Icebreaker

Would you rather volunteer as a mall Santa for the day or sing a Christmas song solo in front of everyone at church?

Recap

Have you ever wondered, “Where is God’s goodness in the midst of my trial”?  Many have wrestled with that concept and struggled to make sense of it. One of the greatest places we see God demonstrate His goodness and favor is in the birth of Christ, and yet, Christ’s birth would have invited a lot of public disgrace and scrutiny. In the end, we know Mary and Joseph’s perseverance and faith through their trial was a journey of God’s goodness in their lives. Where has the goodness of God and the trials of life collided in your life?

Scripture Reference

Luke 1; Matthew 1

Focus Questions

1. Share an experience that at the time was difficult to endure, but turned out to be something that brought good things into your life. In hindsight, are you able to praise God for that difficult time in your life? What did you learn about your faith in God during that time? Was it strengthened as a result of the trial that you endured?
2. If you were to rate your trials on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being no significant trials, and 10 being trials that have pushed you to your limits), where would you place yourself right now?
3. Read Isaiah 43:15-16. In this section, the Israelites were pretty much at their breaking point. They felt their situation was hopeless and there was no way out. They were afraid. God essentially had to re-introduce Himself and remind them of who He is. Why is remembering how God came through for them in the past important to their present situation? What can we do to remember and trust in the goodness of God showing up at exactly the right time for us? What are some clues that we have taken our eyes off the goodness of God and put our focus solely on our situation?
4. There are many verses in the Bible that remind us that the battle we face is not ours to face alone, but that we should hand it over to God and trust Him to take care of things in His way, according to His plan, in His timing. When we do that, we trade fear for victory. In what ways do we grab back our fear? (e.g., build up the scenario in your mind, play scripted “conversations” in your mind, failure to concentrate because you’re focused on the uncomfortable parts of what you’re going through.) Read the following scriptures that remind us that the battle is not ours:  Exodus 15:2-3; Deuteronomy 3:22; 2 Chronicles 20:17; 1 Samuel 17:47; James 4:7; Proverbs 21:31; Psalm 34:7. What other scriptures can you find that tell us we can replace fear with the victory of God?
5. Does looking forward to the end result give you strength to endure and rejoice even in the midst of trials? How important is it that we learn to rejoice, especially in the hardest times? When we rejoice in our trials, how does this benefit us?
6. Read James 1:2. How can we consider it all joy during a trial when trials are so hard? James doesn’t command Christians to “feel happy” when trials come, rather he instructs us to label it as a thing worth rejoicing over. [Note: “count” is used in some translations instead of “consider.” This is from the Greek hēgēsasthe which is an accounting term relating to organizing and collecting things. This instruction is about how we categorize that particular moment when evaluating our life as a whole.]
7. Read Romans 2:9-11. God shows favor equally to those walking in obedience. To receive that favor, you must live rightly with the Lord and walk obediently with God. What do you know needs to change in your way of living for God to show you favor? What stops you from making those changes?

Send Out Question

This week, don’t shy away from your trials, but rather press into God who is in your trial with you. Read Ephesians 6:12 and think about how your trial is not what you see with earthly eyes, but rather it is a battle against spiritual enemies we cannot see. Write down the ways your battle is indeed spiritual, against the enemy of sin itself.

When you are walking with the Lord, you have nothing to fear. Fear is not meant to be your companion. Who should your companion be? What characteristics should you exhibit? (e.g., obedience, faithfulness, perseverance, victory, trust, faith.) Create a list of what can push out fear during this time in your life.

Spend time in prayer asking God to reveal where He is and to show you His goodness. Ask Him to bring about an opportunity for you to share your experiences of enduring past trials, or to encourage someone currently enduring a difficult time. 

Is there someone whose situation you have been judging? (As many probably judged young, pregnant Mary?) Ask God to forgive your judgment and trust that He will make a way and, maybe, just maybe, He’s about to set that person up for a miracle. Pray for that!