When Is It Hard To Trust God?
Trek – Part 3
September 14-15, 2019
Steve Tanner
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” Proverbs 3:5-6 (p.482*)
Joseph: Genesis 39-40 – Paul and Silas: Acts 16:16-40
“The Lord was with Joseph in the prison and showed him his faithful love. And the Lord made Joseph a favorite with the prison warden.” Genesis 39:21 (p.33*)
“So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” Acts 16:24-25 (p.845*)
- When Life Doesn’t Make Sense You Can Trust God Is With You.
When life doesn’t make sense:
- Avoid/resist temptations.
“She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, ‘Come on, sleep with me!’ Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.” Genesis 39:12 (p.33*)
“Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.” 1 Corinthians 6:18 (p.873*)
“’Get out of here, Satan,’ Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Matthew 4:10 (p.735*)
- Keep serving.
“Before long, the warden put Joseph in charge of all the other prisoners and over everything that happened in the prison. The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.” Genesis 39:22-23 (p.33*)
“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!” Acts 16:25-26 (p.845*)
- Keep trusting.
Proverbs 3:5-6: Our TREK Series Key Verse! (See above.) (p. 482*)
“Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (p.825*)
- Ask God to help you!
“’Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.’
“’What do you mean, ‘If I can’?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’
“The father instantly cried out, ‘I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!’” Mark 9:22b-24 (p.769*)
My Next Step:
__I will exercise all four principles for trusting God when life doesn’t make sense—and when it does make sense, too.
* The Life Transformation Bible is the New Living Translation of the Bible including many useful tools to help you better understand God’s Word, including our own Alive Church Life Transformation Discipleship Plan. They are available FREE in the church lobby.
Life Groups Study Questions
Taking the Talk to Another Level
From the Weekend Talk of September 14-15, 2019
Trek: An Adventure in Trust, Week 3
When is it Hard to Trust God?
This is a One Voice Talk Series, which means our kids and youth are also learning the same key Bible verses and main teaching points.
Life Groups use these questions to dig deeper into what we talked about this weekend. Find out more about Life Groups at the Info Center in the lobby, or go to alivechurch.com/groups.
Car Questions/Conversation Starters
- When have you felt like life wasn’t making any sense?
- Talk about a time when you did the right thing but you were accused of doing something wrong, or you faced a bad outcome anyway.
- Have you ever felt like wanted to just give up? When?
- When have you trusted God?
- Have you ever had to wait on God for something? When was that? How did it work out?
Quick Review
- Looking back at your Talk Notes, was there anything you heard in the service that stood out or maybe even confused you?
Discussion Starters from the Weekend Talk
See the Talk Notes from this Weekend’s Talk.
- Steve talked about four principles for trusting God even when life doesn’t make sense. He gave us some biblical examples for each of them. What are some ways you have experienced or implemented them? Which one or more present the biggest challenges for you right now?
- Avoid/Resist Temptations.
- Keep Serving.
- Keep Trusting.
- Ask God to Help You.
- What about Joseph’s story (Genesis 39-40 (p. 33-34*)) resonates with you?
- What would be tougher… to be falsely accused, like Joseph was by Potiphar’s wife, or to be forgotten, like Joseph was by the chief cupbearer? Have you experienced similar circumstances?
- What about Paul and Silas’ story (Acts 16:16-40 (p. 845*)) inspires you?
- Have you ever faced a calamity by praising God? How were other people affected by how you handled your difficult circumstance?
Digging Deeper
Daniel 3 (p. 669*) recounts the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had been commanded to bow down before a 90-foot tall golden idol—or face death. They chose not to bow down. They trusted God, instead.
- What did they say to the king when confronted about their non-compliance with the order? What stands out to you about what they said?
- What happened when they went into the furnace? How many men appeared inside?
- How did Nebuchadnezzar respond?
- When have you had to trust God in the face of resistance?
- What else stands out to you form this passage?
Romans 8:31-39 (p. 863*) contains some vivid descriptions of why we can trust God.
- Identify the promises you see in this passage.
- Why do many teachers refer to this passage as a “court scene?”
- What does it say about adversity we might face?
- What four things does verse 34 say about Jesus?
- What else stands out to you from this passage?
Taking It Home
- Our Next Step This Week: “I will exercise all four principles for trusting God when life doesn’t make sense-and when it does make sense, too.”
- Which one will you start with?
Pray
- Pray for one another in your Group to intentionally live out the Next Step.
This Weekend:
Our Talk Series: Trek: An Adventure in Trust continues! Each week of the Series we’ll have some fun prize giveaways, so here’s a tip: GET OUR APP! Just text “ALIVEAZ APP” to this number, 77977, and follow the instructions. If you need help, we’ll help you!