Bible Studies

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The Songs
Psalm 138 – Answered Prayer
Key Verses: (NCV)

• 1: “Lord, I will thank you with all my heart.” – Regardless of the situations in life we face, the beginning of this psalm teaches how we are to approach God in prayer…filled with thanksgiving and praise.
  
  
• 2: “I will bow down facing your holy Temple, and I will thank you for your love and loyalty.” – God’s faithfulness is unwavering.
  
  
• 3: “On the day I called to you, you answered me. You made me strong and brave.” – It may be during times of great pain; we could be celebrating joy and happiness; or we could be fighting despair and loneliness. When we turn to God we find He is there and we are strengthened by His love.
  
  
• 6: “Though the Lord is supreme, He takes care of those who are humble, but He stays away from the proud.” – Prayers that evolve out of self-righteousness and self-centeredness will go unanswered.
  
  
• 8: “Lord, you do everything for me. Lord, your love continues forever. Do not leave us, whom you made.” – God, you have created us. You have brought us this far into your ministry. Don’t abandon us now when we need you the most.
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Have you worked hard at being a ‘good’ Christian? Do you find yourself, at times, frustrated, worried, and forlorn? Have you come to a point where you wonder if all your hard efforts have been for nothing? Has your ministry stagnated or run into an endless stream of obstacles? Is it time to thank God with all our heart for the blessings He has poured upon you? When darkness or gloom begin to invade, can going back to the basics – praising God for His love for you – rekindle your flames of hope and joy?
  
  
• Have you called upon the Lord? Has He answered? Can you think of anytime that He failed to respond to you? Think of when you first established a relationship with Him. Do you remember how amazed you were by the intensity of His love? Think of those times when His inspiration filled your heart and the two of you, together, accomplished a great task. Reflect on times when His peace filled your heart or healed a pain. Remember those times when He brought new knowledge and insight into a situation of conflict. Have you called upon the Lord? Has He answered?
  
  
• Are you humble? In those times when your prayers and your struggles seem to go unnoticed by God, what do you think is happening? Has God abandoned you? Or is the steady beat of self-righteousness pounding in your brain keeping God’s love for you at bay? David says: “He stays away from the proud.” Are you proud? If you are frustrated, anxious, worried, or concerned and if you feel that you are attempting to follow God’s plan but being thwarted at every turn, could it be that pride has become an issue? Are you too proud to accept that things might not go the way you have envisioned them? Are you humble enough to have faith that God’s will is being done in your life and in the lives around you? Are you humble?
  

Promise of the Gospel:

Gracious Lord: We come to you with songs of thanksgiving and praise. You have blessed our lives in amazing ways and yet, we forget. We forget that you have lifted us from our sinful lives and provided us with a gift of grace that surpasses all understanding. We forget that you have been with us always; that at each turn in our life you have been there to lift, comfort, guide, teach, and lead us into the pathways of your glory. We humbly pray that you give us the ability to set aside our pride so that we are capable of feeling your presence at all times. We ask that you take from us these struggles, worries and concerns that we tend to shoulder. Take them so that we can, once again, see your light, your truth, and, most importantly, your love. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.

FUMC Devotionals

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