SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON - OCT 4TH

Lesson Passage:
Psalm 23:1-6

BIBLICAL TRUTH - GOD LOVINGLY CARES FOR HIS PEOPLE

WHEN I NEED COMFORT - Commentary by Bryan Beyer, Professor of Old Testament at Columbia International University & School of Missions in Columbia, SC.
 As I write this lesson, I’m preparing for my 10th trip to Israel. I love taking students to study the Bible in the land of the Bible! I enjoy seeing the excitement on my students’ faces as they discover new insights into God’s Word as they travel through the land.
 One student told me, “Studying the Bible in the land of the Bible is like turning a jewel in the sunlight. You see colors you’ve never seen before!” Experiencing the land of Israel really does change a person’s life forever.
 When we travel through the Judean wilderness, we often see Bedouin living in simple tents. They have a few sheep, a few goats, and maybe a camel or donkey. Students look out the bus windows and some feel sorry for those who have so little. However, our instructor points out, “Those Bedouin out there actually feel sorry for you. Life is simple in the wilderness. They have a family, a few animals, and a roof over their heads. It’s enough, and they’re content. We worry about the stock market, our retirement accounts, our nice homes, cars, and all the other fancy things we buy and then have to maintain or guard.” Sometimes the more we have, the more we have to worry about!

 Many adults feel absolutely overwhelmed with anxiety. Some bear heavy burdens, sometimes secretly because they don’t want others to know. Others fret when they recognize certain circumstances lie outside their control. Some are anxious about finances; others, about a potentially serious illness. Some worry about their children and what kind of world they will live in. Others worry about the possibility of losing their jobs in a difficult economy where jobs are scarce. How does God want His people to respond to the anxieties in their lives?

What kinds of circumstances bring you the most anxiety? Why do you think a God who loves us allows such difficult trials to come?