School of Prayer 44

WEEK 44

psalms this week

"Everyone, in whatever situation he may be, finds in that situation psalms and words that fit his case, that suit him as if they were put there just for his sake, so that he could not put it better himself, or find or wish for anything better."
- Martin Luther

Psalms 124. 125. and 126

introduction to the Series

Most of what we learn how to do, we learn from other people. Sometimes it is the learning that comes from specific and deliberate instruction. At other times it is the learning that comes by way of example and imitation. During 2023, our endeavor is to learn how to pray from the Psalmist.*

The Book of Psalms is the longest book in the Bible, and it is mostly a book of prayers. We will spend the year going through the book, beginning to end, and letting the Psalmist teach us by example how to pray.

In this endeavor, we cannot benefit from his deliberate instruction, of course. What we can do, however, is take full advantage of his example. We will observe how he prays, and we will learn to imitate him.

Our approach will be week by week. The recommended practices and exercises are not daily, but rather suggestions for an individual to implement throughout the whole week.

Exercises for this week

Psalm 124

Psalm 125

Psalm 126

Read Psalm 124. This brief Psalm reads like a testimony sung by the people of Israel following the Lord's deliverance. The Psalm lacks the details, though, to make it clear what the specific event was. That lack of specificity makes the Psalm more easily and more broadly applicable. Accordingly, make a list of individuals and groups from Scripture who could have written this testimony.

In the first two verses, the Psalmist is emphatic about how different things would have been "if the Lord had not been on our side."

Review the list of characters and groups in Scripture who could have written this Psalm. For each case, answer the question: What would have happened or what would have been different if the Lord had not been on their side?
Choose a half-dozen instances from your own life when you might also imagine, "If the Lord had not been on my side..." Make a list. Talk to the Lord about each.
Reflect on your own list in the same way as you did the list of biblical characters. Imagine in your own life experiences the answers to the question: What would have happened or what would have been different if the Lord had not been on your side?

Read Romans 8:31 in several different translations. How does Romans 8:31 inform your understanding of Psalm 124:1-2?

Read Zechariah 4:6 in several different translations. How does Zechariah 4:6 inform your understanding of Psalm 124:1-2?

In verses 3-7, the Psalmist uses many dramatic images and picturesque language in order to communicate his experience.

Make a list of the images found in those verses.
Next to each image on the list, describe what you believe the author is endeavoring to convey by using that specific imagery.
When have you had an experience that you might describe similarly?
Next to each image, jot down what you imagine to be the emotions experienced by the people involved.
When have you felt similarly?

Read verse 8 in a variety of translations in order to reflect on its meaning.

Read Psalm 20:7.
Read Proverbs 18:10.
Read Zephaniah 3:12.
Reflect on Psalm 124:8 in light of these other passages.
Talk to the Lord about these passages and what they reveal to you about the name of the Lord.

Read Micah 4:5.

How does the verse from Micah factor into your understanding of the name of the Lord in Psalm 124:8?
How does the verse from Micah influence your understanding of Psalm 124:1-2 and the implication that it is the Lord -- rather than someone else -- on Israel's side?

Having reflected on Psalm 124, let it be a model for you. Choose an experience from your own life, and write a Psalm in the mode of Psalm 124. Make it a reflection of your own testimony, and use highly picturesque language to try to convey your experience and your feelings. Include your own affirmations about the Lord and statements of your faith.

Read Psalm 125. As you read, reflect on each verse in these ways:

To whom does the Psalmist seem to be speaking?
What do you discern to be the Psalmist's tone and mood?
How would you describe the genre of this verse (e.g., plea, complaint, affirmation, testimony, etc.)?

Mountains and/or hills are a recurring image in the first verses of this Psalm.

What do you think of as the attributes or characteristics of mountains/hills?
How do those characteristics or attributes factor into what the Psalmist is communicating in these verses?

The strength and permanence of a mountain make it a natural image to use for the Lord. Surprisingly, however, the Psalmist uses that image in verse 1 to describe human beings.

How is that reasonable?
Who in Scripture illustrates the principle?
To what extent have you found verse 1 to be true for you?

