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Series Code: IIWSS

Program Code: IIWSS024002S


00:01 ♪♪♪
00:16 >>Eric Flicklinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
00:17 brought to you by "It Is Written."
00:19 We're back once again as we continue our study
00:22 in the Book of Psalms, and this is week number two,
00:26 "Teach Us to Pray," an exciting study we have today.
00:30 But let's begin with prayer.
00:32 Father, we want to thank you for bringing us together again
00:35 this week as we continue our journey
00:37 through the Book of Psalms.
00:38 And this week, we're going to be looking
00:40 at the importance of prayer and what the Book of Psalms
00:42 can teach us about that very subject.
00:44 We ask that you'll guide us through our time together today,
00:47 and we thank you in Jesus's name, amen.
00:50 Well, we're delighted once again this week to welcome back
00:53 the author of this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson,
00:56 Dr. Dragoslava Santrac.
00:58 She is the managing editor
00:59 of the "Encyclopedia of Seventh Day Adventists."
01:02 Slava, welcome back once again.
01:04 >>Dragoslava Santrac: Thank you.
01:05 >>Eric: So, this week we're looking at prayer,
01:07 the importance of prayer, "Teach Us How to Pray."
01:11 Well, I mean, the title of this week's lesson
01:14 may make some people feel a little uncomfortable.
01:17 "Teach Us How to Pray."
01:18 I know how to pray, do we really need to know how to pray?
01:22 And what are some of the benefits
01:24 or drawbacks of spontaneous prayer versus prayer
01:28 that we might learn from the Book of Psalms?
01:31 Help us to understand this a little bit.
01:33 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, well, I will start with maybe
01:36 sharing a short story that I read.
01:40 This particular author shared the anecdote
01:43 from his friend's life.
01:45 One evangelist was visiting them,
01:49 and as they sat to share a meal together,
01:52 the father of the house began with prayer,
01:55 and he recited a few lines from Psalm 145,
02:02 and he began the prayer saying,
02:04 "O Lord, the eyes of all look expectantly to You,
02:08 and You give them their food in due season."
02:12 And as he was in the middle of his prayer,
02:14 the evangelist interrupted him, saying,
02:18 "Lord, we thank you that we don't need
02:21 to burn our lamps with borrowed oil."
02:25 See, with this critique,
02:27 this man disregarded the invaluable,
02:31 irreplaceable value of Psalms as prayers.
02:36 And it doesn't take much just to remember Jesus's disciples
02:42 in the gospels who said, "Lord, teach us to pray."
02:47 Who knows,
02:48 if they didn't ask that question,
02:50 would the Lord's Prayer be in the Bible?
02:54 We don't know, but we are very grateful
02:56 to the disciples for asking that and Jesus did not say,
03:01 "Why are you asking me that?
03:02 You should know."
03:04 But he taught them,
03:05 because Jesus understood that prayer,
03:08 yes, it comes from heart, but prayer needs to have content
03:12 and understanding of to whom we pray,
03:16 why we pray, and all of that we learn
03:19 through the Scripture
03:21 and of course with the Holy Spirit.
03:24 >>Eric: Right, so we're looking at the Book of Psalms,
03:26 and we want to know how to pray,
03:28 how can we incorporate the Psalms
03:31 into our own prayer life?
03:34 Are there easy ways that we might do that?
03:39 >>Dragoslava: If we think of the Psalms
03:41 as biblical prayers par excellence,
03:44 we would love and want to have them
03:48 every day in our life.
03:50 It's like when we talk about healthy diet,
03:53 how to be physically strong and healthy.
03:55 We recommend a change of lifestyle, isn't it?
04:00 Something that's long-term.
04:02 One healthy meal is beneficial,
04:05 but if it's taken only sporadically,
04:07 it won't produce the effects and benefits
04:10 that a healthy diet is meant for.
04:14 The same is with the Psalms.
