In our small group at church, we had a church wide study for five weeks. After that, we tried a new idea where each member of the group participates in leading a study based on their favourite Psalm. Each person picks their favourite Psalm and shares it with the group. We called it “The Psalm Project“.Some may need to read some Psalms to discover their favourite one. For me, I chose Psalm 19. It reads
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. This is one of the clearest biblical statements that nature itself is meant to show the greatness of God. These words are in the present tense. That is, the heavens “are declaring,” and the sky “is proclaiming” the creative work of God. It’s a continual display. What we see in nature is meant to constantly show us that God exists and tell us how amazing a Creator He truly is.
Here are some of the things I discovered in Psalm 19.
- We are created by God for his glory
- Science keeps discovering more the the universe, it’s God sized
- Without uttering a word, creation shows God’s glory and righteousness
- I cannot discern my own errors
- The heavens declare and we are without excuse to believe in God
- Who am I? The servant of the Lord
- The law serves to reveal sin and it’s consequences
- Willful sins; Paul said the same thing, “the very thing I don’t want to do, I do.”
- Lord = ruler; rock = solid foundation; redeemer = Saviour
To do:
- Give God the glory, honour and praise
- Follow the law of the Lord
- Pray for forgiveness
I suggest you watch Indescribable video by Louie Giglio and follow NASA on Instagram, the pictures are astounding
To help do your own study, you can use the attached guideline to help you in your preparation (posted below). Pick your favourite Psalm (or other Bible chapter) and answer the questions below.
OBSERVATION
- Where are the action words?
- What stands out to you?
- What seems strange?
- Was there something here that you hadn’t considered before?
- What questions do you have about the text?
INTERPRETATION
- What is the author trying to communicate to the original audience?
- What is the point of the passage?
- What’s the overall message?
APPLICATION
- The general question here is who am I in this story?
- How am I going to respond to that?
- What will change in your life today, this week or this month?
Add any additional notes that you think of. Make note of any other Bible verses you are reminded of and be sure to review those as well.
Enjoy!