Usually, they’re people who have endured the extremes of life and emerged with richly seasoned souls. And they come across as deep without even trying…
I can think of several times when I’ve had the privilege to pray with such people, and when they address God it seems to come from a profound place of knowing, trust, and peace.
The world would greatly benefit from more people like these.
In Scripture, Moses is one of the deepest people, and in Psalm 90 we are privileged to have “a prayer of Moses, the man of God.”
As the church season turns toward Lent and Easter in the weeks to come, I can think of no better prayer or poem to launch us into the depths ahead.
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(WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE)
Title: Psalms: For Time // Psalm 90
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so catching up and socializing with one another.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
Psalm 90 challenges us to examine the way that we think about time. Moses, the author, begins by applauding the Lord for being the eternal dwelling place of His people. In recognition of how fleeting (vs. 3-6) and difficult (vs. 7-11) life is, Moses asks God to “teach us to number our days so that we may present to You a heart of wisdom” (vs. 12). The remainder of the Psalm, then, details the resulting priorities: a pursuit of the presence of God (vs. 13), satisfaction with the Lord’s love (vs. 14-15), noticing what God is doing (vs. 16a), passing on the power of God to our children (vs. 16b), asking for His favor to rest on us (vs. 17a), and requesting that He establish the work of our hands (vs. 17b). Moses demonstrates that as we number our days, we won’t have a frazzled sense to just “do a bunch of stuff,” but will first seek the presence and love of God, and as we are satisfied in Him, the work of our hands will be grounded in His love.
THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion.
Numbering our days causes a shift in our priorities.
SEE IT – Questions 10-15 minutes
Picture (What is the story saying?): Why is it significant that Moses is the one who talks of God being the “dwelling place” of His people? Does Moses encourage a “bucket list” approach after counting your days? What is the focus of 6/7 of the things he prays in verses 12-17?
Mirror (Where am I in the story?): When you think of the number of days you have left, what emotions rise up in you? How do you want to spend your remaining days? How does this Psalm change your approach? Is your current work rooted in the love of God?
Window (How does the story change how I see those around me?): Where do you see God working in the lives of those around you? If you have children, how are you or how could you pass on to them God’s power? In other words, how can you help them to see what God is doing in you and the world around them?
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Exercise 5 minutes
Spend a few minutes praising God for His presence and lovingkindness.
Change IN // Group Activity 10 minutes
Calculate the number of days you have remaining, based on an average of 78 years. (Your age x 365. Then subtract 28,722.) Talk about how seeing this number can cause you to take a sober look at your life. What is the difference between a bucket list and what Moses suggests?
Change OUT // Life Application Assignment 5 minutes
Whether we have 100 days left or 10,000, Moses does not encourage a frantic attempt to make our final days count. He starts with the presence, love, and satisfaction of God and so moves from a place of inward fulness to our outward work. With that in mind, share different ways that you can impact your own world with the love of God this week as you first allow God’s presence and love to fill you. Write a note of encouragement? Send flowers to someone who is struggling? Take a meal?
CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.