1. Read Psalm 141 aloud as a group. Identify the 5 elements of lament:

   • Invocation

   • Complaint

   • Petition

   • Trust

   • Praise.

2. Which part is most dominant in Psalm 141? What does the emphasis communicate?

3. In the sermon today, Robb said, “The internal trouble [temptation to sin] is almost always a greater threat than the external trouble.” Recall a season of life when you encountered severe trial. What was the external trouble you faced? What was the internal threat or temptation?

4. How does David pray through his inclination toward sin (vv3-5, 9-10)? What does he ask of God? What does it reveal about him, his relationship to God, and his relationship to others in his community?

5. Psalm 141:6-7 are notoriously difficult to translate, as you can tell by comparing the various English translations. The general sense is that the sin of the wicked will eventually overtake them. In contrast, vv8-10 offer a prayer for deliverance from the same end. Compare the imagery of these verses with the Invocation & Praise of vv1-2. What do these contrasting images make you feel? What is the psalm communicating about worship?

Click here to read the story of Roland Hayes’ 1924 performance in Berlin.

Watch the video below to hear him sing the song he sang that night, Du Bist Die Ruh’