spirituallyhungry.com | evergreen disciple summer … › wp-content › uploads › 2019 › 07 ›...

SUMMER PSALMS

CHALLENGE

MONTH THREE

SPIRITUALLYHUNGRY.COM | EVERGREEN DISCIPLE

Ever struggle with connecting to God? Yeah, me too. However, the struggle is part of the journey of walking with an invisible, yet very real and present, God. And I know this because

of the Psalms.

I thought it would be neat to follow the Psalms this summer because it is a fascinating col-lection of prayers and expressions of the heart from real people of God.

I have found when pastorally counseling people, that many people have a hard time being open and honest with God about their feelings, struggles, and even possible

disappointments with Him.

My standard response to them always looks like this, “He already knows.” In the same way a good parent knows when their child is upset with them and tries to comfort them, so to it is

with God-the perfect parent.

Not only that, God already knows how you feel actually better than you do! And further-more, to really hit the point home, we can look to Scripture to see that our authenticity with God is not only welcomed and needed (for our benefit to grow our relationship) but it also is

a true mark of a healthy growing relationship with God.

Relationships are tough and our relationship with God is the hardest relationship we will have in our lifetime. But, it is also the most rewarding. Our relationship with Him shouldn’t

be confined to good moments or “church moments” or even crises. Our relationship with Him should be constant and fluid for it is everything.

Yes, it is everything. It is our light in the darkness. Our source for strength. Our comfort. Our security. Our shelter. Our relationship with God is everything but that only occurs the more

and more we invest in it.

Through the Psalms we see the real, raw, and authentic connections people had to God. Their words can become our words as we allow the Holy Spirit to burn them on our heart

this summer.

I sincerely hope and pray that this summer is a transformational one. For anytime we intentionally come to God, especially in a committed way, we are changed. And I don’t know

about you, but theres still a whole lot in me that God can change.

In Him and in love,Alexis

© 2019 SPIRITUALLYHUNGRY.COM | EVERGREEN DISCIPLEPSALMS CHALLENGE MONTH 3

page 1

WELCOME AND THANKS FOR SIGNING UP!

“When we read the Psalms, we are meant to learn things about God and about human nature and about how life is to be lived. Some poetry makes no

claim to instruct the mind. The Psalms do. They are meant to be instructive about God and man and life.”

― John Piper

“The book of Psalms can revolutionize our devotional life, our family patterns, and the fellowship and witness of the church of Jesus Christ.”

― Willem VanGemeren

“It is not that every sentiment expressed by a psalmist is admirable, but that in praying the Psalms, we confront ourselves as we really are. The Psalms are

a reality check to keep prayer from becoming sentimental, superficial, or detached from the real world.”

― Richard H. Schmidt

“The more deeply we grow into the psalms and the more often we pray them as our own, the more simple and rich will our prayer become.”

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“If you need a guide for your ongoing relationship with God, read Psalms.”― Jim George

“The psalms teach us about God and our relationship with Him; that is the heart of theology. The Psalter may be thought of as a portrait gallery of God,

presenting us with multiple images of who God is.”― Tremper Longman

OPENING INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES


page 2

© 2019 SPIRITUALLYHUNGRY.COM | EVERGREEN DISCIPLEPSALMS CHALLENGE MONTH 3 page 3

WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE CHALLENGE:DAILY SCRIPTURE & A PLACE TO WRITE IT OUTIn your guidebook, we provide you a piece of Scripture each day. Underneath that is a box for you to write the Scripture for yourself. (If you are not printing the Challenge, then just write it out in your journal or on some paper).

1.

A REFERENCE TO THE WHOLE PSALM2.This is really important for the Challenge. We want you to read the entire Psalm in your own Bible or online. Due to space and copyright laws we cannot provide you the entire Psalm.

In order to really take on this Challenge you will need to have your Bible with you or access to Scripture online: biblegateway.com is a great place to look up Scripture.

