1 Hear me, my God, as I voice my complaint;
protect my life from the threat of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked,
from the plots of evildoers.
3 They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;
they shoot suddenly, without fear.
5 They encourage each other in evil plans,
they talk about hiding their snares;
they say, “Who will see it?”
6 They plot injustice and say,
“We have devised a perfect plan!”
Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.
7 But God will shoot them with his arrows;
they will suddenly be struck down.
8 He will turn their own tongues against them
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
9 All people will fear;
they will proclaim the works of God
and ponder what he has done.
10 The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him! NIV
Have you ever
vented or complained to a trusted friend about something? What was it about?
Why did you feel like you could vent to that person? How did it feel to speak
that frustration to someone you could trust?
With this in
mind, is it alright to complain to God? How do you feel about the writer complaining
to God in verse 1?
This psalm is attributed to David. Look at each phrase in verses 2-6 and describe the details that David is venting to God.
Does David’s
complaint show a lack of faith or a fullness of faith? What does
David anticipate God will do about his complaint?
Can a
person be faithful to God and also complain to God? What does this psalm teach
about honest faith in the midst of real life?
Notice how, in
verse 10, David’s complaint is transformed into a call of praise. How does
voicing our complaint to God move us towards rejoicing?
::::: APPLICATION
CHALLENGE ::::::
What complaint do you have in your life right now? How could
you bring that to God in faith today?