INTRODUCTION

USES OF THE PSALMS

Learning a New Language

Engaging Reality

Ps 44:23-26; 13:1-3; 102:1-5; 42; 55:1-6, 12-15, 22-23

Cultivating Imagination

Ps 90:1-6; 46:6-11; 18:1-19; 96:11-13

SEEING JESUS IN AND THROUGH THE PSALMS

COMMUNITY MEDITATION

KNOW

• Do you ever feel bad for not being happy all the time? Where do you think that comes from? Do you find it helpful to know that many of the Psalms express frustration, fear, doubt, sadness, and grief? How so?

FEEL

• Read Psalm 86 aloud. What surprises you in this Psalm? Is there anything the Psalmist says that you wouldn’t feel comfortable saying to God? What does this suggest about our prayers?
• Read Psalm 22 aloud. How might reading the entire Psalm give us insight into why Jesus quotes this Psalm on the cross?

LIVE

• Pray through Psalm 23. Read a few lines and then pause to consider how you might turn those lines into a personal prayer. Do this exercise within a group of people. Pray short prayers, using the language of the Psalm to guide you forward.