Can you count God's blessings?

In "Biblical Perspective" Gordon Snider writes:

We must not forget that what God has done for us is just a small part of the big picture of God's activity. The history of Israel abounded with the redemptive works of God, and from then until now the list continues to grow. The very fact that God considers man at all is amazing. God not only thinks about us, but makes plans for our good. The thought of the psalmist turned to considering a proper response to what God had done. The magnitude of mercies is so great as to be impossible to arrange them in order of greatness or even to count them.

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 35.

2016-10-08T09:00:00+00:00October 8th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

Does it make sense for a song of praise to include a prayer for help?

In "God's Word for Today" David Woods writes:

Psalm 40 has two quite distinct parts. Verses 1-10 are a thanksgiving Psalm; verses 11-17 are an individual lament. The NIV Study Bible draws this conclusion: “The message is that even when God answers prayer and provides relief, there will usually come a new crisis that forces a return to God as one's refuge and deliverer.”

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 34.

2016-10-07T09:00:00+00:00October 7th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

Have you ever tired of waiting on God?

In "Word Focus" Danny McCain writes concerning Psalm 40:1:

The expression waited patiently is literally “waited, waited.” The repetition of the verb is a Hebrew idiom used to stress the action of the verb. The phrase could be translated, “I simply waited; I did nothing but wait” (Joseph Alexander, The Psalms). The point that the psalmist was making was that he remembered spending a lot of time waiting. As one reads through the Psalms, he is impressed that other psalmists did a lot of waiting, too. They mentioned this because they were probably impatient.

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 34.

2016-10-06T09:00:00+00:00October 6th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

How much power is in a word?

In "God's Word for Today" David Woods writes:

We have all witnessed the power of the spoken word, power to encourage and strengthen a person who is dis-couraged or cowed by intimidating life challenges as well as the power to destroy the confidence and self-image of someone desperately needing affirmation. We have also seen the impotency of speech to stop the rebellious child from pursuing a wrong path or inability of a sincere entreaty to soothe a vengeful spirit. But none of us have witnessed the creation of galaxies by mere words.

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 30.

2016-10-01T09:00:00+00:00October 1st, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

How Should We Worship God?

In "Biblical Perspective" Gordon Snider writes:

A vibrant spirit makes a new song out of old lyrics. New can mean “fresh” as well as new in time. Because the mercies of the Lord are “new every morning” (Lam. 3:23), our response must also be new, even if we use the same words. Play skillfully. The worship of God has no place for mediocrity. The word skillfully combines the ideas of doing an action well, and/or in a way that is pleasing to the observer. However we express our wor-ship, it must be in a way that brings joy to the heart of God. With a loud noise. The initial word of the Psalm emphasized the exuberance of the praise. Here again the word picture is of an alarm sounded, or the blast of a trumpet. We are urged to involve all our energy in the praise of our God.

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 29.

2016-09-29T13:00:00+00:00September 29th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

What is your purpose in worship?

In "God's Word for Today" David Woods writes:

Too often we do conduct our worship services without purpose. Mindlessly singing songs we’ve sung for years, we blindly follow patterns established years before.
**Discussion: **Why do we sing praise to God? What is our purpose in worship? Is singing praise songs about me and my feelings?
David encouraged us to approach worship more thoughtfully and purposefully in the introductory verses of this Psalm.

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 29.

2016-09-29T09:00:00+00:00September 29th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

What should we do after praying to God about our troubles?

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. (Psalm 27:14)

In "Biblical Perspective" Gordon Snider writes:

This closing exhortation may have been self-talk, the psalmist’s instructions to others based upon what he had just experienced, or the words of a third party to the psalmist. It concludes a Psalm characterized by imperatives with three more. Wait on the LORD suggests the idea of “Don’t give up.” This is active waiting — with expectation and hope, not resignation and exasperation. Be of good courage could be paraphrased, “Be tough.” Christians are not soft-skinned weaklings. They are warriors who must expect the adversities of battle. But in the battle we must not forget our resources. He shall strengthen thine heart. There is an interesting parallel in these two lines. God is said to do for us what we are commanded to do for ourselves.

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 25.

2016-09-24T09:00:00+00:00September 24th, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

What is the greatest of fears?

In "Doctrinal Discussion" William Sillings writes:

The captain of fears, according to John’s first epistle, is fear of punishment by God. “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (4:17, 18). So, the wall plaque is correct, “The fear of God is the fear that drives out all others.”
It should not be assumed by this passage, however, that all fear is sinful or the result of not loving God. Some fears are lodged deep within the subconscious and need to be treated psychologically. They do not have spiritual roots. Nevertheless, even here the fear and love of God are often the keys to freedom from deep-seated fear which does not have moral overtones.

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 26.

2016-09-23T09:00:00+00:00September 23rd, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments

How Can the Christian Be So Confident?

"Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident." (Psalm 27:3)

In "Word Focus" Danny McCain writes:

The word confident in verse 3 sheds some insight into why the psalmist was not afraid. It is the word batach which “expresses that sense of well-being and security which results from having something or someone in whom to place confidence” (Theological Wordbook of the O.T.). The word does not seem to have the basic connotation of “faith” in the evangelical sense. Rather it describes a feeling of security and safety. It is used in Judges 18:7: “Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt . . . quiet and secure.”

Source: Studies in the Psalms: Adult Teacher's Insights, page 22.

2016-09-22T09:00:00+00:00September 22nd, 2016|Categories: Lesson Highlights|Tags: |0 Comments
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