folly; my guilt is not hidden from you. 6 Lord, the LORD Almighty, may those who hope in you not be disgraced because of me; God of Israel, may those who seek you not be put to shame because of me. 7 For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. 8 I am a foreigner to my own family,
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 5 Save me, O God a stranger to my own mother s children; 9 for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. 10 When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; 11 when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. 12 Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of the drunkards. 13 But I pray to you, LORD, in the time of your favor; in your great love, O God, answer me with your sure salvation. 14 Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. 15 Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me. 16 Answer me, LORD, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me. 17 Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in trouble. 18 Come near and rescue me; deliver me because of my foes. 19 You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed; all my enemies are before you.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 5 Save me, O God 20 Scorn has broken my heart and has left me helpless; I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found none. 21 They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst. 22 May the table set before them become a snare; may it become retribution and a trap. 23 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever. 24 Pour out your wrath on them; let your fierce anger overtake them. 25 May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents. 26 For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt. 27 Charge them with crime upon crime; do not let them share in your salvation. 28 May they be blotted out of the book of life and not be listed with the righteous. 29 But as for me, afflicted and in pain may your salvation, God, protect me. 30 I will praise God s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. 31 This will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hooves. 32 The poor will see and be glad you who seek God, may your hearts live!
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 5 Save me, O God 33 The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. 34 Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, 35 for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; 36 the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 5 Save me, O God QUESTIONS 1. What jumps off the page at you? 3s/FB 2. List the words and phrases the Psalmist uses to describe his suffering. FGP 3. List the words and phrases the Psalmist uses to describe God. FGP 4. What does the Psalmist wish on his enemies, and what do you think about this? 3s/FB 5. What has been your experience of suffering caused by others? 3s/FB Study Key 3s / FB - Groups of 3 with feedback to whole group FGP - Full Group GPS - Larger groups of 6 (if desired) ACTIVITY Take some time over the next week to write a lament to God, beginning with the line, Save me, O God.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 6 Hear my prayer, LORD Psalm 102 1 Hear my prayer, LORD; let my cry for help come to you. 2 Do not hide your face from me when I am in distress. Turn your ear to me; when I call, answer me quickly. 3 For my days vanish like smoke; my bones burn like glowing embers. 4 My heart is blighted and withered like grass; I forget to eat my food. 5 In my distress I groan aloud and am reduced to skin and bones. 6 I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins. 7 I lie awake; I have become like a bird alone on a roof. 8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who rail against me use my name as a curse. 9 For I eat ashes as my food and mingle my drink with tears 10 because of your great wrath, for you have taken me up and thrown me aside. 11 My days are like the evening shadow; I wither away like grass. 12 But you, LORD, sit enthroned forever; your renown endures through all generations. 13 You will arise and have compassion on Zion,
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 6 Hear my prayer, LORD for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. 14 For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. 15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. 16 For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory. 17 He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea. 18 Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD: 19 The LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, 20 to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death. 21 So the name of the LORD will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem 22 when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the LORD. 23 In the course of my life he broke my strength; he cut short my days. 24 So I said: Do not take me away, my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on through all generations. 25 In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. 26 They will perish, but you remain;
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 6 Hear my prayer, LORD they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. 27 But you remain the same, and your years will never end. 28 The children of your servants will live in your presence; their descendants will be established before you.
CONVERSATIONS LAMENT PSALMS STUDY 6 Hear my prayer, LORD QUESTIONS 1. What jumps off the page at you? 3s/FB 2. List the words and phrases the Psalmist uses to describe his suffering. FGP 3. List the words and phrases the Psalmist uses to appeal to God. FGP 4. What does the Psalmist wish on his enemies, and what do you think about this? 3s/FB 5. What in your context, would you want God to hear from your life? 3s/FB Study Key 3s / FB - Groups of 3 with feedback to whole group FGP - Full Group GPS - Larger groups of 6 (if desired) ACTIVITY Take some time over the next week to write a lament to God, beginning with the line, Hear my prayer, Lord.
SMALL GROUP BIBLE STUDY RESOURCES The Word of God is full of living power. HEBREWS 4:12 (NLT) JONAH CONVERSATIONS STUDY Running away, thinking you know better, wanting enemies punished, in a place of no hope - all these situations are dealt with in our Jonah Conversations study. 1 ST TIMOTHY MANUSCRIPT STUDY In the midst of all of the teaching and exhortation in 1 Timothy, the focus of Paul and Timothy s efforts should not be missed: the work of God in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 SAMUEL TALK THE WORD STUDY The book of Samuel marks the end of the Judges, when Israel had no king, and everyone did as they saw fit ( Judges 17:6) but through it all we see God drawing his people back to him. GENESIS MANUSCRIPT STUDY The book of Genesis is foundational to understanding the rest of the Bible. It answers the fundamental questions of life, and through it all, God is guiding his people. MATTHEW MIRACLES TALK THE WORD STUDY This study covers fourteen passages in Matthew s Gospel in which Jesus displays miraculous power. Through this study, we can enter into the experience of those who ecountered Jesus miracles. JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM CONVERSATIONS STUDY A new Bible study resource that leads you through the events of Holy Week. Includes a short passage commentary, reflective questions and activities for children. DOWNLOAD NOW scottishbiblesociety.org/equip Resources published by the Scottish Bible Society Scottish Charity No. SC010767 Registered Office: 7 Hampton Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5XU, United Kingdom