Will God Keep Me Safe?
I Corinthians 1:8-9, Psalm 30:1-12
WEEK OF April 24, 2016
1. Share about a time when your personal sense of security was threatened. How did you
feel in that situation?
2. The three most common fears among adults are the fear of flying, the fear of public
speaking, and the fear of heights. Of these three, which are you most afraid of and why?
If none, what is your greatest fear?
3. Read Psalm 30:1-5. What are some of the things the psalmist was feeling based on
these verses?
Among other things, the writer of the psalm felt a real sense of helplessness. Though some of
that helplessness seems to have come from his enemies, it also seems like it came from some
kind of physical sickness. Whatever the direct cause, he was in a place where he was weak,
tired and desperate.
4. When was the last time you remember feeling a real sense of helplessness? What led to
that feeling in you?
5. Is the feeling of helplessness a bad thing? Why or why not?
No one likes to feel helpless, especially in a world where helplessness is equated to
weakness. While it’s true that we are responsible for doing what we can in the daily stuff of life,
it’s also true that we are all helpless. None of us has as much control as we think we do; none
of us can ultimately control what happens to us or our family; none of us can change our sinful
condition either. But we don’t like to acknowledge that truth, much less feel it as deeply as the
psalmist did.
6. What are some ways we might try and insulate ourselves against feeling helpless?
We spend much of our lives trying to deny the state we are truly in; none of us likes to face the
truth. If we acknowledge our true state, we are humbling ourselves before God. We are saying
that we are in great need, and we are powerless to do anything about it.
7. What kinds of things do we have to believe are true about God and His character in
order to humbly acknowledge our helplessness before Him?
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8. How does the psalmist acknowledge these characteristics?
9. Do you typically respond like the psalmist did? Why or why not? What does it look like
for you when you do?
The psalmist couldn’t do anything about his condition, but he knew someone who could. When
we humbly come before God, we are telling Him that He is powerful in the midst of our
helplessness; we are reminded that He loves us even though we are sinful. We trust that He is
powerful and willing to help us.
10. Read Psalm 30:6-12. Look back at verse 6. Why is it tempting to think of ourselves as
secure even when we are not?
11. What kinds of circumstances remind you that you aren’t truly secure apart from God?
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12. Why does God bring about these kind of circumstances in our lives? How is doing so
an expression of His love?
We can talk ourselves into almost anything, just like the psalmist. We can think that because
we have a house, health insurance, healthy kids, and wear our seatbelts that we are secure.
But God, in His love, will bring about circumstances that remind us where true security lies. He
does this to grow us in our trust for Him instead of trusting in ourselves.
13. What are some things people tend to look to for security, other than God? What’s the
difference between the security of verse 6 and verse 7?
True security only comes in God, for He alone never changes. When we trust in Him, He is our
stable Rock though circumstances ebb and flow. Just as God was ready to deliver the psalmist
from his helplessness, we know that “while we were helpless, at the appointed moment, Christ
died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6). Because Jesus died for us, we know that our future is
absolutely secure in Him.
14. What was the result of the psalmist finding his security in God? How are you able to do
the same?
15. What practical things can you do this week to remind yourself of where true security
lies?
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COMMENTARY
PSALM 30:1-12
30:1-2. “Lifted... up“ is from a Hebrew word that is most often used to describe drawing water from a
well (Ex 2:16,19; Pr 20:5). Though enemies are not always the immediate cause of the psalmist’s
affliction, they aggravate the suffering, adding insult to injury (41:5,11). This seems to be the case
here since the problem was more likely sickness, as indicated by the word healed in verse 2.
30:3. “Sheol” in many instances is a synonym for death. To be near Sheol is to be close to death
(88:3), so being “brought... up” from Sheol or “spared from the Pit” is equivalent to being rescued from
death (28:1; 88:4).
30:4-5. The personal experience of the individual becomes a lesson to be learned by the community.
It is the individual’s responsibility to communicate to the community what Yahweh has done. The
lesson is that times of suffering pale in comparison to Yahweh’s deliverance (30:5).
30:6-7. These verses recall the time before the affliction in order to point out a likely reason for the
suffering, which is the need for humility. Before God allowed the psalmist to suffer, he was so secure
that he felt he could never be shaken. The security apparently became a source of overconfidence
even though it was Yahweh who showed His favor and made him like a strong mountain (5:12). In
other words, the blessing of God gave him a false sense of security. The suffering began when
Yahweh hid His face.
30:9. The psalmist seeks to motivate God to act on behalf of His people by emphasizing the loss of
praise and testimony for Yahweh if the sufferer were to die (6:5; 88:10-12). This may seem bold, but it
demonstrates a key element in Israel’s purpose—to be a testimony for Yahweh to the nations by
proclaiming His truth (Dt 4:6-8).
30:11-12. Lament is parallel with sackcloth, the clothing used to represent a time of mourning (Gen
37:34; Est 4:3; Ezek 27:31). Dancing and being clothed with gladness are also related ideas showing
the dramatic change after Yahweh delivered the psalmist from death. The purpose of the deliverance
is praise and testimony. This demonstrates the change in perspective from the false sense of security
to a renewed sense of purpose in keeping with the reason why God had called out His people from
among the nations (30:9).
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