Pastor Bryan talks with Ken and Mary about how God prepares us for trials.
Talking Points:
- Just a week before his motorcycle accident, Ken had learned a worship song calling out for God’s mercy. While laying on the asphalt being treated by a paramedic, Ken began singing the song to himself. This song carried him through six months of intense recovery. God had provided words of encouragement beforehand that Ken would need to make it through his accident and recovery.
- Mary had recently come to know Jesus and married Ken. She had two teenagers – then she got cancer. God knew what was coming, but he had provided Ken for her to help her through cancer at just the right time.
- Isaiah 41 says that God will uphold us with his righteous right hand. He knows everything and is all-powerful. In Ken and Mary’s lives, they already had the strength from God they needed to get through the next trial.
- Jesus Christ told the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 that his power would be perfected in Paul’s weakness. This means that Paul (and we, too) needed to discard the idea that he would accomplish God’s will on his own strength. The “weaker” Paul became, the more God’s power was evident in accomplishing his will with Paul as the tool and God as the craftsman. This is in essence a metaphor of the Christian life. Ephesians 1:19-20
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- How has God provided for you beforehand the things you needed to survive a time of intense trial or struggle? Explain.
- Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. How has God’s power been shown through your weakness in your life or in the lives of people you know?
- Read Ephesians 1:19-20 and Romans 8:11. If the power that dwells in us is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, how then should we live when it comes to trials and struggles in life?
- “God listens and knows what we need no matter how strong our faith is.” Explain how you’ve seen this principle work out in your own life or in the lives of those you know.
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
