1)Listen to Podcast
2) GG Questions 08/26/2018
Getting Real: Pain to Praise Psalm 22
1. Close Reading: After praying for God to enlighten your mind, read through Psalm 22 a couple times, slowly. Look for these three things: LIGHTBULB – something that shines from the passage, draws your attention; QUESTION MARK – something difficult to understand; ARROW – a personal application. Share the results of your study with your group.
2. Lament: In the face of tremendous difficulty (Psa. 22:6-8, 12-18), have you ever felt that the Lord was far away (vv. 1-2)? Does it feel unspiritual to cry out to God, “You have forsaken me!”? Job’s cries resembled this on more than one occasion (Job 3). Did God approve of Job’s honest words (Job 42:7, 8)? Will He approve of yours?
3. Confident Expectation: Psalm 22 is the only psalm in the Bible to shift back and forth from lament (1-2), to trust (3-5), to lament (6-8), to trust (9-11), to lament (12-18), to trust (19-21). How does this seesaw spirituality present a picture of life in this fallen world and a lesson on how to deal with suffering and difficulty in our lives? How unshakable is your confidence in God? And what is this confidence based on (3-5, 9-10)?
4. Jesus: Read Matthew 27:35, 39, 43, 46 while looking for parallels in Psalm 22. It appears that Jesus and the NT authors saw the exaggerated language of David’s suffering literally fulfilled in the life of David’s greater Son. Take a moment to reflect together on the magnitude of Christ’s suffering on your behalf (Isa. 53:3-11) and then join the ever-expanding circle of praise in thanksgiving to our matchless Suffering Servant (Israel – Psa. 22:22-25, all nations – 27-28, all generations – 30-31).
