Have you endured a tough situation and wondered why God wasn't there to help you?
Talking Points:
- Let go of your guilt over being angry with God. He knows your heart and he understands this is a common human feeling. Release your emotions to him to begin healing.
- Trials in life are God’s way of testing us. These are meant to help our faith grow stronger as we come to rely on him. 1 Peter 1:7
- Resolve to obey God in spite of your trials and tests. Don’t give up on God. He will never give up on you. Romans 5:3-5
- Remind yourself of God’s power. Think of all the stories in the Bible that show his faithfulness to his children. He will be faithful to you.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Have you ever been angry with God? Why did you feel he had let you down?
- Share a time you went through a trial and saw God use it for your good.
- Who is someone in your life who went through hard trials and remained faithful to God? What did they do to work through their feelings?
- Who is someone in your life who went through hard trials and gave up on their faith? Did that make their situation any better?
- Read John 16:33. How does knowing that Jesus overcame the world help us through trials and hardships?
- Read 1 Peter 1:7. Why do you think Peter uses the symbolism of refining gold through a fire in relation to our trials? What other symbols make a good analogy?
- Read Romans 5:3-5. What does this passage say about the benefits of trials? How does God help us through them?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
