Group Guide
Ice-Breaker
When you were in trouble, what name did your mom or dad yell? What did you get in trouble for most as a kid/teen?
This Week's City 7
- Who is Jesus? I believe Jesus is God because Jesus said He is God and proved it by rising from the dead and appearing to His disciples, His brother James, 500 others at one time and Paul.
Discussion Questions
- Read Psalm 3:1-2 aloud. David wrote this particular Psalm when he was running for his life from his son, Absalom. Absalom wanted to be king and had stirred up a rebellion against him. So David is in a bad spot. He's under intense pressure, stress, fear, anxiety... you name it. His response was to cry out to God. He didn't complain to his friends. He didn't whine about it to his wife. He didn't even post a passive aggressive message on FaceBook. He took it straight to the one that could change his situation. He cried out, "O LORD!" When we fall to our knees we take our greatest stand. What is typically YOUR first response when your life gets difficult? Figure it out on your own? Complain to someone? Turn to alcohol or some other coping mechanism? Why don't we think to cry out to God FIRST?
- Philippians 4:6-7 says, "6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." This is a promise from God. It's a classic IF/THEN proposition from the Lord. IF we pray and tell God what we need, THEN he will give us the peace we need. Think of a time when you were under immense pressure or stress or faced a difficult situation, you were faithful to pray about it, and God gave you peace in the middle of your storm. Share that experience with the group. What is it like to have peace that "exceeds anything we can understand?"
- Have someone read Psalm 3:3-6 aloud. David took his complaints to the Lord, but he didn't just complain. He went beyond that. In these verses, something has shifted. Even though David was distraught at his situation and didn't see a way out, he began to remember how faithful God had been in the past. He started confessing his trust in God. Even though David's situation hasn't changed, you can see his perspective start to change. He realizes that God is a shield that is all around him, and that if God did it before he can do it again. Describe a time in your life that God came through for you. Think back to an answer to prayer or when he proved himself faithful. And what should that do to your faith in God the NEXT time you face a trial?
- Have someone read Psalm 3:7-8 aloud. This isn't your typical prayer! This last section of this Psalm, after remembering God's faithfulness, he cries out to God to rescue him from his enemies. He asks God to fight his battles for him. "Break their teeth!" David has made his complaints known, he's remembered God's faithfulness, and now he's going on the offensive. Prayer is a weapon. When we pray, things happen in the spiritual realm. Sometimes we fail to realize all we have at our disposal. God and his army of angels are waiting to come to our aid. He WILL fight our battles for us if we let him. What is one area of your life that you need to go to battle for more often? How can we remind ourselves to pray for these things more regularly?
- The Big Idea from Sunday was, "Give it to God and receive his peace." We all need peace in our lives. And we all have things we need to lay at his feet, burdens we need to lay down, something heavy we need to let go of. Maybe it's a relationship, financial issues, a struggle with one of your kids, an addiction, an illness.... What is God speaking to you in this moment? What is the biggest thing in your life right now that you need to give to God? What is robbing you of your peace?
Prayer Topics
- That we would run to God FIRST with our troubles.
- That we would give our burdens to God and receive his peace.
- That we would remember God's faithfulness.
- That we would let God fight our battles through prayer.
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