Draw Near to Me, O Lord

Monday, January 26, 2015
Psalm 69:5-18 KJV

5 O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee. 6 Let not them that wait on thee, O Lord GOD of hosts, be ashamed for my sake: let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel. 7 Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame hath covered my face. 8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children. 9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. 10 When I wept, [and chastened] my soul with fasting, that was to my reproach. 11 I made sackcloth also my garment; and I became a proverb to them. 12 They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I [was] the song of the drunkards. 13 But as for me, my prayer [is] unto thee, O LORD, [in] an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. 14 Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. 15 Let not the waterflood overflow me, neither let the deep swallow me up, and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me. 16 Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness [is] good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. 17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily. 18 Draw nigh unto my soul, [and] redeem it: deliver me because of mine enemies.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What does the Lord know about the psalmist? (v.5)
2) Who does the psalmist plead for? Why? (v.6)
3) What four (4) things happened to the psalmist? Why? (v.7-8)
4) What eight (8) things had the psalmist done that made him a reproach to his brethren? (v.9-12)
5) What ten (10) petitions did the psalmist make of the Lord? (v.13-18)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
6) Have you ever suffered reproach, or been misunderstood, by your fellow believers, because of your zeal for the Lord? If so, please describe one such time.
7) If you answered the previous question affirmatively, what was your response to the situation?
8) Who else was consumed by zeal for the Father's house (see Matthew 21:12-13)? 

LIFE LESSONS
9) Our love for the Lord can be misunderstood by those who do not have the same zeal for Him.
10) Drawing closer to God, when we have been shamed because of our religious fervor, always leads us further into alignment with the Father's will for our lives.

Where are your gods?

Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Jeremiah 2:26-32 

26 As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they, their kings, their princes, and their priests, and their prophets, 
27 Saying to a stock, Thou [art] my father; and to a stone, Thou hast brought me forth: for they have turned [their] back unto me, and not [their] face: but in the time of their trouble they will say, Arise, and save us. 
28 But where [are] thy gods that thou hast made thee? let them arise, if they can save thee in the time of thy trouble: for [according to] the number of thy cities are thy gods, O Judah. 
29 Wherefore will ye plead with me? ye all have transgressed against me, saith the LORD. 
30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion. 
31 O generation, see ye the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? a land of darkness? wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? 
32 Can a maid forget her ornaments, [or] a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.

OBSERVATION QUESTIONS
1) What is Israel's shame like, according to the Lord? (v.26)
2) Why should Israel be ashamed? (v.27)
3) Why was Israel foolish in depending on their other gods (idols)? (v.28)
4) Why was it foolish for Israel to cry out to God? (v.29)
5) What had the Lord done in vain and why? (v.30)
6) What was Israel's ultimate transgression against the Lord? (v.31-32)

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
7) Have you ever felt that you could handle life on your own terms and forgotten about the Lord? If so, describe one such time.
8) What are the idols (the things you place above God) in your life?
9) Will you forsake your idols and return to your Creator?

PRINCIPLES
10) An idol is any person, place, or thing that is more important to you than God.
11) God expects His children to live in complete dependence upon Him.
12) When Christians live independent of Christ, we forfeit His guidance and blessings.