Psalm 39 - Is God Really Good?

  1. Think about a season of suffering in your life. What helped ease the pain in that season? Was it something in your relationship with God with others? Something else?

  2. Read Psalm 39:1-6. What tensions is the psalmist navigating in these verses? What imagery does he use to express himself, and what does the imagery mean?

  3. Read Psalm 39:7-13. What tensions is the psalmist navigating in his relationship with God? Have you ever felt like this psalm in your relationship with God? Explain.

  4. In the sermon today, Robb spoke about suffering as a ‘journey into tension’. Briefly review Psalms 34-38. What words, phrases or themes from those passages make their way into Psalm 39? Do you sense a trajectory across the psalms? Where are we going as we read?

  5. Read Psalm 40:1-4. What does the relationship between the tension of Ps 39 and the resolution of Ps 40 mirror the gospel story of Jesus’ death and resurrection?

Robb EsperatComment