Day 30: Continue the Conversation

Back to: Songs of the Heart: A Study in Psalms

As we’ve taken our brief look at different types of psalms and listened in on the psalmists’ prayers and praise to God, we’ve had the opportunity to learn how to converse more effectively and intimately with our heavenly Father. Take what you’ve learned and let it transform your prayer life. Let it draw you into the psalms in a new and more personal way. Keep the conversation going between you and God, speaking openly and honestly with Him. He’s ready to listen and respond! Listen carefully to what He is saying to you, and let His words reshape your heart, your thoughts, and your actions!

Assignment:

• Pray as you begin this last lesson of our study. Thank God for the privilege of knowing Him and conversing with Him.
• Then continue your review of the nineteen psalms we’ve looked at in our time together. You should be working your way back through Psalms 1, 2, 6, 12, 30, 124, 112, 62, 136, 145, 137, 66, 54, 148, 128, 125, 135, 118, and 21.
• Continue rereading any prayers you’ve written, listening to the musical versions of the psalms, and considering which psalm or verses you plan to memorize.
• When you have finished, reflect on what you’ve read and studied.
  • Which type of psalm has been the greatest source of encouragement and blessing to you?
  • Which has “stretched” you the most, leading you to speak to God in ways that are less comfortable or familiar?
  • Has this approach to the psalms encouraged you to speak to your heavenly Father in more open and honest ways?
  • Has it changed the way you view the reading or singing of Psalms as a congregation in your church?
  • Has it given you a new hunger to immerse yourself in the Psalms, letting them speak for your heart as well as speaking to your heart?
• Now write one more of your own psalms/prayers that expresses your heart at this particular time in your life.
  • If you’re experiencing troubles and fears, write a lament and lay your complaint at Jesus’ feet. Plead for His help. Know that He is listening and that He will answer.
  • You could also write a psalm of confidence, expressing your trust in God’s power and love, even in the midst of your trials. Read your words to the Father, and rest in His strong arms.
  • Has God answered prayer and delivered you or a loved one from danger, illness, or emotional struggles? Has He helped to heal relational hurts and conflicts? Write a prayer of thanksgiving. It’s easy to ask for God’s help; it’s also easy to forget to thank Him for hearing and answering.
  • Do you need to remember and rehearse God’s redeeming power and faithfulness in the past? Will that reorient your soul and give you hope for the future? Write a psalm of remembrance. Recall God’s mighty acts for His people in Scripture, in history, in your own life, and praise Him for His steadfast love!
  • You probably aren’t the subject of any earthly king, but God has placed you under some form of earthly authority. The obedience of those leaders brings blessing or cursing on those they lead. The present state of world affairs should move us to pray without ceasing for our leaders. A royal psalm can provide a pattern or starting point for those prayers. It can also guide us as we pray for King Jesus to do battle with those who misuse the power He has given them.
  • Perhaps your faith has waned a bit as you watch the wicked prosper all around you. Read a wisdom psalm and personalize it into a prayer that recalls the blessings that are promised to those fear and obey God, and the cursings that will fall without fail on those who deny God’s existence, rebel against Him, and oppress those made in His image.
  • Even in the midst of trials, social upheaval, and social challenges, God still reigns and is worthy of our praise and worship. Write a hymn of praise. List specific reasons for praising God and pray your hymn back to the One who created and sustains all that exists, but still attends to the most minute details of your life.
• Let the Psalms draw you closer to the Shepherd of your soul, listening to what He wants to tell you through the inspired words of the psalmists and responding back to Him with those same words.
• Optional: Read “Resources and Suggestions for Further Study in the Psalms,” available in the Bonus Resources.
• Listen to:
  • “The Law of the Lord is Perfect,” Esther Mui
  • “God Who Listens,” Chris Tomlin
  • “Promises,” Sanctus Real
• Share! Share your written prayers. Share your response to the questions listed above. Share your evaluation of this particular study by writing a review for other Mamas Refill members who are choosing the next study they will complete. (Scroll down to “Write a Review” near the bottom of the page.)

For Level 5 study:

• Choose one psalm and analyze it, identifying its genre, and labeling the different elements that lead you to that conclusion. (You can also refer first to one of the classification charts listed in today’s bonus resource, choose a psalm of a specified genre, and then label the different elements in that psalm.)

For your children:

• Commit to reading through the entire book of psalms together over the next few months.
• Start at the beginning and read straight through, reading an entire psalm when its short, or reading just a few verses, if that’s what you can manage each day.
• Read at the start or completion of a meal, or perhaps as the children settle into their beds after the lights are out.

They (and you) won’t understand everything you read, but you’ll be learning how to talk to God and how to listen to Him as you read His Word together.