As we continue to set our eyes on God, being reminded of his never-changing nature in the midst of an ever-changing world, we are given hope and peace. But hope and peace don't come simply from recognizing God's holiness, love, and power. For these characteristics to be truly comforting the God of holiness, love, and, power must be near. He must be with us.
Application Questions:
1. How can you practically meditate on Psalm 139 this week (reading it, memorizing it, praying through it, etc.)?
2. Why is it comforting that God knows everything?
3. Why is it comforting that God is present with you?
4. Why is it comforting that God has always been with you?
5. Of the three responses modeled in the Psalm (intimate comfort, righteous anger, humble surrender), which are most familiar and which do you need to seek to develop?
07. Knowing God's Nearness
“In this moment God is saying to you: "I know. I'm here. I've always been here.”
May 3, 2020
12. Knowing God's Compassion
May 31, 2020
In a world where pain, struggle, and difficulty continue to mount, we instincitvely turn in all sorts of directions looking for comfort. But, we so seldom find it. What does it mean that God is the "God of all comfort?" And how can we access that true comfort when the waves of suffering keep coming? In our passage today God teaches us about the true nature of comfort, and about the ultimate purpose he has for the comfort he so consistently gives us. Application Questions: 1. Where, other than God, do you tend to turn for comfort? 2. Whether you had a particularly comforting mother or not, how is God's comfort uniquely reflected in the God-given comfort of mothers? 3. How does remembering all of the different attributes we've studied over the past few months bring us greater comfort? 4. How can you practically help those around you turn to the God of perfect compassion for comfort?
10. Knowing God's Sovereignty
May 24, 2020
God is sovereign over the entire universe. He is sovereign over the natural world, He is sovereign over individual people, and He is sovereign over the spiritual realm. His sovereignty is one of His perfections that makes Him absolutely unique in all the universe, and absolutely powerful over all things. Application Questions: 1. How does the biblical picture of God's sovereignty over all the universe challenge your understanding of God? 2. What are ways that you think of God more like a "big, strong human" than as truly God? 3. How does God's sovereigntychallengeyour understanding of the world? How does God's sovereigntyencourageyou and give youhopein the midst of this world? 4. What three things should change in your life this week in light of the power of God?
08. Knowing God's Justice
May 10, 2020
Knowing God means knowing his justice, an often misunderstood aspect of God's character. Far from being something that repels us, God's perfect justice invites us to joy, comfort, and even a new way of being in the world. Application Questions: 1. How do you react to the idea that God is just? Is God's justice compelling or dry, troubling or joyful? 2. What makes God's judgment different from our judgment? 3. How does God's justice affect how you relate to him? How does Jesus' death and resurrection fit in to your answer?