Essential 100

Week Nine: Psalms and Proverbs

[To listen to an audio recording,  click here]

41.    The Lord is My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1-6)

What images in this psalm are most comforting to you?

To what contemporary image would you compare the Lord? “The Lord is my…”? Explain.   

42.    Have Mercy on Me (Psalm 51:1-19)

What do you learn from this Psalm about confessing your sins?

Have you ever experienced a sense of forgiveness for something you’ve done wrong?

What happened?

43.    Praise the Lord (Psalm 103:1-22)

What things motivated David to praise God in this Psalm?

Do you have reasons for praising God? If so, what are they?

44.    Godly Wisdom (Proverbs 1:1—4:27)

How would you characterize your relationship with your earthly father?

Do you think your relationship with your earthly father has shaped your relationship with God? If so, how?

45.    Proverbs of Solomon (Proverbs 16:1—18:24)

If you were writing a few “proverbs,” what would you say?

What wisdom have you gained from your experiences in life? Your relationship with God?

Pastor's Meditation for the Week:

The 23rd Psalm

Perhaps you took a high school or college psychology class and learned that each of us is motivated by needs. Remember Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself.

Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied are we concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development.

Here’s the list but with a different twist:

1.   Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc.- Maslow

The Psalmist: The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He make  me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul.

2.   Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc.-Maslow

The Psalmist: Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow  of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.                               ;

3..  Belongingness and Love needs - work group, family, affection, relationships,  -Maslow

The Psalmist: He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.

4.   Esteem needs - self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc. - Maslow

The Psalmist: You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.

5.    Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.-Maslow

The Psalmist: Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Long before the psychologist Abraham Maslow came up with his Hierarchy of Needs, the Psalmist, King David praised God in Psalm 23 because he knew that all his needs were met in and by the Lord.  This Psalm has been a prayer of praise and comfort for me since I learned it as a child. May it be for you this week as you meditate on Psalms and Proverbs!

Blessings in Christ, Pastor Jim