3. A REFLECTION QUESTION

5.

4.

This is to help you apply the Psalm to your own life. God always is speaking to us and this is the time to process what He is saying to you in your life right here and now through the various Psalms we will cover this sumer. We provide you a space to write out your answers.

And finally we end each day with a prayer prompt. This is a guiding thought to help you bring it all before the Lord. We provide a space for your to write out your prayer.

Monday evening around 8pm EST we will send out an email to help encourage you and plant your feet firmly in the Lord for the week. Mondays are hard, right? So we want to help you by carving out some time each Monday evening to be renewed and refreshed.

A PRAYER PROMPT

MOTIVATION MONDAY EMAILS


page 4

WAYS TO PUT TOGETHER YOUR CHALLENGE:

PRINT IT OUT

• Three-hole punch all the papers and put in a binder.• Three-hole punch it and bind it with metal rings, ribbons, or scraps of fabric. You could go

to an office supply store or a craft store and look for ways to creatively bind your • Challenge.• Take it to a print shop (Office Depot, Staples, etc.) and have them print and spiral bind it. • Someone once showed me how they used the blank side of adult coloring sheets to write

their Challenge. Neat idea!• The possibilities are endless for creatively putting together your Challenge!

• Find a program that will let you interact with the Challenge on a screen. OneNote for Microsoft is one we have heard worked. Anything that can write on a PDF is a possibility.

• Finally, you can simply keep an accompanying journal or notebook to fill out the questions and write your Scripture out.

AS YOU WRITE THE SCRIPTURE OUT, WE WANT YOU TO BE OPEN TO GOD SPEAKING TO YOU. TRY TO KEEP YOUR MIND SITUATED AROUND THE TEXT AS YOU WRITE. KEEP YOURSELF ALERT TO GOD’S PRESENCE AND WHAT HE

MAY BE SPEAKING.

• You can write out a piece of the passage that speaks the most to you.• Use a different translation.• Pick one word from the text and make a word-map. • Find a font you like and try to write it out with that font. • Use crayons, colored pencils, washi tape, stickers, etc. • Or you can simply write the passage out as it is, whatever you feel is best suited for

you!

WE HAVE A MASTER LIST OF RESOURCES YOU CAN FIND AT:

https://spirituallyhungry.com/challenge-resources/

KEEP IT ON YOUR PHONE, COMPUTER, OR TABLET

IDEAS FOR WRITING OUT THE BIBLE VERSES

Did you know your email also has filters? If you want our emails to show up in your main box and not into spam or promotions, you must whitelist our email address. Instructions for this is on the page you downloaded this Challenge from: https://spirituallyhungry.com/enjoy-the-psalms-challenge

Unfortunately, even doing all of this won’t automatically ensure our email will come through to you! I know, annoying right? That’s just how email and social media works nowadays!

If you want to make sure you are receiving our emails and all the freebies and giveaways, then it’s important that you open our emails when they come into your box. When you do not open or click into emails, your email server interprets that as though you are not inter-ested and it can will eventually start putting that into spam or different folders. A good tip is also to add [email protected] to your contacts. If you ever have trouble getting emails, sign up again for any Challenge and go through the sign up process again.


MAKE SURE YOU ARE RECEIVING OUR EMAILS

TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OUT OF THIS CHALLENGE:

1.) Take some time, right now, and pray to God about committing to this Challenge. It’s really easy when you first start a Challenge to say you are going to do the entire thing. Hey, we are guilty of this too! What we want you to do is to be serious about this Challenge and view it as a portion of your walk with Christ. It’s only a few minutes a day and what you will reap from that small time has life-lasting reward.

2.) Connect with us and the others on social media either through the Spiritually Hungry Challenges Facebook Group or on Instagram. There will be content unique to these platforms, not to be found in the Challenge, and you’ll want to follow along!

