Learning on the Way
1. Shame is a deep sense that you are unacceptable because of something you did, something done to you or something you were associated with. Shame says you didn’t make a mistake, you are a mistake. Describe a time that you have experienced shame? Describe the effects of shame you see in your life?
This Psalm lists four areas that teach us how to have patience and confidence in God as we wait for Him: obedience, confession, fear and prayer. the next few questions involve these four areas.
2. Obedience. We need to ask God to show us how to obey him. We cannot trust our fallen brains and hearts to think or perceive accurately. Pride says, “I know what God wants.” Humility asks what God wants. Do you assume you know what God wants? Do you read your Bible to learn how to love and serve others or just to gain knowledge? Do you think you have the right answers and feel the need to share them with others or do you sacrifice your time and wants for others? How do you use your knowledge about God to serve others?
3. Confession: We are people who need to confess and receive forgiveness. Why do you confess your sins? How does others’ confession in small group help you? What keeps you from confessing your sins to God and others? Have you ever thought of this kind of confession as an antidote to shame, both personally and for others within the church? Is forgiveness a part of your daily life?
4. Fear and Prayer: The fear of God is not being terrified of God but being in awe of who He is. God invites us into an intimate friendship with him. Does that statement make you uncomfortable? Why? How do you see God? Is He a friend who always welcomes you? Or do you feel that it is inappropriate to be too close? Do you ask God to teach you his ways when you pray?