Welcome to the Weekly Digest!
Below you will find resources to help you on your journey through the Book of Psalms. We've provided you with a reading plan for the upcoming week, journaling prompts, a weekly Spotify playlist, and ideas for prayer. Be sure to check in every week to see what we have for you next as we continue to enrich our journey through the Psalms.
Reading Plan November 14th - November 20th
Psalms 51-55. Read and reflect on Psalm 51 in preparation for Sunday, November 14th's teaching. You can download the reading guide for the entire series here.
Scripture Memorization
Scripture memorization is an important discipline to introduce to our lives as a way to actively hide God's word in our heart. It allows us to not only internalize the text, but to share that truth with others more readily.
Memory Verses for Novem ber: Psalm 57:9-10 ESV
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
I will sing praises to you among the nations.
For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.
Journal Prompts
* A quick note on journaling: if you're new to this practice, our journey through the book of Psalms will be a great way to get started. The most important step to forming this discipline in your life is to write anything and write often. Journaling is an incredible way to slow down, digest the content of a text, let your brain internalize thoughts that may come up, and keep a record for future reflection on what God was speaking to you during your reading. Journaling can take many forms such as written prayers, bullet points, stream of consciousness, or even poetry. Try some different methods and find the one that works best for you.
Journal Prompts / Discussion Questions from Today's Teaching
Psalm 46
God wants to move from being simply "a" refuge and strength to being "our" refuge and strength. Let that sink in. It's a technicality that means a world of difference. One requires little to no risk and leaves us powerless. While the other will be costly, requires faith, and leaves us trusting in the One true God. Take time to read through Psalm 46; 2 Kings 18-19 and begin to identify the ways that King Hezekiah models to you and me what it looks like to make God your refuge and strength. In what ways is God calling you to take the next step in your journey of becoming and belonging?
Journal Prompts / Discussion Questions for This Week's Reading
Psalm 51
1. When is a time in your life when you were crying out “have mercy on me, O God…wash me
thoroughly from my iniquity”?
2. Reflect on the sin of your life. Do you feel as if you truly have a clean heart, a right spirit, and a
restored joy of His salvation? Why or why not?
3. Verse 17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise”. Take some moments to either pray or journal by reflecting on two things:
- The gravity of your sin
- The goodness of His Grace
Psalm 52
1. List out what the “mighty man” does.
2. List out what the “righteous man” does.
3. In what ways have you related to both the mighty man and the righteous man in your own faith journey?
4. What are practical steps in our walk we can take to genuinely trust (a verb) in God and not just
have faith (a noun) in Him?
Psalm 53
1. Read Psalm 14 and write down every verse and idea that overlaps with Psalm 53
2. Just like Psalm 14, Psalm 53 is one that rebukes the fear that grips God’s people when facing
their enemies. Verse 5 specifically, rebukes their needless “terror” because God has “scattered
their enemies”. What would be modern-day enemies to God’s people today, and how does your
response to them change when we know that the enemies of God have everything to fear and
God’s people have nothing to fear?
3. Where do you need to rejoice instead of dread in your life over what God has already done?
Psalm 54
1. David here is showing how to respond to those who turn against you, and in a more general
sense, is showing how to respond when things are not “going your way”. His first response is
prayer. Spend some time writing out a prayer to God, being honest and open with him about
your struggles, and for him to respond to them.
2. David then in verses 3-5, points out the facts. There are enemies that have risen against him, and God is his helper. Take some time to continue the written prayer by writing out what is
happening in your life and then pair those things with attributes of God found in the Bible.
3. He ends this Psalm with the final step in this response to life’s struggles and turmoil by
committing himself to the future – “I will give thanks to your name”- based on how he has
always come through in the past. Imitate David in this regard and end your prayer with a
commitment to a future faith and trust in God based on what he has done in your past.
Psalm 55
1. Take some time to divide the Psalm into sections where you feel like his tone or focus shifts.
2. Next, underline every time David presents a problem, and bracket every time he gives a solution to those issues.
3. What do you run to when issues arrive in your life, especially when it is a sense of betrayal and
violation?
4). Verse 22 says “Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.” I think we that when we say to “cast your burdens on God” it means
that we are giving him everything so that we don’t have to deal with anything. But what David is
saying to do here is not to flee from your burdens, but to invite God into them. How does God
help us by being with us during the burden?
5. Spend some time praying about the things that are burdening you, troubling you, and causing
your trust in God to falter, and end each of those prayers with how David ends Psalm 55 – “but I
will trust in your”
Prayer
Psalm 46: "Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me for allowing idols into my life to rob me of the joy of experiencing security in you and from the glory that is due to your name. O God, let my moments of prayer be quiet centers in a noisy world-times when I am conscious of your eternal ways and know the strength of your presence with me in Jesus Christ. Amen!"