04:16 If we just sporadically, from time to time,
04:19 read a Psalm and then forget about it,
04:22 yes, we will be blessed, but not as much as
04:26 if we make the Book of Psalms, reading of the Psalms,
04:30 praying with the Psalms a daily, daily habit.
04:35 >>Eric: You, you've been studying the Psalms,
04:37 letting the Psalms work on you for many,
04:40 many years.
04:42 What kind of experiences have you had as you interact
04:45 or interconnect your own prayer life with the Psalms?
04:49 How has it been a blessing to you
04:51 and how might it be a blessing
04:52 to someone else who's thinking,
04:54 well, how could I do this?
04:55 How could I have my prayer life enlivened?
04:57 Sometimes we can, if we're not careful,
05:00 get into a rut when we pray and we pray the same things
05:02 over and over again without even thinking about it.
05:04 How might incorporating the Psalms
05:07 into a prayer life make a difference?
05:10 How has it made a difference for you?
05:11 >> Dragoslava: Yes, well, I mentioned earlier
05:14 that I grew up with the Bible, and the biblical stories,
05:20 and the Psalms, and all these images,
05:22 but I have to admit,
05:24 it wasn't until in my later life
05:27 that I embraced the Psalms fully in my life.
05:32 And it took one unfortunate event in my life to help me,
05:38 or should I say open my eyes, to fully appreciate,
05:43 and I'm still growing
05:44 in the appreciation of the Psalms.
05:47 When my husband and I lost our first child
05:50 due to some complications at the delivery,
05:54 that Friday evening I was alone in my hospital room,
05:59 and I was left without any spiritual oil
06:02 in my lamp, to use a metaphor from the illustration.
06:07 And almost just by habit I took the Bible,
06:11 I was exhausted, physically, yes,
06:13 but spiritually even more.
06:17 But I took the Bible, nevertheless,
06:19 as it was my custom, and I opened the Bible
06:22 where the bookmarker stood, and I was like,
06:26 yeah, I'll just read, and that's going to be that.
06:29 And for that day, the marker was on Isaiah chapter 49,
06:35 and that's the Song of Zion.
06:39 It is Zion celebrating the goodness
06:41 and love of God.
06:43 And as I was reading, each word,
06:48 it looks as if it was meant to pierce my heart even more.
06:52 I read verse 13, "Sing, O heavens, be joyful,
06:56 O earth, and break out in singing,
07:00 O mountains, for the Lord has comforted His people
07:03 and will have mercy on the afflicted."
07:07 But then I read verse 14, "But Zion said,
07:13 'The Lord has forsaken me and my Lord has forgotten me.'"
07:18 When I read this verse, these words became my words.
07:24 The words that I lost,
07:26 the words I didn't have to pray that evening,
07:30 I found them right there in this.
07:33 And I kept repeating this verse over and over again,
07:37 and then I finally, after really pouring out
07:41 all my soul into that verse,
07:43 I read the next one which says,
07:45 "Can a woman forget her nursing child,
07:49 and not have compassion on the son of her womb?
07:53 Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you."
07:58 And since that time, Eric, I can tell you,
08:02 I realized what a treasure, prayer treasure,
08:07 not just theological, doctrinal, which is also crucial,
08:11 but what a prayer treasure do we have in the Bible.
08:16 And since then, the Psalms especially,
08:21 they help me articulate my words.
08:24 They help me articulate my feelings,
08:26 what I want to tell the Lord, and they lead me in prayer.
08:31 They help me create and maintain a regular prayer life.
08:37 >>Eric: So, it's not just something theoretical
08:40 or theological,
08:41 it's a very real help in challenging times,
08:45 and people face real challenges today.
08:48 Life is very complex, prayer can sometimes be complex,
08:54 and the Book of Psalms,
08:56 it helps us to understand the perplexity of human life,
08:59 the perplexity of prayer.
09:02 When you have somebody who's on a pilgrimage of faith,
09:06 they may be at different points in their journey,
09:10 how can the Psalms help someone who is trying to find their way
09:15 through a complex life, through a difficult pilgrimage,
09:19 to get where they wanna go?
