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Psalms to help us pray.

Summer Term 2024.

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What a privilege it is to pray! What a joy to converse with the almighty maker of the universe, our Father in Heaven, who loves us and wants to hear from us. Of course, whilst it's a privilege, it's not always easy. But the Psalms can help us! They don’t just tell us to pray, they give us lots of examples of how to pray. This term, we'll be looking at a variety of psalms together: psalms expressing praise, psalms asking for help, psalms written by people facing enemies, or needing to confess sin. 

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As we look at them on Sundays and in City Groups, the aim is to see how the psalmist goes about praying on the topic in hand and how that can act as a model for our prayers on similar topics.  The hope is that this will stimulate City Church to pray more, pray more confidently, and pray more in line with God’s will.

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The questions and activities below are suggested ways of engaging with this outside of the Sunday service:  individually, with a friend, or as a basis for City Group discussions.  You should be able to use these questions even if you haven’t heard the sermon.  

 

You may not have time for all of the questions in a City Group evening, so consider them as a menu of options to pick from, either in advance or in the moment as you see how the discussion progresses.  Make sure you include some of the “be shaped by” section and/or “pray” section so that there’s an element of putting it into practice.  

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Tips for Leading Bible Discussions.

1. In advance, try to at least read the passage, pray for the group, and decide which of the suggested questions and activities you’re going to prioritise. 

2. You want to help the group to have a discussion with each other, so don’t talk too much yourself, and do encourage them to respond to each other’s contributions (“That’s an interesting point; what does everyone else think about that?” – especially useful if someone’s said something unhelpful.)

3. Encourage people to discover things in the Bible passage, not just share their own ideas (“It’d be great if you could share which verse you’re looking at when you answer this question.”)

4. Generally speaking, ask one question at a time, and keep it simple to understand (even if it’s not simple to answer!)

5. Make sure everyone gets a chance to participate. Discussing something in 3s and 4s is a great way to do this.

6. Don’t be afraid to leave silences, nor to call time on a side-track that’s gone on for longer than is helpful.

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Hints for interpreting Psalms.

The book of Psalms is a collection of songs composed by Old Testament believers, many of which are addressed to God as prayers.  

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Psalms are poetic, and the main poetic device they use is parallelism – the rhyming, not of sounds, but of meanings.  This is great for us, because it works in translation!  So lines in Psalms often come in pairs, with the second line saying the same thing as the first line but in a different way.  For example, Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise (NIV) is one instruction, not two.  There are variations, but this is the basic idea.

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The Psalms are written in the context of the Mosaic Covenant, so some ideas will need translating into the Christian context carefully.  For example, promises of material blessing for the obedient don’t have the same significance in the New Covenant, and references to the king or the nation won’t necessarily apply directly to the UK and its Prime Minister!  

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A number of the psalms are written by people facing the attack of human enemies and call for God to act in judgement against those enemies.  As Christians, our understanding of “enemies” is further shaped by the New Testament:

• When we are facing difficulties with others, our real enemies are spiritual beings, not the people we are encountering (Ephesians 6:12), so use the Psalms to help us pray against these real enemies.  

• Satan’s attacks on us come in the form of temptation, accusation and deception, so use the Psalms to pray against these attacks in our lives (more than circumstantial difficulties).

• We have cosmic enemies in Sin and Death, and through the cross Jesus Christ has rescued us from them, so use the Psalms to thank God for rescuing us from these.

• Regarding our human “enemies”, we are to love them and pray blessing on them (Matthew 5:44).

 

w/c 21/04/2024: Psalm 108

It’s the Week of Prayer:  come to that!

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w/c 28/04/2024: Psalm 25

Reflect on your prayer lives (maybe in 3s & 4s?):

• How do you feel about prayer?

• Where & when do you pray?  What do you pray about?  Do you pray with other people?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• Re-read v4-11.  

• What are the things the psalmist is asking for in those few verses?  List them quickly.

• What are the reasons the psalmist gives for making these requests?  List them quickly.

Understand the psalm:  

• From what they say in v4-11, why do you think the psalmist wants to confess their sin to God?

• Should confession be part of a Christian’s prayer life too?

• How do these verses give us confidence to come before God with our sin?

• How do these verses point us to the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Be shaped by the psalm:

• In 3s & 4s:  how much does confession feature in your praying?  Why is that?  What do you want to change having looked at these verses?

Pray the psalm:

• Read v4-11 out as a prayer to God.  Pause after every 2 or 3 lines to add prayers in your own words inspired by the bit you’ve just read.

