One of the resounding themes from yesterday’s Easter service was we are not alone. God is with us today, in this very moment, even when we cannot see Him. Hallelujah to the Son of David, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world!
If you haven’t had a chance to view our Easter service (or if you want to worship along again!) click here.
Personal Devotional
Let’s praise God today by meditating on Psalm 146.
Read Psalm 146:1-2
- Read these verses out loud a couple of times. Ask God to help you praise Him all the days of your life. Confess any areas in which you’re tempted to doubt Him, and ask Him to put a new song in your heart to sustain you.
- List some specific reasons you can praise God today. Write down as many or as few as you prefer.
Read Psalm 146:3-4
- Fill in this blank as it applies to your heart: “Do not trust in _____, which cannot save.”
- How does verse 4 capture the transience of life? Who do you know who needs eternal hope? Pause and ask God for an opportunity to make a spiritual connection with that person sometime this week.
Read Psalm 146:5-9
- Notice verse 5 says, “Blessed (or happy) is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God.” Think about our recent sermon series on the beatitudes. We discussed the true meaning of forever happiness. Imagine you are writing a commentary on this verse. In your own words, explain what it means.
- Make a list of names for God based on verses 6-9, for instance: Creator, Provider…etc. In contrast, list words from these verses that could represent humanity, for instance: Hungry, Exploited…etc.
- Look at your lists from the previous question. Tell God all of the ways you have experienced the “human” list. Be specific. Then, praise God for who He is and how He has rescued you, using His names from the “God” list. For example: “God, I am so hungry for purpose and hope. Thank You for being the Provider of all hope and meaning in my life…”
Read Psalm 146:10
- After reading verse 10, go back and read verse 1. Then briefly glance at the first and last verse of the next four Psalms. What is similar about the first and last verses of these final 5 Psalms of the Bible? What word is repeated in every single verse?
- Hallelujah literally means “praise the Lord.” Why do you think the Psalmist chose to begin and end the last five Psalms of the Bible with praise?
Challenge: This week, begin and end every day by praising God.
Grace Communities: Sermon Discussion Questions
I John 1:5 says, “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all.” As Christians, we take great comfort in the truth that God is our Light. But how do you feel about the fact that God calls us to be the light of the world in Matthew 5:14? In what ways is this encouraging? In what ways is it challenging?
Pastor Mike told a great story about catching his son, Clayton, in the middle of a free fall. Clayton’s highchair was tipping backward, and his expression went from terror to peace the moment his dad caught him. Right now, where are you on a scale of 1-10, if 1=total fear in the midst of free fall and 10=complete peace and security?
Why did Thomas miss the appearance of Jesus? What does this teach us about the importance of gathering, especially in times of crisis?
Thomas said, “Unless I see, I will never believe.” Like Thomas, have you put conditions on God in this season of uncertainty? How are you tempted to fill in this blank: “Unless ____, I’m not going to trust Him.”
What is one next step you can take this week in response to this message? How can we encourage and support you in taking this next step toward Christ?
GraceStudents 5th/6th Grade
Word of the Week—Omnipresent
Want to play our guessing game again? No peeking! Does “omnipresent” mean:
a. To be invisible
b. To go to the Omni hotel and get lots of presents
c. To know everything
d. To be everywhere at the same time
If you guessed “d,” you’re correct! Can you think of any superheroes who are omnipresent? It’s not a common power. Even Superman can’t be everywhere at the same time—he just speeds along from one place to another. And certainly no real humans are omnipresent.
But God is everywhere at the same time. Crazy, isn’t it? Yesterday, Pastor Mike told a story about his daughter falling off her bike. She was doing a great job learning to ride without training wheels, until she turned around and didn’t see her dad. She got scared and fell. But of course, her dad was right there! She just couldn’t see him.
In the same way, God is always with you. He’s right there, even when you can’t see Him.
He loves you, and He will comfort you when you call out to Him. Pray to God throughout this week. Prayer is just talking to God, and the best part is, you can talk to Him anytime and anywhere. Why? You guessed it, because God is everywhere! God is omnipresent.
GraceStudents (7-12 Grades)
If you haven’t done so already, be sure to download the Zoom app on your device so you can tune in to our live GraceStudents service every Sunday night!
Also, get seven days of devotionals for students here.
