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Kristen Walker Smith

Silent Ps and anonymous authors (Your Weekly Scripture Study Starter)

Published about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Happy Sunday, friend!

It's time to dive into this week's Come Follow Me reading: Psalms 102-3; 11; 116-119; 135-139; 146-50!​

All written by King David, right???

Not so much. David was a MAJOR author of the Psalms, but he didn’t write all of them. Check out this week’s "Questions your kids might ask" section to see who else contributed. ​

​No video this week!

5 Key Themes

  1. God is a refuge when life feels overwhelming (Psalm 102–103). When everything feels heavy, God is not distant; He is nearby, and He cares!
  2. The Lord is worthy of trust, even when things feel uncertain (Psalm 11). Even when the world feels unsteady, God is still in control.
  3. Gratitude changes how we see our lives (Psalm 116). The psalmist reflects on being delivered by God and chooses to respond with gratitude.
  4. The power of God’s word in daily life (Psalm 119) God’s words bring direction and strength, especially when life feels confusing.
  5. Everything that has breath is meant to praise the Lord (Psalm 146–150). These psalms are a call to actively and regularly recognize God’s hand in our lives.

3 Key Scriptures

  1. ​Psalm 103:8​
  2. ​Psalm 119:105​
  3. ​Psalm 139:23–24​

Dive into one or more of these verses all week long with my Verse Mapping Study Guide!

Questions your kids (or church class) might ask: Who wrote the psalms?

Many people think the Psalms were written by David. That’s only partly true.

Here’s who wrote the 150 Psalms:

  • King David wrote 73
  • King Solomon wrote 2
  • Moses wrote 1
  • Many were written by temple musicians (like Asaph and the Sons of Korah)
  • The rest are anonymous

Sources:

​https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-psalms/

​https://www.gotquestions.org/who-was-Asaph.html

​https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/the-other-psalmists-who-were-the-sons-of-korah.html

​https://www.gotquestions.org/sons-of-Korah.html

This week's conversation starter:

Read Psalm 119:105, then ask your teen: Imagine a world without any scriptures or any record of God’s voice. What do you think would be the biggest difference?

Want to go deeper in your personal study this week? My Verse Mapping for Beginners PDF walks you through exactly how. Get it here!​

Missed previous weeks? You can check out past Weekly Scripture Starter emails here!

You are awesome!

P.S. In case you missed it I’ve been tackling tricky topics your teens will find on the internet. You can check out the first one (about whether Joseph Smith started polygamy for personal reasons) here!​

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Kristen Walker Smith

Start Here in the Scriptures

Your weekly Come, Follow Me reading explained in plain English and just two minutes.

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