Article by: Sarah Koontz
I have a confession to make.
I can’t sing.
I mean, of course, I can sing. I just can’t sing very well.
When I volunteered to help with Vacation Bible School at our church, they asked me if I’d be willing to help lead worship one night (because the talented couple who was leading worship the other four nights had a scheduling conflict).
I literally laughed out loud. And then replied…
“Not if there will be microphones involved! You definitely do not want to hear my off-pitch alto amplified throughout the sanctuary.”
When it was all said and done, I did end up leading worship at VBS one night. Without a microphone and with lots of help from the older kids.
The longer I walk with Jesus the more comfortable I am in my own lane.
God has given me certain gifts and has also complimented my gifts with certain deficiencies.God has given me certain gifts and has also complimented my gifts with certain deficiencies.
The gifts bring Him glory and the deficiencies keep me humble (which also brings Him glory!).
1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says, “Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different ministries, but the same Lord. And there are different activities, but the same God activates each gift in each person.”
I love being part of the body of Christ.
We all have different gifts.
We all have different lanes.
We all serve the same God.
There is nothing more satisfying than serving alongside fellow believers who have embraced their calling and invested the best of their time, talents, and tenacity into Kingdom work.
This Bible study project is an incredible example of just that!
A few years ago, my husband and I were attending a Sunday school class for young parents when our friends, Shane and Emily Heilman, sat down across the room.
Shane and Emily are the talented couple who led worship at VBS that summer.
For four nights, their love for Jesus and their passion for music almost made me forget my own musical deficiencies (and the fact that it was my job to fill in for them on the final night).
Shane is also the founding member of The Psalms Project. Since the project began in 2006, Shane has written and produced three albums of modern worship music featuring Psalms 1-30.
I had known for quite some time that I wanted our Summer 2019 study to focus on the Psalms, but I was still working out the details in my mind.
And then it hit me!
What if we could figure out a way to combine my passion for teaching the Word with Shane’s passion for singing the Word?
Needless to say, I don’t remember what our Sunday school teacher said that morning.
As soon as class was over, I lept from my seat, raced across the room, and shared my idea with Shane.
Join us for this six-week study to learn powerful lessons about prayer through the life of David and his Psalms.Over the next six months, Shane and I developed our ideas over e-mail and during the fifteen-minute breaks between Sunday school and worship service at church.
Of all the creative partnerships I’ve participated in over the past few years, this one has been my favorite.
Because this is the first time I’ve gotten to collaborate with someone from my local church family.
Today, I am going to share the results of our efforts with you!
I hope that this sneak peek inside our “Pray Like David” study inspires you to join us in studying, praying, and singing the Psalms together.
The book of Psalms is divided into five sections. For the purpose of this study, we will focus our attention on the first section (Psalms 1-41) because David is the author of the vast majority of these Psalms.
Each week we will learn more about the life and testimony of King David as we study a specific genre of the Psalms that is relevant to the circumstances he is facing.
David was a shepherd, a warrior, a musician, and a poet. He was rugged and refined, strong and sympathetic—a man after God’s heart—chosen for God’s purposes, and dedicated to God’s service.
Our study of David’s sacred songs will bring comfort, direction, and confidence to our prayer lives.
His life will become for us an example on how to persist in prayer, persevere in affliction, and submit to a holy God who allows suffering to shape us into His image.
In the same way that children absorb and acquire language from their parents, we will learn the language of prayer by studying the Psalms of David together.
Allow the richness of the Word of God to permeate your prayer life and transform you over the next six weeks through this free online study, Pray Like David.There are many ways to categorize the different songs and prayers contained in the book of Psalms. We chose to divide our weekly study of the Psalms of David into six different genres:
Week 1 – Wisdom Psalms
Week 2 – Vindication Psalms
Week 3 – Adoration Psalms
Week 4 – Lament Psalms
Week 5 – Supplication Psalms
Week 6 – Thanksgiving Psalms
We selected these genres in this particular order because we feel that they best suit the timeline of David’s life and story.
Throughout our six-week study of David’s life and Psalms, you will receive weekly e-mails packed to the brim with free resources to help you immerse yourself in the prayerbook of the Bible.
1 – Because many of David’s Psalms are inspired by his life circumstances, we’ve included a weekly lesson to help you put the Psalms we are studying into context.
2 – Because many of David’s Psalms are prayers, we’ve included daily prayers inspired by the Psalms in our study (and recorded an audio version of each prayer for your benefit).
3 – Because many of David’s Psalms are song lyrics, we’ve partnered with The Psalms Project to provide a free MP3 download of a selected Psalm set to music each week.
4 – Because many of David’s Psalms are personal requests, we’ve partnered with Girlfriends in the Word™ to include printable journaling pages to help you personalize and apply the Psalms to your life.
Here are just a few of the powerful lessons we will learn about prayer from our study of David’s life and Psalms:
- When our prayers are full of wisdom and in-step with God’s commands, we begin to see God as the Source of peace and purpose in every circumstance.
- When we learn to trust God with our reputation, well-being, and destiny—we experience the confidence that comes from surrendering our will to His work in our life.
- Whether we are running, resting, or rejoicing—we serve a God who is ready to hear our requests.
- As we humbly lay our requests before our God, our pain will slowly subside as His peace pervades our souls.
I encourage you to allow the richness of God’s Word to permeate your prayer life and transform you over the next six weeks.
When our prayers are full of wisdom and in-step with God’s commands, we begin to see God as the Source of peace and purpose in every circumstance.Invite the Holy Spirit to use this study to lead you to the abundant pools of spiritual refreshment and satisfy your thirsty soul.
Thanks for stopping by today, friend!
I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about this study and that you’ll prayerfully consider joining us for the “Pray Like David” study.
If your schedule is already packed to the brim, please know that this study is available on-demand, so you can start at your convenience.
This blog was originally published on June 25, 2019. During Sarah Koontz’s Sabbatical in 2024, we will be sharing some of our favorite articles and e-mails from the archives with you. Thank you for praying for Sarah and her family as they enjoy this beautiful season of Sabbath rest.
