Psalm 23 is plea to those who are considering giving up on God to hang on and wait for the goodness of God to be seen.
You have probably seen people give up on God (or the church) during your time as a Christian.
What reasons have you heard people give for walking away?
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. —Psalm 23 (ESV)
The past few weeks, we have talked about 3 main overarching ideas.
- The presence of the Shepherd is our life, our joy, our safety, and our fulfillment.
- God is always good, but the arc of God’s goodness is longer than we typically think.
- God can use our pain to draw us (and others) closer to Him.
(Feel free to spend some time reviewing and discussing any of these main points.)
This week, we wrap up this series with one final big idea… God uses the times of our waiting to work good in us.
What do you think this means?
So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. 8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. —2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (NLT)
Scripture does not explicitly tell us what this thorn was.
Why would Paul be vague about what exactly this thorn is?
What is the purpose of this thorn (according to Paul)?
Who gave Paul this thorn?
“The thorn may come through Satan, but the thorn comes from God… and that is good news.” —H.B. Charles
What do you think of this quote?
“God sometimes lets us struggle with lesser sins to keep us from the greatest one: PRIDE.” —C.S. Lewis
What do you think of this quote?
If dependence is the objective, then weakness is an advantage.
How can you “boast about your weakness” this week?