"For the Troubled Soul" - Psalms 24-26
We will make our way through three Psalms. Psalm 24 opens with God as Creator and Psalm 26 opens with God as a judge. Psalm 25 is where our greater focus will be.
Psalm 25, a Psalm of David, is deeply personal. David is a man in trouble, having needs he cannot meet on his own. So he prays. David fluctuates between personal needs and general statements about God. He is a man dependant on the fact that God will be who He says He is.
In the Psalms we learn to counsel ourselves from scripture, based on the relationship we have with God. According to the CDC, in 2019 19.2% of U.S. adults received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 15.8% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 9.5% who had received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional.
It is a good thing to talk to someone when you are struggling and need to be "talked off the proverbial cliff". In other words, you need some encouragement that things will be ok. But as you grow, a real skill is learning to talk yourself off the cliff, as it were. The better you get at processing pain, guilt, shame, etc with God, the faster and more easily it occurs. David is a master at "strengthening Himself in the Lord" [1 Sam 30:6].
How does he do it?? How can you learn to do it? How do you pray when things are tough? Why don't you....
....VIEW AND SEE!
Steve
Psalms 24-26
April 6, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 24, Psalm 25, Psalm 26
Psalm 1
January 9, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 1
"How to Find Happiness" We will open our Bibles to Psalm 1, which is familiar territory for many of God's people. Psalm 1 will serve as our intro to our year-long study of the Book of Psalms which will be on Wed nights, starting Jan 12. But for now..... Psalm 1 is simple, clear, and makes no demands. Instead, the Psalmist present two choices and urges the reader to make a decision based on what is presented. The big question is, what kind of life do you want to live? The Declaration of Independence guarantees people of America the right to pursue happiness. Donald Trump promised to "Make America Great Again", but couldn't make Americans happy again. In terms of national "happiness", people from Finland topped the 2018 survey, with Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Switzerland rounding out the top 5. Those are some cold yet happy people! Brrrr. What about America? A humble 18th place and dropping each year. Regardless of national happiness, and how that is determined, the opening statement of Psalm 1 is "Oh how happy is the man......". And the Psalm goes on to describe the life of a happy man and compare his [or her] life to the opposite. Throughout the Psalm we will see some themes repeated from our recent study of Philippians while asking the questions, "Am I happy?", and "Who is responsible for my happiness?" This is a simple and great Psalm that may help get things on track for 2022. Lord knows, we need it! View and See.....!!!
Psalms 2-3
January 12, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 2, Psalm 3
"The Heart of Worship" Tonight, after an intro to the Psalms and a little fun, we will start the ball rolling with Psalms 2 and 3. Psalm 2 is quoted a number of times in the NT, and could be title "Rebellion is No Joke". If you have ever thought to yourself, "What's the deal with the world? Why are people so set against Jesus?", then Psalm 2 is for you. I have often taught from Psalm 2 at Megiddo in Israel, just above the Valley of Armageddon. Wanna know why? You will understand after tonight! Psalm 3-5 seem to all be connected together and to an event in the life of King David. A very tough time when his Son Absalom "stole the hearts of the people of Israel". His leadership was undermined by his own good-looking, charismatic, and somewhat bitter son. How does he handle it all as his approval ratings plummet and he is forced off the throne. He is a laughingstock whom people are gossiping about. How would you feel? How would you handle it. The Psalms are full of raw emotion and heart. I believe the fruit of our study will be a return to the heart of worship. May God put a song in our hearts! If your life is dry, and your praise is flat, and you need Psalm-thing to sing about, then..... http://....view AND SEE! Steve