Awakened by Adversity – Pt 5
All scriptures are from the New Living Translation.
Job 38:1-3
Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorant words?
3 Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
Job 38:4-21
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
5 Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
6 What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
7 as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
8 “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
as it burst from the womb,
9 and as I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it in thick darkness?
10 For I locked it behind barred gates,
limiting its shores.
11 I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
Here your proud waves must stop!’
12 “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear
and caused the dawn to rise in the east?
13 Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,
to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?
14 As the light approaches,
the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;
it is robed in brilliant colors.
15 The light disturbs the wicked
and stops the arm that is raised in violence.
16 “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?
Have you explored their depths?
17 Do you know where the gates of death are located?
Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?
18 Do you realize the extent of the earth?
Tell me about it if you know!
19 “Where does light come from,
and where does darkness go?
20 Can you take each to its home?
Do you know how to get there?
21 But of course you know all this!
For you were born before it was all created,
and you are so very experienced!
Psalm 19:1-4a
1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
2 Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
3 They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.[a]
4 Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
Psalm 19:4b-6
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.
God has made a home in the heavens for the sun.
5 It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding.
It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race.
6 The sun rises at one end of the heavens
and follows its course to the other end.
Nothing can hide from its heat.
Psalm 119:105
105 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet
and a light for my path.
Job 40:1-5
2“Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”
3 Then Job replied to the Lord,
4 “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
5 I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”
Job didn’t need explanation. He needed vision of God’s greatness.
How God’s greatness shifts our focus:
1. God is the Creator, and I am not.
2. God sets boundaries for chaos.
3. God rules over time, light, and life.
4. God brings wisdom into the darkness.
5. God’s creation reflects His unmatched wisdom.
SMALL GROUP MEETING OUTLINE
Where your faith intersects with real life!
Reconnect:
Each person shares a recent high and low from their life.
Explore:
Review the message notes.
Big Idea: God’s response shifts Job from self-focus to God-focused and enlarges Job’s view of God’s wisdom displayed in creation.
Consider:
Choose one or two questions for your Group to discuss as time allows.
▶ Read Job 38:1-3. God spoke to Elijah in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:9-13).Why do you think God spoke to Job “from the whirlwind?” How have you experienced God speaking to you?
▶ When, during a life transition, have you believed God helped you shift from self-focused to God-focused?
▶ Take a quick look at the notes and consider the five questions God asked Job to consider to shift his perspective from self to God. Which of these questions resonated with you? Why?
▶ One of God’s questions to Job concerned God’s creation of and ordering boundaries amid perceived chaos. How have you seen God set boundaries in chaos you have encountered?
Activate:
Spend a moment in silence to consider your response, then share with the Group.
Ask the Holy Spirit to highlight a situation in which you know you need to shift from being self-focused to gaining God’s perspective and response. Then ask the Holy Spirit what the first step in that response could be.
Prayer:
Thank God for the highs and lift up the lows.
Pray that your group will have the courage to respond to the Holy Spirit’s advice about gaining God’s perspective on the situation He led them to.