Breaking Ground
What is your most irrational source of annoyance? That is, what drives you crazy for no good reason. Try to keep it light!
The Dig
This Sunday, we continued exploring the major themes in the Book of Psalms by looking at the Imprecatory Psalms. For many, these are the most unsettling & challenging Psalms to connect to because they depict a psalmist expressing anger, raging against an injustice in the world, & often asking for God to bring judgment on the unjust.
First, reflect on anger as an emotion.
As an emotion, when is anger appropriate? When is it unhealthy & damaging?
What role does anger play in your emotional world? Do you consider yourself to be someone who feels angry often OR who struggles to feel anger?
What consistently makes you the most angry relationally & in our world more broadly?
Next, read Psalm 7. Here we find a classic example of an imprecatory psalm. In visceral, intense language, the psalmist describes his righteous anger concerning an injustice in the world. After doing so, he calls upon God to confront & bring an end to that injustice in equally intense language.
In terms of the imprecatory psalms broadly, why might it be valuable for the Bible to include texts where people openly & honestly wrestling with anger? What potential pitfalls do texts like this create for us as readers? For example: consider potential issues concerning God’s character, violence, rage, etc.
What stands out to you the most about this psalm in particular? Do you relate to how the psalmist feels here? Have you ever felt this way before?
Close by reflecting on your present relationship with anger.
Where are you experiencing feelings of healthy, righteous anger towards a broken situation in your life or injustice in the world? How might that emotion be channeled into tangible actions to make the world a better place?
Where are you experiencing feelings of unhealthy anger towards a person or circumstance in the world? What do you need to do to release that anger in a healthy & grace-filled way?
Getting Out of the Hole
This week, reflect on the teaching from Sunday morning.
- Read Psalm 7.
- Write down the key metaphors & themes from the Psalm.
- Meditate on how these metaphors or themes appear in your life right now. Be creative & try to enter into the Psalm personally.
- Re-read Psalm 7 & pray over what came to mind during this time. Ask God for wisdom & meditate on the theme that resonated with you the most over the course of the week.
Journal, reflect, & pray on how God might be speaking to you through each week’s teaching. Share your experience with your growth group next week!
Additional Resources*
The Book of Psalms by Robert Alter
Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis
TheBibleProject.com
Coming Up This Week:*
Sunday, November 13th: Join us next Sunday for week six of our series Breathe, where we are exploring the major themes of the Book of Psalms!
* Please see mye3.org for details.