SABBATH PSALMS: PSALM 130
INTRODUCTION
Long before a child ever begins to speak, they are spoken to for countless hours. How many words might a young child hear before they are able to utter back the simplest of sounds? In fact, all of this “talking to” is absolutely essential for a child to learn how to answer back. Eugene Peterson says: “Prayer is answering God.” Just like a child, long before you ever talked to God, he has been talking to you. We are simply talking back.
During Missio’s Dispersed July Rhythms, we will continue exploring how to respond to God through a master class on prayer, otherwise known as the Psalms. July is designed to be a time of needed disruption from typical rhythms and hurried patterns so that we might have the space to re-discover God’s voice. As a church family, our hope is that these guides will be simple portals into God’s presence this month.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
This guide is designed to be used by individuals, friends, families or as a missio community. It can take you anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour to journey through each guide. The process is designed to be a simple pathway to listen for God’s voice and respond. Don’t underestimate or overlook how ordinary moments can become divine appointments with God this July Sabbath.
STEP 1: READY
The unbelievable truth is this: You are about to hear God speak. Everytime you pick up the Bible, an encounter with God is possible. Would you ready yourself for coming into God’s presence and hearing God’s voice? To begin, offer this simple prayer to God and then wait in silence for 2 minutes:
Father, help me hear your voice.
Jesus, help me sense your presence.
Spirit, help me live according to your ways.
STEP 2: READ
Read through the Psalm slowly pausing at the end for 2 minutes to let it resonate deeply in your heart and community. Then, read through it again a second time.
PSALM 130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,
Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness,
so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel
from all their sins.
* Don’t forget to pause for 2 min to let it settle into the low places in your heart.
STEP 3: REFLECT
Use these questions to guide discussion as a group or reflection as an individual:
As you heard the Psalm read, which word or phrase do you sense Jesus is trying to get your attention with?
Can you think of particular moments in God’s Story where he heard the cries of His people and responded? What stories come to mind?
Why do you think there is a connection between forgiveness and service?
What do you think it means to develop a posture of waiting on God? During this month, what are you waiting on God to do? How are you desiring for Him to act or speak?
What are ways you have kept a record of your own sins? How might Jesus want to meet you in your record keeping? What about your record keeping of your neighbor or enemy?
STEP 4: RESPOND
Every Psalm is an invitation to trust and loving obedience. From your conversation with God today through this guide, how are you (& your community) going to respond? Try to summarize in one sentence how Jesus is inviting you to live this week during our Sabbath month.
STEP 5: REST
In the True Story of the World, rest is not a reward for hard work but rather the starting place for engaging with God’s world. God rested on the 7th day and he invited us into that rest before he sent us out to cultivate His creation alongside Him.
As you go this week, would you operate from a place of grace not guilt and abundance not scarcity. Would your pace be slow and would you linger in moments so that God might surprise you with His presence.
Read these words aloud as a benediction:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”