09:21 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, you see, when difficulty struck us,
09:25 when something bad happens to us,
09:29 especially as believers, because we have this faith
09:32 that God is good, God is in control,
09:35 He protects,
09:36 and then we get bitterly surprised
09:40 when sickness hits, or worse,
09:43 and some people have tendency to stop praying,
09:47 to turn away from God,
09:49 because it is too heavy to understand.
09:52 And the Psalms, they don't run away
09:54 from these challenging questions,
09:57 but you see, they also promote one crucial idea
10:01 that no matter what,
10:03 the communication with God must go on.
10:07 So, when the psalmists cry out,
10:10 "O, God, how long?
10:12 Why have you forsaken me?
10:14 How long will you be angry with us forever?"
10:18 You see, they express this longing,
10:22 this maybe disappointment,
10:24 and even challenging language sometimes,
10:27 but what's crucial here is
10:29 that they continue talking to God, why?
10:33 Because they know that prayer is directed to a living God
10:38 who may for a time seem to have hidden his face,
10:42 but it is a merciful, longsuffering God
10:46 who hears and answers prayers.
10:48 So, my encouragement here to everyone is,
10:51 no matter to what you're going through right now,
10:56 don't stop talking to God, because God hears you.
11:00 The Psalms will give you words, but also,
11:04 they will lead you to hope that you don't feel now.
11:08 >>Eric: So, many people around the world are looking for hope.
11:11 The Book of Psalms contains a lot of that hope or points us
11:14 to the one can can give us that hope,
11:16 maybe that's a more appropriate way of saying it.
11:18 If somebody wants to dig more deeply into the Book of Psalms,
11:21 there is a companion book for the Book of Psalms.
11:24 Share with us a little bit about that companion book.
11:27 >>Dragoslava: Yes, the companion book accompanies the quarterly,
11:32 and it follows the week-by-week segments,
11:35 and provides additional information,
11:39 provides illustrations and explanation,
11:42 and it's a wonderful resource, I definitely recommend.
11:46 >>Eric: And the person who wrote it,
11:47 tell us a little bit about him.
11:49 >>Dragoslava: Yes, Dr. Martin Klingbeil,
11:50 he is an Old Testament specialist and a teacher
11:55 here at Southern Adventist University,
11:57 a great scholar.
11:59 He coauthored the commentary on the Book of Psalms with me.
12:04 He did the first part, Psalms 1 to 75,
12:07 I did 76 to 150, so a wonderful companion book,
12:14 definitely a must-have read for everyone.
12:18 >>Eric: Fantastic, and if you're wanting to pick up
12:20 that companion book, that's very easy to do.
12:23 Just go to itiswritten.shop, itiswritten.shop,
12:27 and look for the companion book to this quarter's
12:30 "Sabbath School" lesson on the Book of Psalms
12:32 by Dr. Martin Klingbeil.
12:34 You will be blessed immensely as you read that
12:38 as we study week by week
12:40 through the adult "Sabbath School"
12:43 Bible study guide, as you study through it,
12:45 then come here to the "Sabbath School" program,
12:48 and you get to hear from the author.
12:50 Couple that together with the companion book,
12:54 and you're going to be able to not just deepen
12:57 and strengthen and broaden
13:01 your own understanding of the Book of Psalms,
13:03 but you'll be able to share these things with others,
13:06 because no doubt you know some people
13:08 who are going through some challenges.
13:10 So, I trust you already know and believe that you do,
13:13 that this is not just for our own intellectual gain,
13:16 but it plays a very real work on our spiritual lives
13:21 and we can be an encouragement to others as we share it
13:24 with them as well.
13:25 We're going to be back in just a moment
13:27 as we continue looking at teaching us
13:29 how to pray here on "Sabbath School,"
13:32 brought to you by "It Is Written".
13:38 >>John Bradshaw: There's something I wanna tell you
13:40 about that is so important, it's My Place with Jesus,
13:44 It Is Written's ministry to children.
