As the series presses on, hopefully you are beginning to notice that the members of your group are gaining some familiarity with the passage, and learning that even six short versus can pack a wallop.
Continue to invite your members to be as raw and open as they can as you let God teach you through this Psalm.
Also, bear on mind, that at the end of this series, in week six, we will be giving people an opportunity to respond and commit their lives to Christ. You may have people in your group that that will be helpful for. Many times, all we need is a date on a calendar by which to allow God to change the entire course of our lives. If appropriate, have a conversation with your fellow journey-mates and help them to see this series as a catalyst, and that final Sunday as a day that they make the "funeral psalm" a banner for their life!
Thaw
- Who feels like they have Psalm 23 memorized, and would like to take this opportunity to show off (in the most holy, humble way, of course...)?
- What has God most taught you thus far in this series?
- What do you continue to see yourself anxious about with regard to daily life, faith, etc?
- What most impacted you from Sunday's message?
- What do you sense God might be asking you to do?
Read
- Psalm 23:4
- Thoughts?
- Darkness is connected to the sense of "death". Imagine this scene in David's mind as he writes. What is he getting at?
Leader note: You may want to take a second and compare translations among your group members and the bibles that they bring. Little nuances in different translations can help the entirety of the picture come to light.
- Psalm 119:103-105
- Proverbs 2:6-15
- What is the connection between God's word, rightness and wisdom, and navigating our "paths"?
- Why is this helpful when we encounter darkness?
Leader note: Lamps for feet and light for path. That doesn't give a very broad view of the landscape. Sometimes seeing the bigger picture would only make things worse. A lamp for your feet is another way of say "even though i can't see what's coming, or what's around me...or what that is that goes bump in the night...your word, wisdom and love light my immediate path...it light's today...and I will continue walking in trust of that." You may want to additionally read from Ephesians 4:1-6 and get a sense of how Paul talks about walking regardless of circumstances, as he writes this from a dank Roman prison cell to those who weren't sure if they were going to make it. "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
Discuss
- What does it mean for an adult to have fear?
- How does fear play out in daily life?
Leader note: Help the group understand that persistent anxiety about life is the kind of fear we're talking about. Back to Matthew 6: "what am I going to eat, drink and wear?" This was Jesus' summary of the kinds of things we fret over. Joblessness, or impending joblessness, guilt regarding children, the health of a loved one, mid-term elections, war, Cholera in Haiti, Wikileaks, mass graves found in Asia, insensitive remarks made at school, too fat, too thin, am I going to sound stupid at lifegroup, am I going to sound stupid as I try and LEAD a lifegroup? Fear can always be running in the background for some. Help them see it. Even if through a meditative quiet, you have to locate fear to get rid of it.
- Why is that fear relieved by the understanding of the presence of God?
- Why does fear then come back?
- Respond as a group to the lyrics of this hymn written in 1922:
- O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!- Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
- Refrain:
- Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion—
For more than conquerors we are! - His Word shall not fail you—He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Leader note: It may be helpful to know that this hymn comes from Hebrews 12:2.
Apply
- Besides discussion, such as in group, and memorization/prayer through psalms such as these, what are some other ways to make sure fear isn't creeping in, that wrong-though-easier paths aren't being chosen and that God is being sought out in trust?
- How does this group play a role in this?
- What stands in the way of this group providing this kind of environment for growth in faith?
Prayer
- Close quietly through prayer and visualizing the shepherd, with his protective rod and staff, asking you to take whatever step it is that He is asking you to take. Say to him, and then live, "yes".
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