There are some songs of the heart that we might rather not sing out loud. They express thoughts and feelings that are brutal and dark – feelings we’d rather others not know we feel. There are Song of the Heart in the Bible that curse others or invoke evil and they raise many questions. How could these be songs of the heart? How can such dark and ugly sentiments be in scripture? What can these darker songs of the heart teach us about God and ourselves?

Discussion Questions

Describe a time that you have been wounded or treated unjustly by someone or some group. How did you feel? What did this experience do in your heart?

Read Psalm 58. What verses make you most uncomfortable? Why?

What about Psalm 58 is in line with God’s goodness? What about it feels wrong or dangerous?

Read Romans 12:9-19. What can we learn from this passage about what we can do with our feeling of hurt and anger?

What are you angry about? What injustices or abuses by those in power do you rage against inside? What wounds do you carry that create dark feelings inside? Write them out to God as honestly as you can, giving them to Him.

Songs from the Heart Reading Plan Week 4

WEEK FOUR Songs of Judgment The notion of blessing is one that Christians are quite comfortable with - the idea of cursing not so much. While we don’t want to spend time with people who abuse power or commit injustices, we don’t like the idea of wishing harm on them....

Where are you, God?

Ever felt like God was far away, uninterested, or worse yet, that He had abandoned you? You’re not alone. In Psalm 13, David expresses the raw emotion of wondering where God is when he needs Him the most. Far from being unspiritual, cries of lament create a dialogue...

Songs from the Heart Reading Plan Week 3

WEEK THREE Songs of Lament When we are heartbroken or angry at the way life has turned out, it can be tempting to turn away from God and write Him off. But David and the other psalmists didn’t hide their feelings of disappointment in God. They felt all the feels and...

I Take Refuge in You

It seems like we spend a lot of our time searching. We chase money, relationships, fame, and plenty of other things, hoping that some of it will deliver a sense of goodness, security, and joy. But those searches ultimately leave us wanting. We tend to forget that...

Songs from the Heart Reading Plan Week 2

WEEK TWO Songs of Confidence Have you ever been awake in the middle of the night feeling overwhelmed or afraid? When David and the other psalmists were feeling this way, they expressed their unfailing confidence in the goodness, power and deliverance of God. This week...