May 29, 2022

Ridgeline Study Prompts

Psalm 16, 17 and 18

Prayer and Preparation

As we often say, we don’t read the Bible to finish, we read it to be changed. In covering three Psalms this week, resist the temptation to breeze through them to get it all done. Take time to work through each of these Psalms at a pace that stirs your soul and grows your love for the Word of God. Begin in prayer, then jump in and enjoy.

Study and Application

Right on the heels of Psalm 15, a poem about approaching God, we read what it’s like in the waiting. How does Psalm 16 describe part of our lives between the already and the not yet? How does David describe his and God’s behavior with each other? How does this Psalm encourage you?

The next Poem in David’s collection (Ps 17) is about the suffering and affliction we often experience in the waiting. What observations can we draw from this poem? Where did David turn in his affliction? What can we observe about how he processes hardships? What can we learn from this psalm?

Psalm 18 is a long one. But right after a psalm that requests help in the suffering, we see a psalm of God’s faithful deliverance. Write out one or two verses that stand out to you from this Psalm. How can David’s poem encourage and grow you this week?

These three psalms take us through the ups and downs of life between when God first started drawing us to Him (Psalm 15) and when we will one day arrive. How do these three psalms work together to inform and guide you in your journey as a Christ-follower? How can these psalms be an encouragement?

Grab coffee or lunch with a spiritual partner this week and share some of your answers with them. How is God blessing you in the waiting, where are you suffering, how is God delivering you? These are great testimonies that can encourage others in their journey. Let’s be like David and share fresh ways we see God at work.