Study Guide for
Tunes for the Road
Everything That Breathes Should Do This - Psalm 150
September 13, 2009
Open Up
Many of us had to memorize poems or songs during our early school years. Share with your group a story about the good and bad of memorizing: Do you still remember any of those long ago poems? Was memory work easy or hard for you? TRANSITION: Poetry in the Psalms doesn’t have the simple rhymes of elementary school, but it does use thoughts and phrases to create rhythm to help the listener remember. Psalm 150 repeats the Jewish phrase Hallelu-Yah (hallel = praise, Yah = shortened form of Yahweh, a Hebrew word for God) to remind us that in all times, in all ways, in all circumstances, praise the Lord!
Dig In
1) Read Psalm 150. Verse one describes places where we should praise God, verse two describes reasons why we should praise, and verse six says that everyone should praise. Verses three through five describe musical ways to praise God. Discuss some non-musical ways to praise God, either in a group setting or individually.
2) Read Revelation 5:9-13 and Revelation 7:9-12. This last book of the Bible describes what praise will be like in heaven, including the truth that all creatures, even supernatural ones, will praise God. What are some things that make it harder to praise God in the here and now? BACKGROUND: Read Revelation 7:13-17. The people in heaven praising God had faced terrible persecution while they were on earth. How does this affect your perspective on praising God even in tough times?
3) Read Matthew 21:14-16 and Luke 19:37-40. What was Jesus reaction to people who didn’t want to praise? BACKGROUND: Jesus’ opponents denied that he was God which is why they resisted worshipping him. Read John 8:52-59 for an example of the controversy between Jesus and his opponents. OPTIONAL: How does the fact that Jesus welcomed people’s worship refute the argument that Jesus was merely a good man and teacher, but never said the words, “I am God”?
Work On
The guest speaker at MCC, David Erickson makes the point we should praise God because “God is good when life is good, but more importantly God is good when life is bad.” Christians struggle with the dilemma, “if God is good, and God is powerful, then why is life sometimes bad? Why doesn’t God make life better?” How have the Psalms we’ve studied earlier in this message series help you deal with these kinds of questions?
Lift Up
Remind yourself that God hears your praises and your prayer requests by reading Psalm 116:1-2.
Another Step – Advanced Study
Even a nine week series on the Psalms means we’ve listened to fewer than 10% of the complete playlist. Choose from Psalm 13 or 22 or 42 for more examples of being honest with God and praising Him even when life is bad. How are these testimonies similar to tough times you’ve had?