You did it! You made it through the first week of Steadfast Love! What a beautiful study this is!

I encourage you, if you haven’t yet, to read through the entire chapter of Psalm 107 aloud, and/or listen to Lauren Chandler read it in the Week 1 video.

 

Click here for Session 1 Video.

Notice this chapter in Psalms is divided into several sections. Each week, we will be studying and discussing the Lord’s deliverance, help, and faithfulness in each season of our lives. Most of all, we will see that His love is truly steadfast through every situation.

It helps to use the dictionary and the thesaurus to gain a clearer understanding of what it means to say that the God’s love is steadfast.

Definition of steadfast: firmly established, unwavering, fixed in place, undeviating constancy or resolution

Synonyms: sure, dependable, reliable, constant, staunch, abiding, faithful, unflinching, relentless, resolute, immovable, never-failing, persevering, faithful, stubborn, true-blue

This week, our focus was on the first section of Psalm 107, the “Call to Worship.”

Psalm 107:1-3 ESV

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever!
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,
whom he has redeemed from trouble
and gathered in from the lands,
from the east and from the west,
from the north and from the south.

I have heard it said that the call to worship is when the first song plays in a church service, and it is our cue to hurry and wolf down the last bight of doughnut and our last sip of coffee before going into the sanctuary. As funny as that sounds, that is how it is viewed by many.

Many churches term the call to worship as the invocation. To “invoke” means “to call for with earnest desire.” I really like that!

There are basically two meanings to the call to worship.

One is to invite the presence of the Lord to manifest Himself in our midst. I like what Lauren says here: “We are calling upon the Lord to come closer – close enough to feel His breath, smell His scent, and hear His heartbeat.”

He is waiting for us to draw near to Him so He can draw near to us. (James 4:8)

The second is to invite others to join you in worship, and to come closer into the presence of the Lord. It is to prepare our hearts to honor Him with sincere, reverential awe and adoration.

In a nutshell, these are some of the highlights of our first week:

1. We came to understand that we are all on an even playing field before God. My father-in-law penned the words to the song, “The Ground Is Level at the Foot of the Cross,” which portrays that no one stands higher or lower than you or I. Not one of us is made right before God because of any works we have done, but we are justified by faith in Jesus alone. “We can’t earn it; we can only receive it.” (Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9)
2. We learned about the meaning and nature of worship, and we discerned the true objects of our worship. What we have placed our anchor in is our object of worship. What occupies your mind? What do you love? Where do you find your  stability?
3. What fun we had on Day 3 exploring name changes of characters in the Bible. God often changed a person’s name to signify something new He was doing in or through that person. More significantly, we studied three of the names of God that demonstrated how He chose to reveal Himself in different portions of Scripture.
   1. Genesis 14:18 – God Most High – El Elyon
   2. Genesis 17:1-2 – God Almighty – El Shaddai
   3. Exodus 3:14; 6:2 – I Am (LORD) – Yahweh
4. Yahweh is the name the Psalmist uses in Psalm 107. This means He is the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. God will certainly keep His promises. He will deliver, free, and redeem those who cry out to Him.
5. We explored examples of covenants through Scripture and learned that Christ fulfilled every covenant for us.
6. We studied the character of the enemy through the stories of Eve and Job. We were reminded that we have authority over him, and he is a defeated foe.

“There is a real enemy of our soul who wants to do everything he can to trick you into trusting false anchors and make you question the strength of the True Anchor. Do not be dismayed, though – he has been defeated, and no matter the schemes he designs for you, the Lord can turn it for your good.”

 

Where are you in your walk with Christ today?

• Do you feel dry like a desert, parched and thirsty, exhausted, empty, distant from the Lord?
• Do you feel imprisoned by the difficulties of life, and those chains are weighing you down?
• Have you fallen away due to sinful behavior or bad choices? Do you feel ashamed and unworthy?
• Are you going through a difficult storm in your life? Can you relate to the devastation left behind by a massive hurricane or tornado?

