Weekly Discussion Guide

Pastor Matt showed us how Psalm 113, one of the Hallelujah Psalms, was given to us to remind us of the greatness of God, and to celebrate the divine dance of the Godhead—into which he actually invites us.

MY STORY
Describe a significant turning point in your life where the Lord clearly pushed you in a direction other than what you intended. What might your life be like today if he had not done that?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT US TO HEAR?
Praise the Lord!
Praise, O servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord! Blessed be the name of the Lord
from this time forth and forevermore! From the rising of the sun to its setting,
the name of the Lord is to be praised! (Psalm 113:1-3)

Pastor Matt said, “When we see the psalmist saying. Praising the name of the LORD, what he means is to worship the sum total of all that God is, all that‘s included in that name of the LORD.”

What does it mean to praise God for the unmatched totality of what he represents? Why does these types of offerings from us bring deep delight to the heart of God?

Yes, it’s a wonderful thing to be blessed by God. What things can we do to reciprocate and bless him?

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high,
who looks far down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust
and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children.
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 113:4-9)

What, or who, are some terribly inadequate substitutes for God that many people seem to cling to? What do most of these empty sources of security seem to have in common?
How have you seen God deliver people in desperate situations?
Has this ever happened to you? If so, tell us what happened.

WHAT DOES GOD WANT US TO DO?
Pastor Matt said, “When God invites us to come and worship, it‘s not because He‘s an egomaniac. It‘s an invitation to say, ‘Rather than you being the center of the universe and everything revolving around you, I‘m inviting you into the dance and you find your delight in me. You find your pleasure in me, because it‘s there you will find life. It‘s there you will find pleasure. It‘s there you will find joy. It‘s there you will learn to live and to love as the Trinity has loved for all eternity.’ The invitation is an invitation to join God in the dance.”

Make a list of three significant milestones in your life. Tell us how God was inviting you “into the dance” during each of those momentous turning points in your life.

How do you experience the dance of God in the ordinary, sometimes mundane, parts of your life? How does his presence there add significance and meaning to the smallest of tasks?

What does God want us to do? Flowing out of our reading and interpretation, what action does this passage or the Spirit’s leading, call us to?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO?
While no one’s around, while you’re all by yourself, put on some worship music and dance like no one is looking. Put your heart, mind, and body into this interpretive worship offering to God.

Create an inconspicuous “altar” of some kind, perhaps a smooth stone or small artifact, to remind you of God’s faithfulness toward you during a particularly trying time.

Place a second, similar item (again, in an discreet place), into represent a challenging event in the future where God will demonstrate his faithfulness to you again.

What does God want ME to do? What is the personal application and action step God is calling you, personally, toward?