Group Discussion Guide
What Do I Do With This? Part 1
GETTING STARTED
Begin your time together by catching up with one another. Take a few moments to share how you have seen God at work in your lives, your families, or your group: “How have you seen God in your life since we last met?”
Begin your time together by catching up with one another. Take a few moments to share how you have seen God at work in your lives, your families, or your group: “How have you seen God in your life since we last met?”
Scripture References from Message: Lamentations 1:1-22
Big Idea: Healing happens as we process our suffering in the presence of God
Big Idea: Healing happens as we process our suffering in the presence of God
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Use these questions to talk through the message together.
Use these questions to talk through the message together.
- What has been your experience with lamenting? Did your family or church background give you permission to cry out honestly to God in anger, grief, or confusion, or were those emotions discouraged?
- Read Lamentations 1:1–2. What words or images stand out to you in this passage? What does it reveal about the depth of Jerusalem’s grief and loneliness?
- Why do you think we sometimes feel pressure to hide our pain, put on a brave face, or act like everything is okay when we're struggling?
- Read Lamentations 1:8 & 18. The people acknowledge their suffering and the consequences of their actions. What do you think it looks like to honestly acknowledge our own mistakes while still allowing ourselves to grieve?
- Pastor Curtis argued that suffering and consequences can come from our own sin or the sin of others. How does this shape the way we understand suffering and how we view God’s role in it? What challenges arise when we try to determine why someone is hurting?
- How might our view of God change when we experience suffering? What helps us distinguish between God causing our pain and God being present with us in our pain?
- Read Lamentations 1:20–22. What emotions do you hear in this passage? What does the writer's willingness to bring such raw, honest feelings to God teach us about prayer?
- Big Idea Reflection: “Healing happens as we process our suffering in the presence of God.” What do you think it means to process suffering in God's presence rather than simply trying to get past it?
- How can we become better at sitting with people in their pain without rushing to explain it, fix it, or offer easy answers?
WEEKLY CHALLENGE
What is one hurt, disappointment, or unresolved emotion you need to bring honestly before God this week? What might it look like to make space for that through prayer, journaling, Scripture, or a conversation with someone you trust?
What is one hurt, disappointment, or unresolved emotion you need to bring honestly before God this week? What might it look like to make space for that through prayer, journaling, Scripture, or a conversation with someone you trust?