Inside Out – Part 4

Open with prayer.

Get to Know You (10 Minutes)

• What is something that lifts your spirits when you are having a challenging day?
• What is one way you have seen God’s faithfulness in your life recently?

Observation & Discussion (30 Minutes)

Read Psalm 56 in your Bible.

Psalm 56:5

All day long they twist my words; all their schemes are for my ruin. They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps hoping to take my life.

Psalm 6:3

My soul is in deep anguish. How long, LORD, how long?

John 16:33

“In this world you will have trouble.”

1. What do these verses reveal about the emotional toll of being hurt or misunderstood can take on each of us?
2. We see each of these authors expressing their hurt, anguish and troubles to God. What can we learn from each of these passages about expressing our distress to God?
3. Have you ever had a time when you have asked God, ‘how long, Lord’?

Thankfully God gives us His comfort and word with a path to deal with hurt and anger. God does want us to acknowledge our hurt, bring it to Him and deal with the root of it. We see this through the examples of others in the scriptures below. Read through these passages and use your sermon notes to discuss what is helpful for you and what questions you might have.

Acknowledge the hurt:
Psalm 39:2-3 – So I remained utterly silent, not even saying anything good. But my anguish increased; my heart grew hot within me. While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue.

Luke 9:54-56 – 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them ?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.

Luke 10:40-42 – 40 She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” 41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

John 11:32-35 – When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. “Where have you laid him?” he asked. “Come and see, Lord,” they replied. Jesus wept.

Deal with the root:
Hebrews 12:15 – See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

4. What practices are helpful for you when facing hurt or enduring difficult circumstances?
5. How can we encourage one another in seasons of trouble, knowing that Christ has already overcome?

Next Step (10 Minutes)

• Unresolved hurt can be challenging to face everyday and also to deal with as we see even in scripture. If there is hurt that you are facing, take time this week to walk through these passages and the steps to acknowledge it, take it to God and work through the root of it. If this next step brings you to a place of needing support from a pastor or a counselor please reach out to our team so we can come alongside you.

Prayer Requests (5 Minutes)

Pray with your group to close.

Challenge

This week, read through the entire chapter of Psalm 56 a couple of times. When you read through it, make one observation that stands out to you to think back on for that day.
For resources on helpful tools to use in reading scripture check out our Grow Spiritually page HERE and scroll down to Bible Reading Resources.