‘Cries of the Heart: The Cry of Praise (Psalm 103)’ by Dan Green - June 7 2020
How can we turn difficulty and pain into positivity and praise? In this talk, Dan Green looks at a time when David chose to turn his focus from himself to God. As David reminded himself of God’s character and what he had done, David gained a fresh perspective on his own place in the world. Could this also help us to find more joy, thankfulness and peace in life?
Below we list the key points from Sunday, along with some ideas of how you could practice this habit during the lockdown season.
Then there is a list of life application questions & discussion starters, as a suggested structure for when your group meets online...
My Goal was to focus on a psalm that expressed an intentional choice to praise God, even when life is difficult. I wanted to encourage people that expressing this cry of praise during this current season can help us to lift our eyes off ourselves and shift our focus on to God, in a way that brings life and comfort to our souls.
Key Points from the talk
Psalm 103 expresses a response to difficulty and pain that is a bit different from the lament of Psalm 40 (shared by Mal previously) - it’s a posture and a choice to focus on God, to lift my eyes off myself and off my immediate circumstances, and to give God praise in spite of my circumstances.
Praise is an act of remembering (of intentionally not forgetting) the things that God has done in our lives. David needed to remind his soul to praise God because as humans we are in the habit of forgetting things.
Praise is also closely linked with worship… if praise is giving God his due and remembering what he’s done, then worship is a celebration of God’s character and what He is like.
As we remind ourselves of who God is and what he is like, we become aware of who we are and what burdens we may be carrying that we don’t need to carry.
Praise also helps us to gain perspective on who we are in the world and who we are in God’s eyes, we allow joy and thankfulness to rise up in us because of the things that God has done, and we allow peace to flow through us as we hold on to the unchanging character and goodness of God.
Ideas for Practicing the ‘Cry of Praise’
‘Arrow Praise’ - You may have heard of Arrow Prayers, where you shoot up a quick ‘Help me God!’ when you need something… well Arrow Praise is similar, and is really helpful in developing a posture of thankfulness and praise in your life. Any time that you see or recognise something good in your life (something of beauty, something that’s healthy, something that tastes good even), it’s sending up a quick arrow of ‘Thank you Lord’ (that’s thanksgiving), and then adding one more sentence just to tell God what He is like (to turn it into praise). e.g. ‘Thank you Lord for those beautiful rays of sunshine… you are so kind to me’. Or ‘you are so generous’. Or ‘you are so creative.’
‘Count your blessings’ – Write out a list of all the things you are thankful for, from the very small to the very big. Include anything that comes in to your mind, and see how long you can keep going for. Then take time to look over the list, give God thanks for all of them, and spend a few moments in praise telling God what He is like. This exercise can also be done without writing things down, as you walk or cycle or go about another activity.
Write your own Psalm - Choose to focus on one aspect of worship e.g praise; the majesty of God; God's sovereignty; Thankfulness; Sacrifice, etc…. and have a go at expressing your thoughts to God in your own words.
Walking Praise - Go for a 15 minute walk from where you live and deliberately look for all the things around you that show you what God is like.
Listen to the Psalms – there are a few artists who have attempted to put the actual words of the Psalms to music, and listening to these can be a fun way of actually learning and joining with the Cries of Praise that are in Scripture. Check out Shane & Shane’s Psalms Live or Psalms Vol.2 albums on Spotify for some examples.
Praise through song – while it’s not the be all and end all, singing is a practice that God’s people have used through the ages to express the Cry of Praise, and the gift of music can help us to focus our thoughts and also to remember words of praise that may otherwise not come to mind. Check out the Severn Vineyard playlist on Spotify or YouTube if you need some help finding some good songs!
Discussion Questions for Groups
Have you had an experience where you have had to choose to give God praise, in spite of your difficult circumstances? How much does the current season feel like that for you?
What are some of the main things that you can look back on and remind yourself of what God has done? What are those key moments or markers in your own journey that you can continue to give God praise for?
What are some of the obstacles that make it difficult for you to praise God? How are these affected by the fact that we are unable to meet together in person at the moment?
Which of the ideas for practicing praise appeals to you, and how could you build it in to your life this week?