 

w/c 05/05/2024: Psalm 145

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• What kind of prayer is this (Praise?  Request?  Confession?  A mixture?)

• Make a big spider diagram together of all the things the psalmist says about God.

Understand the psalm:  

• In 3s & 4s:  choose one verse from the psalm and chew over together:  why is the truth about God in that verse something you’d want to praise Him for?  (What would it mean for us if God were not like that?)  Feed back to the whole group.

• Why is there so much praise of God in the psalms?

• How do the things this psalmist is saying about God describe what He’s done for us in Jesus Christ?

Be shaped by the psalm:

• In 3s & 4s:  how much does praise (sung or spoken) feature in your praying?  Why is that?  

Pray the psalm:

• Read the psalm out as a prayer to God.  Pause after each paragraph to add prayers in your own words inspired by the bit you’ve just read.

 

w/c 12/05/2024: (Standalone Sermon)

This could be a really important discussion to help us put this series into practice, so if you don’t do it this week, consider doing it another week instead of looking at a psalm.

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Reflect on your prayer lives (in 3s & 4s?):

• Where & when do you pray?  What do you pray about?  Do you pray with other people?

• Do you find prayer easy or hard?  Enjoyable or a slog?

• As we spend this term focusing on prayer as a church, in what way do you think God might want your prayer life to change?

Share ideas:

• Share with the whole group any good ideas you’ve heard from someone else so far this evening about how they go about their prayer life.

• What do you find hardest about prayer?  Can anyone in the group suggest anything that might help?

• Are there ways that as a group you can help each other to pray?  (Particularly thinking about what you might do outside of your scheduled meeting.)

 

w/c 19/05/2024: Psalm 102

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• What kind of prayer is this (Praise?  Request?  Confession?  A mixture?)

• Are there any particularly obvious or repeated themes in the psalm?

Understand the psalm:  

• Are there any clues as to what kind of situation the psalmist is in?

• Is there anything in the psalm that’s surprising or confusing to you?  (Can anyone else in the group help shed any light on it?)

• How does this psalm remind us of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Be shaped by the psalm:

• Re-read v3-11.  How does the psalmist feel?  

• (In 3s & 4s?)  Can you remember a time when your prayers have sounded something like this?

• Is there anything that stops us from pouring our hearts out to God like these verses do when we’re in church services or City Group meetings?

• Zooming out again to the whole psalm, are there aspects of the way this psalmist prays that are missing from your prayer life?  What will help you to add them in?  (Could work well to discuss in 3s & 4s and then feed back.)

Pray the psalm:

• Read the psalm out as a prayer to God.  Pause after each paragraph to add prayers in your own words inspired by the bit you’ve just read.

 

w/c 26/05/2024: Psalm 138

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• What kind of prayer is this (Praise?  Request?  Confession?  A mixture?)

Understand the psalm:  

• How would you summarise what the psalmist says about God?

• Is there anything in the psalm that’s surprising or confusing to you?  (Can anyone else in the group help shed any light on it?)

• Why is there so much praise of God in the psalms?

• How do the things this psalmist is saying about God describe what He’s done for us in Jesus Christ?

Be shaped by the psalm:

• In 3s & 4s:  how much does praise (sung or spoken) feature in your praying?  Why is that?  

Pray the psalm:

• Read the psalm out as a prayer to God.  Pause after each paragraph to add prayers in your own words inspired by the bit you’ve just read.

 

w/c 02/06/2024: Psalm 59

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• What kind of prayer is this (Praise?  Request?  Confession?  A mixture?)

Understand the psalm:  

• What is the psalmist asking God to do?

• Why does the psalmist end on such a confident note?

• Read Matthew 5:43-48.  God hasn’t changed, so why does what Jesus Christ says seem so different to the psalm?  

• Ask people to read out (some of) Matthew 4:1, Luke 13:10-16, Luke 22:31-32, 1 Corinthians 7:4-5, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18, Ephesians 6:12, 1 Peter 5:8-9.  Who are our real enemies and what are they trying to do to us?

• How does the gospel of Jesus Christ give us confidence in praying about spiritual enemies?

Be shaped by the psalm:

• In 3s & 4s?  What spiritual-enemy attacks are you particular aware of in your life at the moment?  

• How could you use this psalm to help you pray about those things?  (Reflect on both the psalmist’s requests and their confidence.)

Pray the psalm:

• Read out v1-8.  Encourage people to acknowledge before God the spiritual-enemy attacks they’re facing.  

• Read out v9-15.  Encourage people to ask God to give them victory.

• Read out v16-17.  Encourage people to praise God for being our stronghold.  (End on a note of confidence not fear!)

