In our Ladies Bible class on Tuesday mornings, those of us teaching have been assigned about 5 chapters of Psalms for each class, so that we can get through the entire book in a year. So, this is what I learned from these Psalms, and this was my lesson on the individual laments of David. Hope you enjoy!
Lesson 1 learned from Psalms 31: David was human and reacted like we all do when we panic!
Psalm 31:
I said in my haste *(KJV – alarm, some other versions say panic),
“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;
David uses the same Hebrew word for haste/alarm here in another verse:
Psalm 116:11
I said in my alarm,“All mankind are liars.”
Have we not all hastily said something or thought something or jumped to a conclusion that wasn’t true, because we were panicked or alarmed? Do we not do that on a daily basis sometimes?
*I don’t know if Psalm 116 means “all men” or “all people” because it is translated as both in different translations, but as a group of just women in here, I know we’ve heard the phrase “all men are liars!”
I wish that David had always prefaced his assumptions that way, that he said them in haste or panic. As we continue to study the Psalms we are going to be seeing a lot of times where David writes that God has forsaken him or forgotten him or cast him off or abandoned him, etc.
But here he is letting us know this was said in haste, and it wasn’t true or that he didn’t take the time to come to a reasonable conclusion.
When we feel overwhelmed, this feeling can make us feel doubtful and isolated.
When David he says he was in a besieged city, we don’t know if that’s literal or metaphorical. But, knowing that he did say things in haste, is kind of like a grain of salt we can take with us as we continue to study this book.
David had a special relationship with the Lord. It’s recorded that he inquired of the Lord and 9 times, and that God answered him (yes, go here, no don’t go there). But from reading the Psalms, it seems like God didn’t always answer, or give him the answer he wanted, because of how often we read his laments that he feels forgotten or abandoned. (Side note: It made me think of Abraham when God told him he would have a son and then he had to wait 25 years! That’s a long time to wait!! )
Do you have someone that you text or call and they either always answer the phone when you call or text you right back?
If you can think of someone like that, its because you’re close or important to that person and you have a good relationship.
Okay, so question: What if you text them, and they don’t immediately text you back? Do you feel something in your gut? Panic? Fear? Uncertainty? Insecurity?
I don’t text a lot, but a I do text my sister, pretty much every day, usually about what we’re going to make for dinner. If she doesn’t get back to me right away, I’m like thinking, “it’s ok, I’m sure she’ll see my text soon, maybe she’s busy right now or outside in the back yard or something. but if it’s been like 15 minutes, then I start to worry. Panic a little. 15 minutes!
Part 1 conclusion:
Did God forget about David? no
Did God always reply to David’s prayers or inquires? Seems like no
When God did reply, was it always the reply that David wanted? I think we know that’s a no.
Does God hear us? I think we can pretty confidently say yes to that question.
Is God’s love for us unfailing and steadfast? I think we can also confidently say yes to that question.
We are heard and loved.
2 things I am encouraged by, from reading these laments and pondering them, is that God hears us, his children, like he heard David. We may not get an answer, but we are heard by God our Father. And we know we are loved by our father God. We have the additional benefit of having a mediator, Jesus, who also loves us, and the help of the Holy Spirit in prayer too.
When we panic because things are going bad, or when we have enemies, does that mean that God has forsaken us, forgotten us or that he doesn’t see or hear us? No. It may feel like sometimes...but we are seen and heard by our father. We have plenty of other examples of people who were heard and seen even when times were bad: Joseph, Daniel, Job, Paul, etc.
Lets say these scriptures out loud together:
Matthew 28:19 Jesus said “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
1 John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1 Peter 3:12 (quoting Psalm 34)
For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their supplications (petitions)
Lesson 2: What Psalms is teaching me about prayer and supplication / petition
Psalm 55:1
“Give ear to my prayer, O God,And do not hide Yourself from my supplication”
Seeing the words “prayer” and “supplication” together reminded me of Philippians 4.
Philippians 4: 6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
When I would read that, I wouldn’t really understand what it was meaning. And I was like, why is Paul saying that? It sounds nice but I just didn’t really get it.
Definition of Supplication:
*(By the way, I didn’t know what supplication meant, it’s not a word I hear in common conversation), so I looked up the Hebrew and Greek words there to see how they were used. (A majority of English translations do have the word “supplication” there, but a few others have the word “petition”. The ESV uses the word “plea”). So that’s what it means, a petition or a plea or a request.
