Confidence (Day 3) Shunammite Woman of Faith

Pretend you are standing at the edge of a busy highway. You desperately need to get to the other side. What would you do?

Now pretend you are a duck. Would you waddle across as fast as your little webbed feet cloud carry you? Or would you fly?

·         Let’s take a look at the wings of faith of a woman from Shunem. Read 2 Kings 4:8-14, write a description of the woman from Shunem and her life situation. Also describe her. Faith. What does the fact that she did not want to accept any payment from Elisha say about her?

·         Even though the Shunammite woman was well-to-do, the fact that she had no son and her husband was a old men she might spend many years as a widow with no one to care for her. Read 2 Kings 4::15-17 to see how God provided for this woman of faith. Why do you think she at first objected to Elisha’s promise of a son?

·         How has God surprised you lately with His care and blessings? How did you react? What boost did it give your faith?

·         The same God who had blessed her, however, also allowed tragedy to enter her life. Read 2 Kings 4:18-20. Imagine the feelings of this mother. Why do you believe God would allow such a thing to happen?

·         Now Read 2 Kings 4:21-30 and describe the woman’s confident response.

The Shunammite woman had definitely experienced “the plague that destroys at midday” (Psalm 91:6). Her son lay dead, but her wings of faith took flight. What was she looking for and hoping for by seeking Elisha? Whose help did she really need?

·         Read the rest of the story in 2 Kings 4:31-37. Did the Shunammite receive what she sought? What phrases in the account clearly reveal that it was God who brought the by back to life?

God’s purpose in allowing the tragedy is revealed as a great test of faith. Even Elisha’s faith was put to the test.  How did the Shunammite woman’s confidence in God and in God’s servant Elisha help her to soar above the situation instead of being crushed by the tragedy?

Several verses of the psalm seem to describe life under God’s wings as a life free from all suffering, harm, and struggle. As Christian people, we have seen over and over that our lives here on earth are not free from pain and trouble. These verses do not promise “the easy life”, but express the absolute confidence that God helps and protects us in times of danger and suffering.

Confidence (Day 2) Mary, Woman of Confidence

Put the corresponding number on the lines below to indicate how you spend your “pondering’ time. Discuss your answers as you feel comfortable. Time I spend

Little________________________________ Much ___________________________________

1.       Pondering things going wrong in my life.

2.       Pondering the many good things God has done for me

3.       Fighting God’s plan for my life.

4.       Calmly and confidently submitting to God’s plans for my life.

In the Bible, Jesus’ mother, Mary, is portrayed as a woman of confidence. Let’s search the Scriptures to understand better Mary’s confident, calm way of handling a very eventful life. We are first introduced to Mary when the angel Gabriel tells her that she is to be the mother of the long-promised Savior. Read Mary’s response in Luke 1:34-38. Then write a short description of her response and attitude toward God.

Mary very clearly portrayed a willingness to submit to God’s plan for her life. What does this indicate about her confidence in God? Why was her confidence in God and not in herself? What did submission to God do for Mary?

 

Confidence (Day 1) Moses, Man of God

Remember Moses, God’s great prophet and leader of one of God’s most spectacular acts of deliverance? Surely we read portions of the life of Moses and his conversations with God, perhaps we will see a person more like ourselves—capable of great confidence, but at times full of fear and doubt.

Read what happened afterwards in Exodus 2:14-15 and rate Moses’ level of confidence from 0 (least) to 10 (most) in each of the following:

Himself ___________ God ____________ His own safety ____________

·         God had much work to do in, with, and for Moses. Read Exodus 3:3-11 and record Moses’ response to God’s call.

·         God was not put off by Moses’s doubts and fears. Read Exodus 3:12-14 and 4:1-17.

·         What did God want Moses to know about Him?

·         What does God want you to know about Him? How does He accomplish this?

The rest of Moses’ story reveals how his confidence grew with every act of God on behalf of His people and came to a peak after the parting of the Red Sea. Read Moses’ song of confidence in Exodus 15:1-18. Jot down a few phrases that seem to express best Moses’ confidence. Why could Moses not have composed this song in his early days? How and why did his confidence grow?

·         Share, as you feel comfortable, a time in your life when your confidence in God soared. How can you take advantage of the memory of what God did for you at that time?

