Thursday Bible Study

  PSALMS [Praying our trouble]   Psalm 3_     Prayer often begins when we come to the end of ourselves... in the realisation that we can’t help ourselves, so we have to reach out to God.   “Help!” is one of the most basic (and honest) prayers we can pray.   When we find ourselves in trouble will prayer be the first port of call or the last resort?     [Group discussion starter] What is the worst trouble you were in this last week? Where did you go for help? Did you get help?     Psalm 3 was written when David fled from his own son, Absalom, who was leading a rebellion against David. A huge battle ended with the death of twenty thousand. Then Absalom died: “He was riding his mule, and as the mule went out from under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.” (2 Samuel 18:9)     [Read Psalm 3]     [Activity...

  PSALMS [Praying our intimidation]   Psalm 2_     From the second we wake up, news headlines are bombarding us with things like violence and war and guns and arrogance and greed. Whether through the news on TV, radio and newspapers, or through social media. It can feel overwhelming and eave us wondering what we can do about any of it. What use even is prayer?!       [Group discussion starter] Think about some of the news headlines you have come into contact with recently. Maybe even pull up some news headlines on your phone.   What events in the world are particularly troubling to you and why?     Like Psalm 1, Psalm 2 is a pre-prayer. It is an act of orientation that prepares us to pray. This Psalm prepares us to pray in political, as well as personal, ways. God is just as much at work in the public sphere as God is in the personal sphere, and our prayers are just as needed there as in our personal lives.   As what is re...