Follow us on Facebook: @evergreendisciple and Instagram: @christianresourceproject

3.) Please share this Challenge with others who you think would benefit from doing it. Wouldn’t it be a fun, great Christian community building activity to do this Challenge with some friends from church?

Why not invite them to come along? We are stronger together. They can sign up here: https://spirituallyhungry.com/psalms-challenge/

Our names are Alexis and Aaron and we are the married ministry couple behind Spiritually Hungry.

This Challenge is an outpouring of our heart and it has been our prayer that this time seeking the Lord is incredibly transformational for you.

We love Jesus. Seriously love Him. We think that He is the best thing that has ever happened to this world and His ministry not only affects our eternal

salvation, but our life here and now. Jesus is the game changer.

Our lives as a ministry professionals and seminary graduates have been spent in pursuit of helping people - and ourselves - draw deeper into God’s love, power, and presence. Because that is the only thing worth pursuing.

If you follow this Challenge every day this month, we truly believe your life could change, because anytime we intentionally come before God we are

changed. We’re excited to see what God does through this Challenge and we hope and pray both of us can experience God’s truth and love in more pro-

found ways.

We are so glad you are taking this Challenge!

All Spiritually Hungry resources are protected by copyright, and directly sharing digital and print copies without express consent is an infringement.

If you’d like for your friends to take the Challenge with you, please ask them to go to the Challenge page and sign up for the Challenge personally.

https://spirituallyhungry.com/psalms-challenge/

*The translation used for this Challenge is the NIV

With all of that covered, let’s get started!


page 6

AND IN CASE WE HAVEN’T MET YET...

COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

DAY 1Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the

Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt

Reflection Question:

It’s time for another praise party! Put on some of your favorite worship songs and sing to the Lord.

List 5 reasons below for praising the Lord.


notes

PSALM 117

page 7

DAY 2

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


We will often never know or see how God pro-tects us. Thank Him for the unseen protection He provides.


notes

PSALM 23:4

page 8

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRETY OF PSALM 23

How has God provided you strength and safety during trials in your life? How has His presence and guidance shaped your life?

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your

staff, they comfort me.

DAY 3Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Ask God to help your discern His will. Ask Him to guide you through the desires of your heart and seek His wisdom and timing.

We always have desires on our heart, but they don’t always align with God and His will. What is something that is currently weighing on your heart? Do you think it fits into God’s will?


notes

PSALM 37:4

page 9


DAY 4In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the

morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank God for always being there with you and ask Him to help you connect to Him every morning.


notes

PSALM 5:3

page 10


Do you notice a difference in your day when you start off in the morning spending time with the Lord? How does beginning the day with God pre-pare you for the rest of the day?

DAY 5Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Ask God to light a bright fire in you to pour His goodness, love, and grace into the world.

What are your daily vows? How do you show God’s love and grace to those you interact with every day?


notes

PSALM 61:8

page 11


DAY 6For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank God for the strong examples of His goodness seen in the people from your family or inner circle.


notes

PSALM 100:5

page 12


How has God’s goodness affected your family line? Think back to people in your family who were examples of faith for you? (If you do not have any, reflect on your mentors, authors, pastors, or friends)

DAY 7I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Ask God for His voice to become even louder and clearer in your lifenbmxv.

How can you know God’s will? What helps you understand God’s voice and instruction in your life?


notes

PSALM 40:8

page 13


NLT

DAY 8Keep me safe, my God,

for in you I take refuge.Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Praise God for the ways He provides and protects.


notes

PSALM 16:1

page 14


What does God’s safety look like? Try to think in broad ways and specific ways.

DAY 9

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt Ask God to help you keep Him number one in your life, above everything else.

False gods come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes these idols can be money, career, or success. False gods can even be things that seem good, like family or even yourself. What idols are competing for God’s place on the throne of your life?


notes

PSALM 77:12-13

page 15


I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.” Your ways, God, are holy.

What god is as great as our God?

