Going Deeper in “Do You Trust God?”
Read the following a few times:
Gen 15:1-12, 17-18; Gal 3:6-18; Judges 4:1-10, 6:11-24
Reflect on the following:
1. What does it mean to answer God’s call to walk by faith rather than by sight? How did Abraham and Sarah walk by faith?
2. If you had known Abraham and Sarah, how might you have felt toward them and their remarkable response to this calling and absurd promise?
3. Have you ever done anything for God that seemed crazy to others?
4. Why do you think God tells Abram, "Do not be afraid, I am your shield"? How does this apply to our fears today? (v.1)
5. What connection do you see between God’s call to Abraham and Jesus’s call to his disciples (including us) to “follow me”?
6. When has God called you to a new place or a new position? Did you sense God’s guidance in any of that time? Did that instance feel like a new birth to you?
7. How God was faithful with His promises to Abraham and Sarah and how is God faithful to us in our own lives?
8. How do you think God chooses people for particular roles or tasks? What do you think God looks for in a leader?
9. How have you been blessed by God’s call(s) in your life? In what ways have your blessings blessed others? Take stock of the ways God has guided, been present with, and blessed you. How do you feel blessed by God today?
10. The covenant ceremony with the animals seems strange today. What do you think it meant for Abram?
11. Abram experiences "deep sleep and terrifying darkness." What might this symbolize? Have you ever felt overwhelmed when trusting God? (v.12)
12. In verse 17, God appears as a smoking firepot and a blazing torch. What do these symbols reveal about God’s presence?
13. Why is this covenant so crucial in the bigger story of the Bible? How does it connect to Jesus?
14. What does this passage teach us about trusting in God's timing, even when we don’t see immediate results?
Challenges
1. Think of an area where you’re struggling to trust God. Pray about it and take one small step of faith this week.
2. Write out a verse about God's faithfulness and put it on your phone lock screen or mirror to encourage you daily.
3. Abram made a covenant with God. What’s one commitment you can make this week to grow in your faith?