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Psalm ONE

 PSALMS [Praying our inattention] 

Psalm 1_ 

 
In our lives and in this world there’s so much clamoring for our attention every day... family responsibilities, work deadlines, education goals, jobs around the house. 
Not to mention the distractions that come from the media and our social media. 
Most of us struggle to move immediately from the noisy hustle-and-bustle world into the quiet concentration of prayer... 

 
[Group discussion starter] What thoughts and concerns most often distract when you begin to pray? 

 

Psalm 1 (as well as Psalm 2) isn’t really a song/prayer... but the preface to prayer. 
Prayer doesn’t start 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 things that can distract us from God, so that we can be more attentive. Psalm 1 give us a door in the place of prayer... 

 

[Read Psalm 1] 

 

What contrasts do you notice in the psalm? 
 

 

The first word in this psalm is blessed (can also be translated as happy). 
What kind of expectations should that bring to our prayer life? 
 

 

In verse 1, what significance do you see in the progression from walk to stand to sit? 
 

 

“The law of the Lord” is contrasted with the words counsel, way and seat.  
What does this contrast bring out? 

 

In verse 2, the Psalmist describes the person who delights in God’s law. 
What is your emotional response to Scripture – not what you believe about it, but how do you feel about it? 
 

 

Tree (in verse 3) is the central metaphor of the psalm. 
Use your imagination and describe how law-delighting people are like trees... 
 
 
 
 
 

 

In what ways are the wicked like chaff (verses 4-6)? 
 

 

How do these two radically different pictures (the tree-righteous and the chaff-wicked) motivate you to delight in God’s Word? 
 

 

Do you feel like there’s a gap (or a chasm!) between your “real life” (work, school, family) and your prayer life? 
Explain. 
 

 

How does meditation – listening to God speak to us through Scripture – prepare us for prayer? 
 

 

How can you incorporate meditation on God’s Word into your life?  

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