·         As you read Psalm 91 discuss any verses fulfilled literally for God’s people during the times of the plagues and the deliverance from Egypt.

What verses of Psalm 91 have been fulfilled literally in your life? Share a time when you rested “in the shadow of the Almighty” (v.1); felt His angel guarding you (v. 11); and/or called to God and know His answer (v. 15). Discuss especially how God has shown you His salvation (v. 16).

Fear (day 4) Our God: All Faithful, All Powerful

·         Read Psalm 56:1-6 and jot down the characteristics of the enemy.

·         How is the enemy described in verse 4? What does this important characteristic tell you about the power of the enemy?

·         Now make a note of the evidences of God’s power as recorded in verses 7-9.

·         How does knowing that God never lies (Titus 1:2) and that he has all power to back up His Word strengthen you in times of fear?

The concept of death in the psalms encompasses all that diminishes life. Sickness, anxiety, weakness, evil threats, and conflicts are all experiences with death. What aspects of death are diminishing your life right now?

·         How does walking “in the light of life” ---going through life hand in hand with God---help you rise above these experiences and deliver you from every form of death’s power?

What a difference God makes in this earthly life of struggle and death! Describe the joy and peace that are ours even in fearful times as we walk in our God-given “light of life.”

Fear (day 3) God works through Esther

To realize God’s grip on Esther’s life and on the lives of those around her, read the following Scripture. How did God direct, control, and use the events recorded here?

·         Esther 2:2-17

·         Esther 2:21-23

When has God arranged for you to be in the right place at the right time?

·         Esther 3:1-11

·         Esther 4:1-16

·         Esther 5:1-3; 7:3-7

·         Esther 6:1-2

How does realizing that God sets His plan into motion long before crises even start, comfort and strengthen you in your own times of crises?

How can a renewed trust in God’s timing, control, and directing of your life affect your fears?

Read Psalm 56. Which verses particularly apply to Esther and God’s people in this account?

Fear (day 2) God Keeps Hagar Safe

Abram and Sarai were childless, yet God had promised that Abram’s seed would be as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5). Sarai became discouraged with waiting, and in Genesis 16:1-6 we read how she takes it into her own hands to provide an heir for her husband. Sarai gives Hagar, her Egyptian maidservant, to Abram so that he can father a child by her.  Read Genesis 16 to find out what Hagar was afraid of and why she was running?

·         What makes you run from situations? What makes you afraid in those situations? What have you run from recently, what provides you with comfort, courage, and security from what you are afraid of?

·         Read Genesis 16:7-16. What words of discipline did the angel of the LORD speak to Hagar? Why do you think God waited until Hagar was in the wilderness before confronting her?

·         Why does the Lord not seem to rescue us immediately from our perils and fears? What lessons might He want to teach us?

·         What words of comfort did the angel tell Hagar?

·         How had God helped you walk back into fearful situations?

When David was in danger and full of fear, the Holy Spirit brought to his mind words of Scripture. These words of the Lord brought great comfort and strength to David, as evidenced by his words of praise in Psalm 56.

How might Hagar have used verses 4 and 10-11 of Psalm 56 as words of praise?

Fear (day 1) David’s Fear

David was afraid. He had been anointed to be the next king of Israel, killed the giant Goliath, and left his fields and flocks to play music in King Saul’s court, but he was afraid---with good reason. Saul craved and pursued David’s death with the fury of an enemy driven by very powerful fear. 

Read  1 Samuel 18:6-15, 28-29 to see what Saul’s fear drove him to do. Where did Saul’s fear come from? How did it lead him to sin?

·         How do fearful situations lead people into sin today? What desperate responses to fear are evident in today’s society?  What can the consequences be?

·         Read 1 Samuel 21:10-15. Why might David have thought Gath a safe haven and King Achish an accommodating benefactor?

·         What path of desperation or plan of avoidance tempts you most? How does your response reflect your trust in or lack of faith in God?

Read Psalm 56, the psalm David penned on this occasion, and write below a short summery of David’s rediscovered help in times of fear.

Underline the verses where David voices his fear.

·         Which verses are meaningful to you? How might they help as your struggle to keep focused on God?

Which promises of God recorded in Scripture can you remember when you face fearful times? Use one of these in your closing prayer.