 

w/c 09/06/2024: Psalm 71

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• What kind of prayer is this (Praise?  Request?  Confession?  A mixture?)

• Find all the references to the psalmist’s age.

Understand the psalm:  

• What is the psalmist asking God to do?

• (If you didn’t discuss this last time:)  Read Matthew 5:43-48.  God hasn’t changed, so why does what Jesus Christ says seem so different to Psalm 71:13?  

• (If you didn’t discuss this last time:)  Ask people to read out (some of) Matthew 4:1, Luke 13:10-16, Luke 22:31-32, 1 Corinthians 7:4-5, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, 1 Thessalonians 2:17-18, Ephesians 6:12, 1 Peter 5:8-9.  Who are our real enemies and what are they trying to do to us?

• How does the gospel of Jesus Christ give us confidence in praying about spiritual enemies?

Be shaped by the psalm:

• (If you didn’t discuss this last time:)  In 3s & 4s?  What spiritual-enemy attacks are you particular aware of in your life at the moment?  

• (If you didn’t discuss this last time:)  How could you use this psalm to help you pray about those things?  

• Re-read v5-6.  Ask the older people in the room to tell stories of how they have leaned on God over the years.

Pray the psalm:

• Read out v1-6.  Encourage someone who’s older to praise God for His faithfulness to them.

• Read out v7-11.  Encourage someone who’s younger to pray for God’s protection of those in the group who are older.

• Read out v12-16.  Encourage people to pray about the spiritual-enemy attacks they’re facing.

• Read out v17-21.  Encourage someone who’s older to pray that those in the group who are younger would know God’s power.

• Read out v22-24.  Encourage someone to praise God for our redemption.

 

w/c 16/06/2024: Psalm 72

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• What kind of prayer is this (Praise?  Request?  Confession?  A mixture?)  

• Who is the psalmist praying for?

Understand the psalm:  

• How can Christians use this psalm to pray about the reign of King Jesus Christ?

• In 3s & 4s:  choose one verse from the psalm and think about how we see King Jesus Christ fulfilling what the psalmist wanted the king of Israel to be like.  Feed back to the whole group.

• Is there anything in the psalm that’s surprising or confusing to you?  (Can anyone else in the group help shed any light on it?)

Be shaped by the psalm:

• Re-read v8-11.  What does it look like for Jesus Christ to rule everywhere?  (Read John 3:3-5 for help.)

• Who do you know (or know about) who is involved in bringing people into the Kingdom of God in another part of the world?

• How could you use this psalm to pray for them?

Pray the psalm:

• Read the psalm out as a prayer to God.  Pause after each paragraph to add prayers in your own words inspired by the bit you’ve just read.  Include prayers for the people you’ve just talked about.

 

w/c 23/06/2024: Psalm 61

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• What kind of prayer is this (Praise?  Request?  Confession?  A mixture?)

Understand the psalm:  

• Are there any clues as to what kind of situation the psalmist is in?

• Is there anything in the psalm that’s surprising or confusing to you?  (Can anyone else in the group help shed any light on it?)

• How does this psalm point us towards the gospel of Jesus Christ Christ?

Be shaped by the psalm:

• What about this Psalm encourages or motivates you to pray?

• Can you remember a time when you’ve prayed something similar to this psalm?  (Could work well to discuss in 3s & 4s and then feed back.)

• Are there aspects of the way the psalmist prays here that are missing from your prayer life?  What will help you to add them in?  (Could work well to discuss in 3s & 4s and then feed back.)

Pray the psalm:

• Read the psalm out as a prayer to God.  Pause after each verse to add prayers in your own words inspired by the bit you’ve just read.

 

w/c 30/06/2024: Psalm 136

Celebrate and encourage:  

• Did anyone take anything away from the last discussion that has been helpful to their prayer life since then?

Observe the psalm:  

• Read the psalm.

• What kind of prayer is this (Praise?  Request?  Confession?  A mixture?)

• Summarise the story that the psalm tells.

Understand the psalm:  

• What’s the connection between the story that the psalm tells and the repeating refrain?

• How does this psalm remind us of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

Be shaped by the psalm:

• What about this Psalm encourages or motivates you to pray?

• Are there aspects of the way the psalmist prays here that are missing from your prayer life?  What will help you to add them in?  (Could work well to discuss in 3s & 4s and then feed back.)

Pray the psalm:

• Read the psalm out as a prayer to God – maybe have one person read the first line of each verse, and everyone say the refrain line together (agree a translation first!).  

• Encourage people to pray one-line praise prayers of their own, after which the whole group could respond with the refrain line from the psalm.