Bible Study Notes 5/6/2025

WORD ALIVE! BIBLE STUDY ©2025

Journey in the Psalms: Prayer, Praise and Promise

Concord Baptist Church of Boston in Milton – Conley Hughes, Jr., Senior Pastor

Quiet Time: Tracy M. Summer, Psalms: An All-In-One Study on God’s Song Book

Lesson 9 -  Parts 1 & 2

Tues., 29 April & 6 May 2025

Lesson 9 Part 1 “Personal Thanks to God.” – Many of the prayers and laments in the Book of Psalms are personal in nature. They also were adapted for public worship, especially in the Temple during the high Holy days. Psalm 30 is attributed to King David and its transparent language is characteristic of the prayers David wrote. Persistently honest in sharing David’s emotions, this psalm meets the reader at a personal level. Sickness, personal anguish, attacks of some sort by others (perceived or unknown) can take a toll on a person’s emotions and spiritual stamina. In most of life’s dilemmas, as the psalm shows us, difficult times and challenges cause us to seek God. Rarely is there a defection from God during a crisis. David explains when there is evidence of healing and relief from our problems there is a spirit of thanksgiving that flows in us. This feeling cannot be contained, and it is expressed in giving praise to God for His great work. David speaks of God in personal terms. He rescues “me” from danger. He alone, destroys “my” enemies. The Lord heals “me. “ He preserves “my” life. Because this experience of the Lord is shared by the faithful, the prayer becomes a Litany (words read responsively) in worship. The personal victory of one of the faithful expresses what God can do for all the faithful. For further study, other expressions of gratitude to god for his blessings and might work in our lives can be explored in Philippians 4:6-7, NLT and Isaiah 65:23-24, NLT. “O give thanks to the Lord!”

Lesson 9 Part 2 “Personal Thanks to God!”, In Psalm 30, David gives reasons for giving personal thanks to God. In much of Psalm 31 (14-24, NLT), we clearly see that much gratitude to the Lord comes because of our prayers. What we say in our prayers, communicate the deeper concerns we have for our wellbeing. Our prayers also reveal the genuine concern we have for the people and environment to which we are tethered. The special bonds of people and place will inevitably surface as an important part of our prayers. We learn much in the prayers of David about his bout with illness; near death encounters; his anguish over family matters; and the stress of being a leader, on whose shoulders rest the protection of a nation. David, unlike many kings of other nations was described as a man “after God’s own heart.” This meant David was under the authority of Yahweh, the great God. Every decision made by David had spiritual and moral consequences for the nation. In a real sense, all who are devoted to our God mut know that our actions have consequences for which we remain accountable to the moral and ethical demands of God. This is why David draws a line between the confidence we put in God and the assurances we put in fellow humans. We must remain loyal to our God, who loves unfailingly, forgives, protects, rescues, and always defends us. Psalm 140: 6-9; 12-13, NLT also addresses the results of confident prayer and God’s care for His children!

Verses &  Observation for Psalm 30:1-12:

Observe         Interpret         Apply

(Verse 1) – Thanks for victory over the enemy.

(Verses 2-3) – Thanks for healing and preserving life.

(Verses 4-5) – Encouragement to praise God!.

(Verses 6-7) – Testimony of difficult times.

(Verses 8-10) – Recalling a prayer during in troubled times.      ..

(Verses 11-12) – Rejoicing and thanks for answering prayer!

Verse Divisions and Observations for Psalm 31: 14-24, NLT:

Observe        Interpret      Apply

(Verses 14-17) – Hope confides in God and not humans only.  

(Verse 18) – God will deal with the unjust.

(Verse 19) – God always protects and blesses His own.

(Verse 20) – God provides safety for His own.

(Verse 21) – Praise God for His unfailing love.

(Verses 22) – God delivers us from panic and stress.

(Verses 23-24) – Love God and praise Him for all He does.

Verse Divisions and Observations for Psalm 140:6-9; 12-14, NLT:

(Verses 6-8) – A confident prayer for God’s help.

(Verse 9) – A plea for God to punish evil doers.

(Verse 12) – Confident God will help the poor and unjust.

(Verse 13) – The righteous have every reason to praise God.   

The Key Idea:

What We Believe!

1. "Your word is a lamp to my feet  and a light to my path!”  - Psalm 119:105

Key Verses:

Psalm 30:1, NLT 1 “I will exalt you Lord for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.

Psalm 30:2-3, NLT

 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.  3 You brought me up from the grave, O Lord. You kept me from falling into the pit of death.

Psalm 30:4-5, NLT

4 Sing to the Lord all you godly ones.! Praise His holy name. 5 For. His anger lasts, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Psalm 30:6-7, NLT

6 When I was prosperous, I said, 'Nothing can stop me now.' 7 Your favor, O Lord, made me… secure as a mountain Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.

Psalm 30:8-10, NLT

8 I cried out to you, O Lord. I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,  9 What will you gain if I die. If I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness? 10 “Here me Lord and have mercy on me.  Help me, O Lord.”

Psalm 30:8-10, NLT

11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy, 12 that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O Lord my God. I will give you thanks forever.”

Philippians 4:6-7 NLT

6 “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need…

and thank Him for all He has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ.”

Isaiah 65:23-24, NLT 23 “They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too. 24 I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!”

Psalm 31:14-17, NLT

14 “But I am trusting you, Lord, saying, “You are my God.” 15 My future is in your hands. Rescue me from those who hunt me down relentlessly. 16 Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me. 17 Don’t let me be disgraced, O Lord, for I call out to you for help. Let the wicked be disgraced; let them lie silent in the grave.

Psalm 31:18, NLT

18 Silence their lying lips – those proud and arrogant lips that accuse the godly.

Psalm 31:19, NLT

19 How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.

Psalm 31:20, NLT

20 You hid them in the shelter of your presence, safe from accusing tongues.

Psalm 31:21, NLT

 21 Praise the Lord for He has shown me the wonders of His unfailing love.  He kept me safe when my city was under attack.

Psalm 31:22, NLT

22 In panic I cried out, “I am cut off from the Lord!” But you heard my cry for mercy and answered my call for help.

Psalm 31:23-24, NLT

23 Love the Lord, all you godly ones! For the Lord protects those who are loyal to Him, but He harshly punishes the arrogant. 24 So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!

Psalm 140:6-8, NLT

6 “I said to the Lord, “You are my God!” Listen, O Lord, to my cries for mercy! 7 O Sovereign Lord, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle. 8 Lord do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud.     Interlude

Psalm 140:9, NLT

9 Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me, from which they can’t escape…

Psalm 140:12, NLT

 12 But I know the Lord will help those they persecuted; He will give justice to the poor.

Psalm 140:13, NLT

13 Surely righteous people are praising your name; the godly will live in your presence.