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Psalm SEVENTY THREE

 Psalms [Praying our doubt] 

Psalm 73_ 

 
Doubt isn’t the opposite of faith. Doubt isn’t a sin. 
It is an essential element of faith. We see contradictions between what we believe and what we experience. Why? What’s going on here? 
Why aren’t things turning out the way we expected? 
No mature faith avoids or denies doubt. Doubt forces faith to bedrock. 

 

[Group discussion starter] What doubts have you had or do you have about the Christian life? 

Do you feel guilty about expressing such doubts? Why? 
 

 

The writer of Psalm 73 is full of doubt... 
 

[Read Psalm 73] 
 

 

How would you paraphrase the doubt expressed in verses 2-12? 
 

 

The questions the psalmist asks are very relevant to us. 
What individuals or groups of people cause you to ask these kinds of questions? 
 

 

Self-pity is like a deadly virus. How would you express, in terms of your own life, what the psalmist says in verses 13-14? 
 

 

The key word and the pivotal centre of the psalm is the word till in verse 17. What takes place here in the sanctuary? 

 

What takes place in your sanctuary, the place where you worship? 

 

 
 

How do some of the psalmist’s realisations and understandings come into focus in your act of worship? 

 
 

The yet in verse 23 links two contrasting statements. 
What are they? 
 

How have you experienced this truth? 
 

 

‘The prosperity of the wicked’ occupied the first part of the psalm (verses 1-16). ‘The presence of the Lord’ occupies the second (verses 17-28). 
What is more vivid to you, the wicked or the Lord? Explain. 

 

 

Worship is the pivotal act in this prayer. 
How can worship help you to deal with your doubts and hard questions about the Christian life? 

 

 

The Christian consensus about worship is that it is an essential act every week. 
How can worship become a more pivotal part of your experience? 

 

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