In verse 2, the Psalmist declares that the Lord surrounds His people.

What does that reveal about the Lord?
What does it mean for the people or things that threaten His people?
What should be the response and attitude of His people?
Talk to the Lord about verse 2 and what it means to you?

The author of Psalm 125 clearly thinks in terms of two kinds of people.

What terms does he use to describe or identify those peoples?
What characterizes each type of person?
What examples do you think of from Scripture that illustrate the Psalmist's declarations about both types of people?
What is your own experience of the Psalmist's declarations about both types of people?

Read verse 3 in a variety of different translations in order to get a sense for its meaning.

What do you understand to be the Psalmist's claim and point?
What evidence of his claim do you see in Scripture?
What is your response to his claim?

Once again in the concluding verse, as in Psalm 122, the Psalmist concludes with an expressed desire for peace for Jerusalem. Here, again, is a summary of how the Hebrew word for peace is used in the Old Testament:*

completeness (in number)
safety, soundness (in body)
welfare, health, prosperity
peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment
peace, friendship in human relationships and with God
peace (from war)
peace (as adjective)

With all of these matters in heart and mind, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Identify the verses in this Psalm that qualify as prayers -- i.e., verses which are spoken to God.

What is the nature of what the Psalmist says to God?
What do the Psalmist's words reveal about what the Psalmist believes about Him?
To what extent does the prayer of the Psalmist resonate with your own experience?

*With gratitude to BlueLetterBible.com

Read Psalm 126. Reflect on one verse at a time in these ways:

To whom does the Psalmist seem to be speaking?
What seem to be the circumstances of the Psalmist and those that he represents?
How would you describe the genre of this verse (e.g., plea, complaint, affirmation, testimony, etc.)?

Verse 1 recalls a time when "the Lord restored His people's fortunes. No specific occasion or event is referenced, however. Identify several stories in Scripture to which these verses might be applied.

Has there been a time in your own life experience when you feel that the Lord restored your fortunes?

Talk to the Lord about that experience.
To what extent do these early verses of the Psalm resonate with your experience and your feelings?

In verse 3, the Psalmist declares that "the Lord has done great things for us."

Make a list of the first ten things that come to your mind when you think of the great things that the Lord has done for you?
How difficult was it for you to come up with a list of ten things?
How difficult was it for you to keep your list to just ten things?
Talk to the Lord about the great things He has done for you. Give Him thanks and praise. Testify to His goodness.

In verse 4, the Psalmist prays that the Lord will restore the fortunes of His people.

Reflect on these verses in the Psalm and identify some characters in Scripture who might have prayed them.
Is there a way in which these verses express a prayer of yours today?

Broadly speaking, the first half of the Psalm recalls the Lord restoring the fortunes of His people, while the second half prays for the Lord to restore the fortunes of His people. What do you imagine to be the possible relationship between the first and second halves of the Psalm?

Verse 4 compares the Lord's restoring of fortunes to being "like streams in the Negeb" (sometimes translated "south" because the Negeb region was in the southern part of Israel). The word "Negeb" is related to the word for "parched."

With that in mind, what do you understand the Psalmist to be saying by using that imagery?
What image might you use in 2023 to express the same truth?

Verses 5 and 6 employ a metaphor in order to portray a principle.

How would you express that principle is a simple, declarative sentence?
What characters or stories in Scripture are illustrative of that principle?
What experiences in your own life are illustrative of the principle?
Talk to the Lord about times when you have 'sown in tears' but 'reaped with joy.'
To what extent are verses 5 and 6 an apt description of intercessory prayer?

Identify the verses in this Psalm that qualify as prayer -- i.e., verses which are spoken to God.

What is the nature of what the Psalmist says to God?
What do the Psalmist's words reveal about what the Psalmist believes about Him?
To what extent does the prayer of the Psalmist resonate with your own experience?

* We will refer to the author as “the Psalmist,” though of course not all of the Psalms were written by the same person. A significant number are attributed to David. Others are associated with Asaph, the sons of Korah, and an assortment of other individuals. Also, several dozen Psalms have no name attached to them. For the sake of ease and uniformity, we will simply refer to “the Psalmist.”