13:47 Take the children you care about to myplacewithjesus.com.
13:52 At My Place with Jesus, you'll find so much
13:55 that will bless your children, or grandchildren,
13:58 or great grandchildren, or the children at church.
14:02 There are the My Place with Jesus Bible guides,
14:05 21 studies that will take the children you care about
14:09 into the Word of God.
14:11 They'll learn the important things,
14:13 especially the love of God,
14:16 and the sacrifice Jesus made for them.
14:18 As well, take your children to Journey Through the Bible,
14:22 it's there at myplacewithjesus.com.
14:24 It's a special Bible reading program
14:27 that will get children into the habit
14:29 of reading their Bible daily and connecting
14:31 with God regularly.
14:33 So, don't forget, myplacewithjesus.com
14:36 from "It Is Written".
14:38 ♪♪♪
14:42 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School"
14:44 brought to you by "It Is Written".
14:45 We're continuing looking at week number two,
14:47 lesson number two on teaching us how to pray.
14:51 Slava, let me ask you this question,
14:53 how can our prayer life benefit as we incorporate
14:58 the Psalms into it?
14:59 What are some ways that it can be strengthened,
15:02 made more powerful, more impactful?
15:05 >>Dragoslava: Yes, as we mentioned just earlier,
15:08 the Psalms help us articulate our prayers
15:12 and they give us a freedom of speech.
15:15 Sometimes we think that we have to center our words and
15:21 be very careful what we express in our prayers,
15:25 especially in communal or church prayers.
15:28 However, the Psalms give us this freedom of speech,
15:32 and God wants us to come to him as we are and with what we have.
15:38 So, one of the benefits is that the Psalms make
15:41 the believing community aware of the whole range of emotions
15:48 and situations in believer's lives.
15:50 By default, we believe that many times that happiness
15:55 should be that main mood that's appropriate for worship,
15:59 but then we will go to the Psalms
16:01 and realize that if we are going through these stressful moments,
16:06 that it is appropriate to cry, even express anger.
16:11 But you see, the Psalms are giving us
16:13 these proper words to do that,
16:16 but they don't just leave us there.
16:19 They do give us words, but then they also broaden
16:24 our perspective by introducing hope and elements
16:28 that we at the moment don't have.
16:31 And they even transform our experience,
16:35 because as the Word of God, by the Holy Spirit,
16:39 God is able to make us believe and live by the words
16:45 that we read in these prayers.
16:48 So, it's really an entire process
16:51 that the Psalms lead us
16:53 through in our spiritual journey.
16:55 >>Eric: So, it's an amazing book,
16:57 a compilation of songs and prayers,
17:00 and you just shared a wonderful example
17:03 of how some Bible passages meant a great deal to you
17:07 and your family when you were going
17:09 through some significant challenges.
17:11 What if somebody's going through a challenge and they pick up
17:14 the Psalms, and they say, "Okay, how can this help me?"
17:18 And they open it up and they start reading,
17:19 and it doesn't seem to apply to them at all.
17:22 My suspicion is that the Bible didn't fail,
17:24 but that there may be something else to take into consideration.
17:29 >>Dragoslava: Yes, exactly, you see,
17:31 when we read and pray the Psalms,
17:33 we do that as individual believers,
17:36 but we also learn that while we do that,
17:39 we keep in mind our entire community of faith.
17:43 We are not lonely rangers, we are the people of God,
17:47 and this peoplehood is very important in the Psalms.
17:51 So, let's say currently
17:53 I'm going through wonderful times,
17:56 maybe someone got a promotion, or graduated,
18:01 or something like that, and then it happens
18:04 that I read a Psalm of lament.
18:06 As you said, did the Bible fail me?
18:08 No, the Psalm of lament, reading it in joyous times
18:13 can be beneficial for at least two reasons.
18:16 First, it teaches me compassion towards the suffering.
18:20 It teaches me that there are people around the world
18:24 who are not enjoying the peace and blessings that we have,
18:30 and it calls us to pray for them, to intercede.
