Introduction and Ice Breaker
Is there something you would like to pray for right now that you think God would not say yes to or provide?
How is your endurance level feeling right now in the different areas of your life?
Themes to Consider
How to pray when words fail
Surrender - praying when the outcome is not what I expect
Giving thanks during seasons of loss
Discussion Questions
Have you had a “my God, why have you forsaken me?” moment? Could you tell the group about it?
How do you relate to God when tragedy strikes?
What do you think about your relationship with God when words for conversation with Him fail?
Which people become sources of strength in your life when God seems absent or quiet?
How do you feel when you hear of biblical characters who God did not deliver as they expected?
Guided Prayer
Silence / Remove distractions as much as you can and spend two minutes (time it, if helpful) in silence, noticing your body, your emotions and thoughts. Perhaps use a simple phrase to pray silently so that you stay focused.
Meditate on one of these phrases:
Matthew 27:46 - “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Habakkuk 1:2 - “O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?”
Adoration / Below are some characteristics of God. Think of these and describe to God why you are in awe of or thankful for them.
Sovereign: ultimately God is in charge and will work out this world according to his will, even if it doesn’t seem like it to us in the moment
Immutable: God cannot change because if He were to change, He would become more-God or less-God than he already is
Steadfast: He is reliable through all the ups and downs we experience
Powerful: God can act according to his will
Good: God’s sovereign will is kind and good for all his creation
Gracious: Giving us what we don’t deserve
Merciful: not giving us what we do deserve
Confession / Confess to God where He seems absent or silent, and where you feel He is letting you down because you do not notice Him.
Thanksgiving / We can practice gratitude without words. Sit for a few moments and remember things and situations in the following categories for which you are thankful right now. It can be as small as a recent memory.
Family
Industry
Country
Community
Health and wellness
Provision
Joy
Supplication / Pray once more the prayers you have been asking God for a long time.
Consider the personal things you lament and want him to break into.
Consider the wounds and pains of our nation and pray for those.
Consider others in pain and in need to meet with God and bring them to God.
Silence / End with two minutes of silence meditating on this text:
Psalm 46:10 - “Be still and know that I am God”
Supplemental Content
A Grace Disguised, Jerry Sittser
Lament for a Son, Nicholas Wolterstorff
A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Vanauken