DAY 10And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank the Lord for how He speaks to you through the power of the Holy Spirit.


notes

PSALM 12:6

page 16


List below some of your favorite pieces of Scripture. Why do these particular verses speak to you and what do they tell you about God?

DAY 11My shield is God Most High,

who saves the upright in heart.Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Praise the Lord for the instances where He has shielded you from devastation.

What does God’s shield look like in your life? How does God act as a shield for you everyday?


notes

PSALM 7:10

page 17


DAY 12As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for

God, for the living God.Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Ask God to increase that thirst for Him. Pray that your thirst for Him never dies.


notes

PSALM 42:1-2A

page 18


What does it feel like for you to thirst for God? Do you feel a stronger de-sire to connect to God during different seasons of life, or even different times of the day or week?

DAY 13

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Ask God to help increase the amount of praise you have for Him. As Him to help you have a life filled with more gratitude.

How is God’s praise always on your lips? Try to think through your week and individual days. How often do you praise God? Is it part of your daily lifestyle?


notes

PSALM 34:1-2

page 19


I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord; let

the afflicted hear and rejoice.

DAY 14

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank God for the numerous ways His love affects your life.


notes

PSALM 18:1-2

page 20


List below the ways and reasons you love the Lord.

I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

DAY 15

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Ask God to claim any fear that may be holding you captive.

Think about fear for a moment. What fears are currently robbing you from experiencing more freedom?


notes

PSALM 27:1

page 21


The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my

life—of whom shall I be afraid?

DAY 16In peace I will lie down and sleep, for

you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank God for the ways He provides rest and peace in your life.


notes

PSALM 4:8

page 22


What does God’s peace look like to you? How regularly do you feel God’s peace in your life? What are some ways to cultivate more space for peace?

DAY 17

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank God for all that He is and praise His holy name.

Praising the Lord can come in many forms. What are some of your favorite ways to praise the Lord? List below.


notes

PSALM 103:1

page 23


Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

DAY 18I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Offer your list to Him in great thanksgiving.


notes

PSALM 9:1

page 24

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRETY OF PSALM

List below reasons why you are thankful to the Lord.

DAY 19

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Praise God for His revelation through creation.

How does creation sing praises to God? According to Romans 1:20, we can tell a lot about God through creation. What are your favorite things about creation and how do they draw you to God?


notes

PSALM 96:1-2

page 25


Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

DAY 20You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you,

my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt Thank God for how He continues to spiritually feed and nourish you so that you grow.


notes

PSALM 63:1

page 26

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRETY OF PSALM 63Think about Jesus’ words to the woman at the well (John 4:1-26) when He says, “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” How has Jesus’ water provided you hydration? How has it con-tinued to give you life?

DAY 21

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Offer your list to God as an act of prayerful worship.

Why is the Lord good? Think about that personally for a moment and write all the reasons below.


notes

PSALM 104:1

page 27


Praise the Lord, my soul.Lord my God, you are very great;

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

DAY 22Answer me, Lord, out of the goodness of your

love; in your great mercy turn to me.Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank God that He is good and trustworthy of your requests and needs. For He is a good, good Father.


notes

PSALM 69:16

page 28


How relentless are you in your prayer life? Do you find yourself returning to God over and over seeking His will and His direction?

DAY 23

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank the Lord for His goodness and love in your life and the world.

What does God’s goodness look like in the world and in your life?


notes

PSALM 136:1

page 29


Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.His love endures forever.

DAY 24Save me, O God, by your name;vindicate me by your might.

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank the Lord for His approachability and that He will answer when He is called upon.


notes

PSALM 54:1

page 30


Do you think there is power in the name of God? Have you ever called upon the name of the Lord? If so, what has happened? Do you think you can call on His name too much?

DAY 25

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Offer up praise and thanksgiving for God’s love in your life.

How has God’s love stood firm in your life? Try to think of specific times and examples.


notes

PSALM 89:2

page 31


I will declare that your love stands firm forever, that you have established your

faithfulness in heaven itself.