So, going back to what Paul said, if we need an example – a physical example of what “prayer and petition with thanksgiving” looks like...then what are the Psalms then?
Prayer and supplication (petitions) and thanksgiving!
Reading through the Psalms, it’s chapter after chapter (or song after song) of how to do that.
in 1 Kings chapter 8, One of the Hebrew words for “supplication” is used 9 times in a prayer by Solomon. Solomon asks this of God:
“that Your eyes may be open to the supplication (petition) of Your servant and the supplication (petition) of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You.”
It's interesting that both David and Solomon talk about eyes in the listening process, not just ears. I guess in a way we do listen with our eyes, as in, if someone is really listening to you, they will look at your when you’re speaking. I always remember teachers saying to the class when I was in school, “look at me when I’m talking”.
As humans it’s very easy to get distracted when we listen. But notice in 1 Peter 3:12 (quoting Psalm 34) this includes both eyes and ears in the listening process too.
" the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their supplications (petitions)"
And going back to Psalm 31, he said I am cut off before your eyes, BUT you heard the voice of my supplications.
James 5:16
The supplication (petition) of a righteous man avails much in its working.
Here we see the word righteousness again, the prayer of a righteous person avails much (can accomplish alot).
Personal reflection and conclusion 2: I think we can take comfort in God having his eyes on us and hearing us when we bring him our requests. We don’t have to wonder if God is distracted or doing something else when we talk to him. We know he’s not busy watching TV or looking at his phone like humans are. If we are righteous, then we can be confident that God has his eyes on us and his ears are open to our petitions.
Lesson 3: Casting our cares
Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden (which can also be defined as cares) on the LORD,And He shall sustain (also defined as nourish) you
This is something I added in after getting the sheet from Sue last week with the Psalms that are quoted in the New Testament. This phrase “cast your cares on the Lord” is quoted in 1 Peter 5:7, I didn’t know that.
1 Peter 5:5-7 (lets read this out loud together)
“God resists the proud,But gives favor to the humble.”
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
casting and cares: analysis of the Greek words
The Greek word translated as “casting” as in “casting” your cares, is also found in one other place in Luke 19 where they brought a colt to Jesus to ride on and they threw/cast/tossed their clothes over the donkey for Jesus to sit on.
So the connection here is like you’re tossing your cares and concerns on God, like taking off a heavy jacket and giving it someone else to worry about - someone who cares about you.
The Greek word translated as “care” twice in verse 6, “casting all your care upon him because he cares for you” is also found twice in Luke, in words spoken by Jesus:
First in Luke 8 where he talks about the sower and the seed, and the thorns are those who “hear the word, but they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. “
Also in Luke 21 he says to be cautious “lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.”
As human beings in this world, of course we have all kinds of cares and concerns and distractions. We are also going to suffer any number of things.
But we need to be aware and cautious, to not let these things completely choke us - or to be so focused on (or addicted to) those worldly things, whether it’s problems or pleasures, that we forget about spiritual things and the day of judgement. It’s a daily struggle, is it not? and Satan is always there to tempt us, right?
The next verse in 1st Peter 5 he warns us about the devil prowling around, and to be sober and vigilant. We know that there are many things that the world has to “offer” to “help us cope” so to speak, but drugs and alcohol and anything else we might get addicted to, we know they don’t actually help us, they end up hurting us or enslaving us.
Also: God is not the only one we can go to with our burdens, I’m also very thankful we have a Christian family here too that we an also go to. I’m so thankful for the people here – many in this very room - who have given me hugs and been an actual physical shoulder to cry on. We need each other, for love and support and encouragement and comfort. and God knows we need one another.
(And personally speaking, he knows I need a pint of ice cream and a funny movie every now and then too)
God knows that we have cares and distractions and sufferings. And what does God care about? Us! And we get to care about each other and bear each other’s burdens too. Paul says in Gal. 6:2 “Bear (carry) one another’s (each others) burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”.
I hope this lesson will encourage us in 3 things:
1. bring our laments, prayers, petitions, cares and challenges and sufferings to God - a God who hears us and sees us. We may have a multitude of “cares” – concerns, distractions, etc – but God cares about US!
2. to also not to be hasty to assume that God has abandoned us because of the challenges or suffering that we have.
3. to also not leave out gratitude and giving thanks when we bring God our prayers and petitions. If we need a reminder or example of how to pray and bring our requests with thanksgiving, we have the Psalms!
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