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Shattered - Finding Hope in the Book of Job
June 12,2022
Week 2: How Can I Handle This?
Jeff Griffin
Job 3-37
We’d all love to avoid challenging and painful seasons, but the reality is that devastating hardship is a part of everyday life. To avoid letting struggles overwhelm us, we can look to God’s survival principles. This week, we find out how we can handle hardship, as we journey through lament.
Just like an obstacle course is really hard and varied, sometimes we do well, and other times things seem to completely implode. What were your best and worst moments from the previous week?
1. Read Job 2:11-13. What are some potential benefits of simply showing up for a close friend who’s experiencing a challenging time, even if you never really say a word? Has someone ever done that for you? If so, how did that make you feel?
“When Job’s three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”
2. Jeff described four basic philosophies for processing lament. Key #1: ADDRESS the Lord. Why do you think it’s important to speak honestly with God, even if it’s hard?
3. Key #2: COMPLAINT. What do you think of this key? Does it feel more normal or uncomfortable to you to “rant” to God? How do verses like these below inspire you to live out this principle?
“Why do you hide your face and consider me your enemy?” (Job 13:24)
“In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.” (Psalm 18:6)
4. Key #3: REQUEST God’s assistance. How does Job exemplify this? Why do you think it’s important for us to acknowledge what we need from God?
5. KEY 4: HOPE in the Lord. What hope can we find in the Messianic Hope? And in places like Job 19:25?
I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth.”
Lament is not meant to end in darkness, but to connect us with God in our eternal hope. Spend some time in prayer as a group, asking the Lord to encourage every group member to follow this path of Job and connect with God in deep, meaningful ways. Especially whenever life’s difficulties come your way.