Category: Psalm 122 – “Worship_Built for This”

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
    “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so my ways are higher than your ways
    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Worship leads us to seek and trust God’s judgment and leading over our lives. Let’s look in depth through the Prophet Isaiah.

(1) In what ways do you find comforting to know that God’s thoughts are nothing like our thoughts?

(2) What is the prophet trying to tell us about the distance that exists between our ways compared to the Lord? What is he trying to make sure that we understand?

(3) Next time you sing a song of worship that exalts the Lord and His wonderful ways, think about how it comes directly against reliance on self-generated thinking and decision making. What changes should you make in your decision-making strategies?

Prayer: Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us trust God’s ways and thoughts (judgments) and to be thoroughly transformed by the word of God.

Song: Let’s proclaim as sing, “God and God Alone” by Chris Tomlin (click here).

– MK

Psalm 42:1-2 (NLT)
As the deer longs for streams of water,
    so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
    When can I go and stand before him?

Worship awakens our hearts with feelings for the need of God. Let’s look more in depth through Psalm 42:1-2.

(1) The Psalmist paints a wonderful image of the deer longing for water and we can immediately assume how instinctive that reaction is. In what ways is the neglect of worship depriving to our souls?

(2) What is the ultimate solution that the psalmist is suggesting to quench his thirst?

(3) What other “thirsts” do you see in your life that could possibly compete with the longing for the Lord? What changes do you see needs that will help you thirst more for the Lord?

Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to “reawaken” your heart to thirst and long for God!

Song: Let’s meditate on this song, “As The Deer” by Maranatha Praise Band (click here).

– MK

Luke 6:46-49 (NLT) – So why do you keep calling me “Lord, Lord!” when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.

According to Psalm 122, worship helps us set the structure of our lives by reminding us who created us, to whom we belong and where we stand. Jesus’ teaching on the Beatitudes helps us to look into greater depth of that reality.

(1) What is the main issue at the beginning of the story and what commands are the listeners supposed to follow?

(2) What is the main difference between the two builders?

(3) What is digging deep and laying the foundation on solid rock in real life? What changes do you see needing to happen in your own life?

Prayer: Ask the Holy Spirit to help you be set on the foundation of Christ, a life of obedience, not just listening but following through with action.

Song: let’s worship through singing, “Cornerstone” by Hillsong (click here).

– MK

Psalm 42:4 (NLT)

My heart is breaking
    as I remember how it used to be:
I walked among the crowds of worshipers,
    leading a great procession to the house of God,
singing for joy and giving thanks
    amid the sound of a great celebration!

Psalm 122 begins with the author exclaiming how he leaped for joy when he heard the call to go to the house of the Lord. You can say that his heart was revived because of the anticipation of worship. Let’s look at Psalm 42:4 for a deeper insight of the heart that is set on worship.

(1) The Psalmist says that his heart is breaking as he recalls how they used to worship the Lord. What does that tell us about the importance of worship? What challenges do you face when you want to make worship a priority, a non-negotiable deal breaker?

(2) What kind of feelings does one get being part of a crowd of worshipers, banding together in a procession? Do you experience the same feeling when you are together with the Church on Sundays or in your small groups?

(3) Lastly the Psalmist describes a life of joyful singing, thanksgiving embedded in the sound of a great celebration. If you were to compare with your life, what changes do you see needing to happen so that the “sound” that your life produces is of a great celebration, full of joy and thanksgiving?

Prayer: Let’s pray that the Holy Spirit would help us to realign our motives to place worship of God as the non-negotiable priority in our lives. Let’s ask for revival in our hearts that produces the sound of great celebration of joy and thankfulness to the Lord.

Song: Let’s follow along with this song by Brian Doerksen, “Will You Worship” (click here).

– MK