18:34 It could be somebody in our near environment,
18:39 or people around the world,
18:41 not to mention all the wars and crisis.
18:44 It teaches us compassion.
18:46 And second, it teaches us that bad,
18:50 just as good, is part of this earthly living,
18:54 and that it can happen to anyone,
18:57 to God's children as well.
19:00 So, it prepares us to stay strong
19:03 in those times as well.
19:06 >>Eric: So, it may apply to us immediately directly,
19:09 it may apply to someone else that we're not thinking of,
19:12 and it may just help to help us appreciate
19:16 the complexities of life
19:18 and prepare us for something that is to come.
19:20 We've talked about how the Book of Psalms
19:22 contains prayers, is prayers,
19:25 it's communion between Jesus and us,
19:28 but they're also songs.
19:31 Share with us a little bit more about the songlike nature
19:35 of the Book of Psalms.
19:37 How does that play into things?
19:39 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, Eric, if I may,
19:40 before I try to answer that beautiful question,
19:45 I would like just to add that the Psalms
19:47 also supply new motives for prayers.
19:52 Sometimes we tend to be
19:54 very self-centered in our prayers
19:57 and pray mostly about physical needs,
20:00 but the Psalms will teach us to pray
20:04 about many more things that God wants us to pray for.
20:09 And just the other day as I was reading this Psalm,
20:12 Psalm 122, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
20:18 I was surprised how relevant that prayer is.
20:23 Pray about other things.
20:25 So, it supplies these new motives
20:27 so our prayers are much broader
20:30 than sometimes what we tend to pray for.
20:33 >>Eric: That's very powerful.
20:35 >>Dragoslava: Yes, and Psalms is songs,
20:37 because there are prayers and songs.
20:41 Ancient Christians, when we read
20:43 the Book of Ephesians, chapter 5
20:45 and other texts in the New Testament,
20:48 the orders of the epistles say singing in the psalms and songs,
20:54 they had tunes and they sang,
20:57 because that's a pneumonic device,
20:59 a way to remember a Psalm.
21:02 And we do have Psalm music today by various artists,
21:06 but it's a beautiful way to learn a Psalm, by singing it.
21:10 Sometimes I like to invent my own tune,
21:13 of course I sing only for myself and the Lord
21:17 who is very gracious to listen, but it's a wonderful,
21:22 wonderful way.
21:23 And Ellen White, in "Education," she wrote,
21:28 "How often by words of Holy song
21:31 are unsealed in the soul the springs of penitence
21:36 and faith, of hope and love and joy."
21:40 And when we have these songs, these Psalm verses in our minds,
21:45 they just pop out whenever, you know, we need them.
21:49 They're just there and surprise us
21:51 and we start singing in our heart,
21:53 and it changes the whole perspective
21:56 we look on a day or a situation.
21:59 >>Eric: You mentioned a moment ago
22:00 about how singing a Psalm
22:03 might help it to stick in our minds.
22:08 Now, without singing a song or a Psalm,
22:11 what are some Psalms that you've found for yourself
22:15 that maybe in singing them in your mind
22:18 or even singing them outwardly,
22:21 have been able to kind of settle in there a little bit better?
22:25 Any that stick out to you?
22:27 >>Dragoslava: Yes, well, there are several Psalms.
22:30 Sometimes what I like to do, I go to YouTube and try to see
22:34 if any artists already made a song,
22:37 and there are truly some wonderful songs.
22:40 By the means of a song I was able to memorize Psalm 77,
22:46 which is one of my favorite Psalms,
22:48 and perhaps later in our study we will refer to this Psalm.
22:53 Psalm 119, I'm on a journey of memorizing Psalm 119,
22:59 and singing it definitely helps a lot.
23:04 And it brings a kind of joy and personal touch
23:08 to the Psalm when we sing it.
23:12 >>Eric: Let's say somebody doesn't consider themselves
23:15 a singer, as you said, they sing between maybe
23:19 themselves and the Lord and not too many other people,
23:22 but it can still be a blessing for them, can't it?
