Small Groups

Discuss

1. What is the particular context of this psalm (beyond being a psalm of ascent)? Or, what is meant by “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion”?
2. Though the return of the Israelites happened by the proclamation of Cyrus, how did they view the cause of their freedom? Who was given credit?
3. They remembered what the Lord had done for them (verses 2-3). Why is looking back to how the Lord has worked in the past so important?
4. God’s blessing should always point back to Him. When the Lord provides, it is never just for our own comfort. It is so that the world watching us can see His glory. Think about a time when God has blessed your family, sustained you through a trial, or provided a way out of an impossible situation. How can those situations a billboard for His goodness?
5. When we are depleted, drained, and dry, we need to believe that in due season God will flood his grace over us. How do we encourage one another to not stop praying, to not stop believing that God will restore us?
6. Lastly, we see the third movement. The psalmist moves from the sudden miracle of the flash flood to the slow, agonizing, daily work of farming. For us it’s the same. How do we push through the planting season not knowing when the harvest will come?
7. Jesus also sowed in tears. He allowed His own body to be beaten, broken, and nailed to a wooden cross. But three days later, the harvest came. He rose from the dead with shouts of joy, defeating sin and death forever, and bringing eternal salvation to all who trust in Him. How is Jesus the ultimate fulfillment of this Psalm?

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