King Street Community Church
Finding God–when it's hard.
Locations & Times
King Street Community Church
611 King St W, Oshawa, ON L1J 2L1, Canada
Sunday 10:30 AM
Connect Card
We're glad you're here and would love to connect with you! Feel free to fill out the form below to connect with our pastors for prayer, information, and updates! Also, checkout kingstreet.org for more details on upcoming events.
https://mykscc.ccbchurch.com/goto/forms/23/responses/newPassage to Ponder
Finding God requires …
(1) Intentionality
(2) Prayer
(3) Turning away and toward (thinking and behaviour)
Finding God When It’s Hard …
1. When we encounter hard, we become more open to the larger story of our lives.
“The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” (Mark Twain)
- Trouble makes us feel vulnerable
- Trouble can make us hard.
- Trouble can lead us to purpose and program.
(1) Intentionality
(2) Prayer
(3) Turning away and toward (thinking and behaviour)
Finding God When It’s Hard …
1. When we encounter hard, we become more open to the larger story of our lives.
“The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” (Mark Twain)
- Trouble makes us feel vulnerable
- Trouble can make us hard.
- Trouble can lead us to purpose and program.
Take-away #1
Thorns come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and God doesn’t always take away the pain – but he does give us grace for the moment. Pain can lead us to Christ and an experience of his power in our weakness that we would never know if we were strong on our own.
2. When we encounter hard, it can lead to a crisis of faith or perhaps a deeper one.
Thorns come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and God doesn’t always take away the pain – but he does give us grace for the moment. Pain can lead us to Christ and an experience of his power in our weakness that we would never know if we were strong on our own.
2. When we encounter hard, it can lead to a crisis of faith or perhaps a deeper one.
- Mark’s gospel records, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38b)
Take-away #2
Sometimes God will rebuke the wind and the waves and provide a rescue through changed circumstances. Other times the thorns remain in-play and require a deeper
surrender and trust. It’s human to prefer changed circumstances over embedded thorns. When we feel swamped by storms and the prick of the thorn, we are more open to the speaking voice of God.
3. When we encounter hard, our heart is tested and revealed.
- No one likes tests, but they are opportunities for greater awareness and growth.
Take-away #2
Sometimes God will rebuke the wind and the waves and provide a rescue through changed circumstances. Other times the thorns remain in-play and require a deeper
surrender and trust. It’s human to prefer changed circumstances over embedded thorns. When we feel swamped by storms and the prick of the thorn, we are more open to the speaking voice of God.
3. When we encounter hard, our heart is tested and revealed.
- No one likes tests, but they are opportunities for greater awareness and growth.
- Loss is painful, and should not be minimized or ignored. Grieving our losses is not inconsistent with a life of vibrant faith.
- The voices of others can be incredibly powerful and painful.
Take-away #3
Good people are not exempt from testing and trouble. Things are not always as they seem, and we do well to avoid passing judgment or drawing premature conclusions, as there is often much more going on. Listening to the commentary of others is not always
helpful, living with radical acceptance with a firm resolve to trust a good God is always the way forward.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1. Have you had an experience in your life that was in the "trouble category" that led you to a greater connection and knowledge of God? Explain.
2. When you have persistent challenges that resemble "thorns" like Paul experienced in 2 Corinthians 12 are feel like you're going to drown like the disciples in Luke 8 - are you tempted to believe that God has forgotten you? How do you process those thoughts and feelings?
3. What voices are the most helpful when you are experiencing the losses of life (think Job's wife)?
4. Read James 1:2-4 again and think about the ways that the trials of life lead to maturity. Do you believe this is true? Explain.
Good people are not exempt from testing and trouble. Things are not always as they seem, and we do well to avoid passing judgment or drawing premature conclusions, as there is often much more going on. Listening to the commentary of others is not always
helpful, living with radical acceptance with a firm resolve to trust a good God is always the way forward.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
1. Have you had an experience in your life that was in the "trouble category" that led you to a greater connection and knowledge of God? Explain.
2. When you have persistent challenges that resemble "thorns" like Paul experienced in 2 Corinthians 12 are feel like you're going to drown like the disciples in Luke 8 - are you tempted to believe that God has forgotten you? How do you process those thoughts and feelings?
3. What voices are the most helpful when you are experiencing the losses of life (think Job's wife)?
4. Read James 1:2-4 again and think about the ways that the trials of life lead to maturity. Do you believe this is true? Explain.