DAY 26Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Ask God for the courage and strength to give Him the reigns to help create a more pure heart in you.


notes

PSALM 51:10

page 32


There are always places in our heart that needs cleaning up and resto-ration from God. Where are some areas that you could invite God to help you become more like Him?

DAY 27

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Thank God for how He intimately knows you and cares for you.

God knows you better than you know yourself. How do you think God’s knowledge of you directs how He loves and guides you? Do you think this is an important truth? If so, why?


notes

PSALM 139:1,5

page 33


You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay

your hand upon me.

DAY 28Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Ask God to make you a strong vessel of joy in the world.


notes

PSALM 98:4

page 34


How does the joy of the Lord affect you? How does the joy of the Lord work through you and reach into the world? Think about the people you interact with on a daily basis, both loved ones and even strangers.

DAY 29

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


Take your list and offer up thanks up to God.

Think about how God has been moving in your life. List five ways God has been showing you His love and goodness and list them be-low.


notes

PSALM 107:1

page 35


Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

DAY 30

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt


It’s time for our last praise party of the Psalms Challenge, make it count!


notes

PSALM 66:1-2

page 36


Write below a prayer to God praising all the ways His glory and love has touched your life.

Shout for joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise

glorious.

DAY 31

Write Scripture

Write Scripture

Prayer Prompt Praise God for how He has moved recently in your life. Use your list above as the inspiration.

We couldn’t think of a better verse to end this Psalms Challenge with. Think back over the entire summer and how has God moved and shown up in ways you had not expected. This is what happens when we seek Him every day. Recall below what God has done through your commitment to this Challenge.


notes

PSALM 55:16-17

page 37


As for me, I call to God,and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon. I cry out in

distress, and he hears my voice.


CONGRATS! YOU FINISHED MONTH THREE OF THE PSALMS CHALLENGE!

WE ARE MOVING ON TO OUR FAITH OVER FEAR CHALLENGE IN SEPTEMBER

WE ALL STRUGGLE WITH FEAR. SOME OF US MORE THAN OTHERS, BUT THE TRUTH REMAINS - WE ALL DEAL WITH FEAR. SO NO MATTER WHERE YOU’RE AT, THIS CHALLENGE WILL GUIDE YOU THROUGH THE PROCESS OF TURNING YOUR FEAR INTO FAITH.

SPIRITUALLYHUNGRY.COM/FAITH-OVER-FEAR-WOMENS-BIBLE-STUDY/

IF YOU HAVEN’T SIGNED UP YET, WE HOPE YOU DO!

SUMMER PSALMS

CHALLENGE MONTH 3

SPIRITUALLYHUNGRY.COM EVERGREEN DISCIPLE

AUG 1 PSALM 117 AUG 2 PSALM 23 AUG 3 PSALM 37 AUG 4 PSALM 5 AUG 5 PSALM 61 AUG 6 PSALM 100 AUG 7 PSALM 40 AUG 8 PSALM 16 AUG 9 PSALM 77 AUG 10 PSALM 12 AUG 11 PSALM 7 AUG 12 PSALM 42 AUG 13 PSALM 34 AUG 14 PSALM 18 AUG 15 PSALM 27AUG 16 PSALM 4 AUG 17 PSALM 103 AUG 18 PSALM 9 AUG 19 PSALM 96 AUG 20 PSALM 63 AUG 21 PSALM 104 AUG 22 PSALM 69 AUG 23 PSALM 136 AUG 24 PSALM 54 AUG 25 PSALM 89 AUG 26 PSALM 51 AUG 27 PSALM 139 AUG 28 PSALM 98 AUG 29 PSALM 107 AUG 30 PSALM 66 AUG 31 PSALM 55

spirituallyhungry.com | evergreen disciple summer … › wp-content › uploads › 2019 › 07 ›...

Documents