If you see yourself in any of these categories, I am here to tell you that there is hope. God’s love can reach down or out to where you are. As in each of these seasons mentioned, the Bible says that

“They cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.”

This verse is mentioned in every single one of these sections. So, no matter where you see yourself, understand that this applies to you too! Cry out to Him, and He will deliver You! You have not gone so far that His love can’t reach farther still!

Hoist your anchor into the faithful and relentless love of the Lord and allow Him to hold you steady.

Assignments for the Week:

• Schedule daily time and a distraction free location for prayer and Bible study, but include flexibility so you aren’t thrown by the unexpected. Pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to your heart and transform you through this study.
• Read Week 2 from the member book, “A Call to Worship,” pp. 34-65.
• Watch the Week 2 Video from Lauren Chandler, and read the Week 2 notes from LifeWay Women. All videos are FREE for this summer study!
• If you haven’t yet, view the Week 1 Video and read the notes.
• Optional: Sign up for the Scripture Memory Challenge by LifeWay Women and receive daily images to help you memorize the chapter.
• Attend a small group in the Heart to Heart Facebook group.
• Participate in daily activities in the Heart to Heart Facebook group.

Reading Schedule

• June 19-25, Study Week 1: A Call to Worship, pp.10-33; Week 1 Video
  • Small groups: Introduction. No need to ready anything ahead of time.
• June 26-July 2, Study Week 2: The Desert, pp. 34-65; Week 2 Video
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 1
• July 3-9, Study Week 3: Chains, pp. 66-95; Week 3 Video
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 2
• July 10-16, Study Week 4: Folly, pp. 96-127; Week 4 Video
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 3
• July 17-23, Study Week 5: Storm, pp. 128-155; Week 5 Video
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 4
• July 24-30, Study Week 6: Gratitude, pp. 156-181; Week 6 Video
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 5
• July 31-August 6, Week 7 Video, pp. 182-185
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 6

Week 1 Discussion Questions

Here is a peek at the small group discussion questions for our Introduction Week:

ICE BREAKER: What are some of the nicknames you’ve had? How do they accurately, or inaccurately, describe you?

QUESTION 1: What are some things or people in which you find stability? (p. 19)

Consider these questions:

• What occupies your mind the most?
• What do you love?
• What can absolutely ruin your day?
• What can absolutely make your day?

QUESTION 2: What did you learn about your heart of worship as you asked yourself these questions? (p. 17)

QUESTION 3: What name of God stands out to you, and why? (Day 3)

QUESTION 4: What are some things you learned about the devil from the stories of Adam and Eve and of Job? (Day 5)

QUESTION 5: In Job 42:10-17, how does it end for Job? How does this encourage you?

QUESTION 6: What is something that has stood out to you this week?

How This Works

• Register by leaving your name and email address below. Tell us where you are from and what you hope to glean from this study in the comments too!
• Subscribeto this site to receive future updates by email. Enter your email address in the field to the right, and then click the subscribe button.
• Join our closed Facebook group, Heart to Heart Ministries, for weekly interaction, activities, videos, and daily devotions. Closed means that no one will be able to see our posts unless they are members of the group. This is for your safety and privacy.
• Small Groups:You will find the schedule for small groups at the top of our Facebook page,  and the groups will take place there. All groups are open attendance, and you are welcome to join any group that is convenient for you. All you need to do is show up at the scheduled day and time, and the discussion will take place underneath the group photo

• Follow my ministry page on Facebook, Shari Lewis Ministries, to stay up-to-date on ministry events and for daily prayers, nuggets of wisdom and encouragement for your life, photos that you are welcome to share, and faith building blog posts to strengthen you in your walk with Christ.
• Purchase the study book. You may purchase online through the links below or pick up a book from Lifeway in person.

*We will specifically be going through the member book, NOT the trade book; however, if you require an electronic version, you may purchase the trade book instead. 

Lifeway: member book – printed version

Lifeway: member book – eBook

Amazon: member book – printed version

Amazon: trade book – hard cover, Kindle, Audible, Audio CD

• This is a free sample of the book, Steadfast Love, in case you are still waiting for your books.