Tag / Teach us to pray

by In Light Of The Cross

2: Teach us to Pray-Sabbath School Lesson Teaching Plan

Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com

Prepared by William Earnhardt, for Sabbath School class, January 13, 2024.

Main Theme: Praying the Psalms has helped many believers establish and maintain regular and fulfilling prayer lives.

Read in Class: Psalm 105:5, Colossians 3:16, James 5:13. Define the common thread of these passages.

Study: What is the place of the Psalms in the believer’s worship experience?

Apply: What does it mean to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16)? Why is reading the Bible the first and most crucial step for that experience?

Share: Your friend complains about their lack of faith. He says that God always provides for him but when new trials come he loses faith all over again and becomes anxious. What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 44:1-12, 23-26, and Psalm 22:1-11, 21-24. Define the main idea of these Psalms.

Study: What two main moods do we see in these Psalms? Why the change in moods? What does this teach us about trusting God even in times of trouble?

Apply: How can drawing on past times, when God’s presence felt very real, help you deal with the times in which troubles make you think that God is far away?

Share: Your friend suggests that David is way too negative in some of his prayers. Shouldn’t we always praise and thank God in our prayers instead of complaining or being so negative? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 13:1-6. Define the main idea of this Psalm.

Study: What two main moods can you distinguish in this psalm? What decision do you think brought the radical change in the psalmist’s general outlook?

Apply: How can your trials draw you closer to God? Why, if you’re not careful, can they push you away from Him?

Share: Your friend asks you if you feel like God has always dealt bountifully you even amid your trials? What do you tell your friend?

Read in Class: Psalm 60:1-5. Define the main idea of this passage.

Study: For what occasions do you think this psalm would be a suitable prayer? How can we benefit from the psalms of lament even in joyous seasons of life?

Apply: Whom do you know, right now, who needs not only your prayers but your ministering touch, as well?

Share: Have you ever written a poem or “Psalm” about how God has heard your prayers? Can you share your poem with someone this week who may be encouraged by it?

by In Light Of The Cross

A Beautiful Message in a Book of the Bible I Almost Didn’t Read

In my current personal devotions I read through the Psalms, and then kept cruising through Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. When I came to Song of Solomon I asked myself if I really needed to continue. After all some people wonder why such a book as Song of Solomon is even in the Bible. It’s a love story that some think gets a little too personal. Nonetheless, I reminded myself that all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable, so early this morning I prayed for the Holy Spirit to teach this book to me and I dove in. What I found was a beautiful ending to an ugly story I had already read in Revelation 3:14-21.

About 17 years ago I woke up in the middle of the night and could not get back to sleep. Laying there half awake and half asleep I realized if I left the house now I could make it to Daytona Beach to see the sunrise. I jumped in my car and started listening to the book of Revelation as I drove. I listened as the narrator gave Jesus’ account of how wretched, poor, blind, miserable and naked His last day church is. After such a discouraging message Jesus really woke me up when I head Him say,

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. Revelation 3:21 NKJV

What? Is Jesus talking about the same church He called wretched, poor, blind, miserable and naked one day overcoming just as He overcame? Wow, Jesus just never gives up! I remember years ago when I was working at UPS I made a mistake and my supervisor got really upset and chewed me out. He ended his lecture by saying, “You may think I am making a big deal out of this by being so angry and upset but one day when you become a supervisor you will understand.” I walked away feeling rebuked and encouraged at the same time. My boss just chewed me out and told me I would be promoted one day all in the same breath. This is what Jesus was saying to His last day church. A dire warning that ended with a beautiful promise and hope.

Fast Forward to this morning as I was reading Song of Solomon. Chapter 3 ends with a wedding. Chapter 4 is the groom describing his bride. Further study led me to conclude that this is also symbolic of Jesus describing His bride, the church. The church He once described as wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked. After being redeemed read how Jesus describes His bride and church now.

You are beautiful, my darling,
    beautiful beyond words.
Your eyes are like doves
    behind your veil.
Your hair falls in waves,
    like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.
Your teeth are as white as sheep,
    recently shorn and freshly washed.
Your smile is flawless,
    each tooth matched with its twin.
Your lips are like scarlet ribbon;
    your mouth is inviting.
Your cheeks are like rosy pomegranates
    behind your veil.
Your neck is as beautiful as the tower of David,
    jeweled with the shields of a thousand heroes.
Your breasts are like two fawns,
    twin fawns of a gazelle grazing among the lilies.
 Before the dawn breezes blow
    and the night shadows flee,
I will hurry to the mountain of myrrh
    and to the hill of frankincense. You are altogether beautiful, my darling,
    beautiful in every way. Song of Solomon 4:1-7 NLT

The church Jesus once said was wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked He has redeemed. Now as He inspects every part of her body He exclaims she is beautiful beyond words and beautiful in every way!

Just as the groom is inspecting every part of his bride’s body so Jesus inspects every aspect or our lives. Some parts of our lives may be downright ugly right now. Just like there are parts of our body we don’t want people looking at there are parts of our lives we really don’t want Jesus to see. We know what sin and ugliness He will find there. Here is the good news. Not just good news, it is beautifully wonderful news. We can turn those ugly parts of our lives over to Jesus. Let Him cleanse us and redeem us. Then the same Jesus who looked at us and said we are wretched, poor, miserable, blind and naked, will inspect every aspect of our being and go on and on about how beautiful we are. Beautiful beyond words. Beautiful in every way!

Jesus is the faithful and True Witness. He is being honest when He tells me how ugly my sins are. Now that He is redeeming me I can’t wait to hear Him say how beautiful I am. And when Jesus raves on and on about how beautiful we are-even too beautiful for words and beautiful in every way-He will still be just as honest, faithful and true as He has ever been!

You may study this week’s Sabbath School lesson here.