Week Five: Finding Security in Unstable Times

I'm posting this a few hours before the scheduled day. Our kids our home from school tomorrow. The boys are in the tent and Lauren is in bed with me tonight. We are both pretty early to rise so I am not sure how the morning will go and didn't want to miss out on this post.

Leanne, it might be just you and I starting out the discussion this week and I know that today is a very special and busy day for you. Here are some ideas to get us going.

I'd love to hear what parts of these stanza's resonated with you this week.

Is there a discovery from "Digging Deeper" or " One Step Further" that really spoke into your life right now?

Look forward to talking this through further with you!

Love,
Nicole

Week 4: Are You Standing Firm in an Unsteady Culture?

I was encouraged this week by the Mem stanza - that God is more, God is better. The benefits God gives are everlasting and bring about the character change so needed for daily victory and standing firm. I had such a transformation - a miracle regarding change in attitude this past week. Fear and selfishness threatened to wreck a situation was turned into sheer delight in Him over a number of hours. It was coming to a spot of complete need in God because I knew on my own I would wallow in anger and grow in bitterness. God was so faithful to provide that miracle in my attitude. He heard our prayers and I am so grateful. He is sweeter than chocolate!

What did you learn about the Word of God through the stanza's Kaph, Lamedh, Mem and Nun?

What words and phrases popped out at you as you studied?

In what ways do you resonate with the Psalmist?

In what ways do you desire to apply what you learned to your own life?

Please remember that if you want to add things to previous posts - feel free to do that on those posts. If we have all subscribed to the comments they will show up in our email boxes the same as the new ones we've subscribed to.

Look forward to further discussion.

Love you all,
Nicole

Week Three

Wow! We are already halfway through the study. Although I found it a full week of study the pacing was easier for me having divided the days. The little things we do to make it more manageable!!!

I really needed this week of study this week. It was so right for the situations. God is good and does good!

Here is the question on page 62, @ the end of the day...

In the Vav, Zayin, Heth, Teth, and Yodh stanzas the psalmist turns the jewel of Scripture (love that analogy!)to show us his delight in and love for God's Word, which brings liberty and comfort, calls for obedience and shows forth the goodness and compassion of God.

What facet of this jewel has shone most brightly in your life this week? is there an area of your life God is calling you to turn your feet from to His testimonies, to hasten and not delay?

Another specific question to comment on:

p58 - Do you know for sure that God is good and does good? Does anything ever cause you to question this? If so, how can you resolve this question for yourself?

Comments on how you processed, "delayed obedience is disobedience." p 53

Looking forward to our discussion of this weeks material. Please again, feel free to take a tangent wherever your heart has gone this week.

Measure of Faith

As I was looking for Bible study material possibilities for Fall I came across this quote by Priscilla Shearer and thought the words were good for us and the thoughts we have taking root in our hearts. It reminded me of one of the comments Leanne had made about the Psalmist desiring that God be part of his life.

"there are over 8000 promises in the Bible for the children of God, and yet most of them He didn't place in our hands but chose rather to place them within our reach. In other words, while he could have chosen to simply let us realize them without any participation on our part, he decided to make us have to participate with him, and exert a measure of faith before we could. We actually have to engage with Him and choose to follow Him, yield to Him and trust Him. And I'm finding that it is to the extent that we do this, we can expect to realize God's promises in our every day living."

I'd love to share stories of when you had (or are being asked) to step out in faith and follow God in some radical way that set you up to experience Him in a way you wouldn't have otherwise?

Week Two

Good Morning!

We are doing some serious study. Pam has picked up the pace significantly this week!

What an encouragement and challenge to see the Psalmist's knowledge and dependence on who God is. It has been impressed on me that the Psalmist is clear about God's role in his life and desires to more fully understand God's ways through the Word. He knows how to set himself up to receive God's word and acknowledges his limitations. He seems to grow in this knowledge as new situations arise and cause him to call out anew. The repetition and desire are very encouraging. It is a continual practise that satisfies.

Here are a few questions to get us started...

Comment freely on the week...

What have you learned about the Word of God from these stanza's?

Is there something that spoke to your heart this week from the study?

One Step Further

I am noticing that there is a scripture memory challenge presented in week 2 on page 27.

"Browse through the entire Psalm and pick out several verses or a stanza to memorize."

I am wondering if anyone is interested in doing this together?

We could set a personal goal for the 5 week period remaining. I'm not sure about reward...I guess it couldn't be anything together...we'll have to think about that.

If you are interested let's post our selected verses as a comment to help keep us accountable.