Warm up in pairs: Describe how times of sickness or another crisis can make us depend on the Lord more than ever. Tell about a personal experience you have had.
- What two requests did David make of the Lord? 38:1
- To what did David attribute his sickness? 38:3
- How did he describe his guilt in 38:4?
- Is David saying that all sickness is a result of our sin?
- How did Job respond to his friends that told him that his sickness was a result of some sin? See Job 31:5-6
- What did Jesus say to his disciples when they asked him whose sin caused a man to be born blind? See John 9:1-2
- To what did David attribute his wounds in 38:5?
- What kind of medical specialists would he need according to his list of ailments in 38:5-10?
- How were David’s friends and neighbors responding to David’s illnesses? 38:11
- What was the reason David said he could wait on the Lord? Because he was confident the Lord would answer his prayer. 38:15
- As he was at the end of his rope, what did David decide to do about his sin? 38:17-18
- In addition to his sicknesses, what was he now also facing? 38:19-20
- 38:21-22 remind us that we should always pray specifically. What three requests did David make?
- There are numerous names for God that David could have used, but he used the name “O Lord my Savior.” Why do you think he chose that name?
Application questions to be used at any point:
- Does God bring sickness on us or does it occur just because we are members of the human race and therefore subject to sickness? Can we bring certain sickness on ourselves? How can we guard against judging others in thinking their sickness was brought on by some sin?
- What resources do believers have during a time of sickness that those who don’t know the Lord do not have?
- When we are convicted of sin as David was, we have two ways we can respond. See Proverbs 28:13 for those two choices and discuss.
- Did Jesus experience Psalm 38?