10/6 Sermon Discussion Questions

Recap:

• Pastor Sara talked about the question, “Do I trust God?” She shared an experience she had where it felt like God has broken her trust, and she had to figure out how to trust God’s love and presence instead of trusting in a specific outcome.
• She talked about 3 Bible stories:
  • Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego refusing to bow to the idol in Babylon and saying, “Our God is able to deliver us from this… but even if he doesn’t, we will still not bow down and worship this idol.”
  • Jesus and Peter walking on water, and Peter choosing out of trusting Jesus to focus instead on the chaos around him. 
  • Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane modeling trust by 1) choosing to connect with God, 2) be honest with God, 3) trust that God is able to deliver him and 4) then be open handed with the outcome. 
• She reminded us that the ultimately reason we can trust God no matter the outcome of our circumstance is the display of love and self-sacrifice that Jesus chose on the cross.

Reflection Questions:

• Do you have expectation that God can move in your life for good? If not, why not?
• Is your trust in God contingent on receiving the outcome that you want? 
• Have you experienced feeling secure and stable in the presence of God? How?
• Do you practice reconnecting with God and refocusing on God when things feel out of control? Or do you let your mind spin and catastrophize to the point that you start sinking? How might you choose something different?
• When things are hard, do you find yourself moving towards God and speaking honestly? Or, do you find yourself avoiding God or offering surface level prayers? What could help you move towards God in those spaces?