Read
Psalm 140
Consider
I had a job in university where I was falsely accused of stealing $800. I remember feeling so helpless and powerless. I wanted to prove to my boss and coworkers that I was innocent. I wanted someone or something to rescue me from that difficult situation.
Psalm 140 shows us how God can deliver us from our troubles. As David prays, He sees a God who is sovereign and can deliver. He also keeps turning to God because He knows God hears his plea and cares for him.
We have the privilege of worshiping a God who can deliver us from our troubles. He also promises to be present with us in the midst of our difficulties.
My prayer for you as you come to worship is that God will meet you in your place of pain and suffering and his presence will strengthen you. May you experience the riches of Christ and may His Spirit help you know that God can deliver us from our troubles.
Pray
Father, we come in our brokenness and desperation. We come in need of the hope of the gospel. Thank you that we can know that You can deliver us from our troubles. Thank you that we can know that You will be present with us in the midst of our troubles. Father, we turn back to you in thanksgiving and praise, because your presence can strengthen us in the worst of days, producing fruit in our lives and bearing witness to the God of the universe whose presence sustains us.
Diving Deeper
Have you experienced a time where you desired to be delivered from a difficult situation? Share an example with your group.
Read v6-7. What traits about God stick out to you? Why is this important for us to know?
When you read the violent words in v.9-11, how do you feel? Does it connect with the heart of Jesus (see the Beatitudes in Matthew 5)? How does it help to know that this section is not so much a theology about how we deal with our enemies but an honest emotional outpouring before God?
Are there any ways that you need to be honest in the midst of your suffering before God?
The final verse points us to praise and God’s presence. How can praise center us upon Christ and sustain us through difficult seasons?
Even if God does not change our circumstances, why is it critical for us to know that God will be present with us in the midst of our difficulties?
How can we live closer WITH GOD in our lives?
How are we being TRANSFORMED to be more like Christ?
How is the Holy Spirit empowering us to imitate Christ in what we DO this week?