Love Styles In Psalm 121
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the Psalm and take some personal notes (suggestion below).
Read the quote from Eugene Peterson and reflect on it.
Gather with a group of your shared Love Style (avoider, pleaser, vacillator). Go through the questions together: answer 1a, then 1b. 2a, then 2b… only do the “b” question that fits your group’s Love Style.
PERSONAL NOTE SUGGESTIONS:
Highlight thoughts about God’s nature
Highlight thoughts about God’s action (in a different color)
Circle thoughts that comfort you
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in, from this time forth and forevermore.
Reflect on this quote:
“The moment we say no to the world and yes to God, all our problems are solved, all our questions answered, all our troubles over… Is that what you believe? If it is, I have some incredibly good news for you. You are wrong.” Taken from A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson
Get into groups: Avoiders, Pleasers, Vacillators
1a. Share your thoughts on the quote above
1b. AVOIDERS: Why do you think the quote above is incorrect: In what ways does rejection of this quote demonstrate your lack of awareness of the depth of your problems?
1b. PLEASERS: Why do you find the quote above unsettling: In what ways do you long for peace more than you desire to walk with the one who makes peace?
1b. VACILLATORS: Why does the quote above feel alarming: How have you over-idealized your life expecting God to make it perfect?
2a. Why do we rely on the mountains (our avoiding, pleasing, or vacillating) instead of the Lord who made the mountains?
2b. AVOIDERS: in difficult experiences, when have you been self-reliant at times when others would have sought help? When is the last time your first reaction in a situation was to call out to God? Why is it not always your first reaction?
2b. PLEASERS: in times of conflict with others, when have you sought to placate or get around the problem rather than seek the help of God? When is the last time your first reaction in a situation was to call out to God? Why is it not always your first reaction?
2b. VACILLATORS: in times of loneliness and pain, when have you expected others to fix your problem or accused others of being the problem instead of honestly telling God what’s wrong? When is the last time your first reaction in a situation was to call out to God? Why is it not always your first reaction?
3a. Reread Verses 2-8 aloud together. Then, reflect on the quote below, in what ways is this true of you?
“All the water in all the oceans cannot sink a ship unless it gets inside…. The only serious mistake we can make when illness comes, when anxiety threatens, when conflict disturbs our relationships with others is to conclude that God has gotten bored looking after us and has shifted his attention to a more exciting Christian, or that God has become disgusted with our meandering obedience and decided to let us fend for ourselves for a while, or that God has gotten too busy fulfilling prophecy in the Middle East to take time now to sort out the complicated mess we have gotten ourselves into.”
3b. AVOIDERS: when you believe that God expects you (and others) to just take care of themselves, how does that affect your actions and treatment of others? How does that belief “let water into our ship”?
3b. PLEASERS: when you believe that you need to placate a God who is angry, not good, or anxious how does that affect your actions and treatment of others? How does that belief “let water into our ship”?
3b. VACILLATORS: when you believe that God doesn’t care because he “feels” far off, how does that affect your actions and treatment of others? How does that belief “let water into our ship”?