23:23 >>Dragoslava: Absolutely, absolutely,
23:25 and I believe God created us with a musical fiber
23:29 in our hearts, and it brings so much joy.
23:33 And even if it's a eulogy, like a sad song,
23:36 it becomes so much deeper than just reading it.
23:42 >>Eric: Are there any Psalms that you can think of
23:47 that lend themselves very nicely to a song-type memorization?
23:54 You mentioned right now you were on a journey for Psalm 119.
23:56 That's an impressive journey.
23:58 That's a good long Psalm, and my suspicion is that
24:04 that song may twist and turn along the way
24:06 as you memorize it.
24:08 What would be some easy ones that people might start with
24:13 when thinking about singing the Psalms?
24:16 >>Dragoslava: Perhaps I'm thinking now of hymns.
24:19 Hymns are a wonderful way to sing,
24:22 and even in the church.
24:24 For example, Psalm 29,
24:26 it's a beautiful hymn to the Lord.
24:28 "Give unto the Lord, O mighty ones,
24:31 give unto the Lord glory and strength.
24:33 Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."
24:36 A beautiful Psalm to sing.
24:38 Perhaps Psalm 8 and some other Psalms.
24:41 Psalm 136 is also a beautiful Psalm,
24:46 and perhaps if there are some musicians who can compose,
24:53 it could be sang antiphonally, meaning that one part
24:57 of the group sings the first line,
24:59 and then the second group echoes,
25:02 "For his mercy endures forever."
25:05 "Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
25:07 For His mercy endures forever."
25:09 And the entire Psalm goes that way,
25:12 and it kind of really builds this true spiritual joy,
25:17 not the artificial one, but the real one
25:20 coming out from the Lord's Word.
25:23 >>Eric: So, it may be, in fact it probably is,
25:25 that since we don't necessarily have the music
25:28 that originally accompanied these,
25:30 we can get, to some extent, creative ourselves
25:33 and let the Lord impress us with how this should
25:36 all come together in a way that's going to work for me
25:40 to memorize it and for me to apply it to my life.
25:43 Do you have any final thoughts, words of wisdom this week?
25:47 We're talking about "Teach Us to Pray."
25:50 The disciples came to Jesus, "Teach us to pray."
25:52 We're going through the Psalms and the Psalms are helping us
25:55 to learn how to pray.
25:57 Someone who's wanting to implement this element
26:01 a little bit more in their lives,
26:03 any final words of wisdom,
26:05 thoughts to give to them on how this might work for them?
26:09 >>Dragoslava: Yes, yes, well, I will start with saying
26:12 that first of all, make a commitment
26:18 to incorporate reading or praying the Psalms
26:22 on a daily basis.
26:24 And I would recommend starting from Psalm 1
26:27 and then continuing in that way, in that order,
26:31 throughout the entire book.
26:34 What we can do is first of all ruminate or reflect
26:38 on the various ways the psalmist addresses God,
26:43 the motives for prayer the psalmists include,
26:46 the way the psalmist expresses himself.
26:51 How does that relate to me when I read?
26:54 And if I read and it relates to me,
26:57 then I supply something of my personal situation.
27:02 The Psalms were written in a very general way,
27:07 meaning that they want to be applicable to all people.
27:11 And then, if the Psalm challenges me in some way,
27:15 I should pause and in the light of Christ's revelation,
27:20 think where I should better myself.
27:23 Is there a confession I should make?
27:25 And allow the Psalm to lead me all the way.
27:27 >>Eric: Slava, thank you for joining us or taking us
27:30 through this lesson this week, learning how to pray,
27:34 and we hope and trust
27:36 that this has been a blessing to you as well.
27:38 We'll be back again next week as we continue our journey
27:41 through the Book of Psalms, here on "Sabbath School,"
27:44 brought to you by "It Is Written".
27:46 ♪♪♪
27:56 ♪♪♪
28:06 ♪♪♪


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