Finding Faith in Hindsight
Scripture: Psalm 27:1, Psalm 127 NIV
Decorations
Fill a pie plate with sand. Place small rocks on the sand with a cross secured to a lighted, battery-operated tea candle in the middle.
Refreshments
It is a comfort to know that God will hold us through difficult times. Serve comfort food: chicken and waffles, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken fried steak, mac and cheese, Chicago-style pizza, grilled cheese and tomato soup, or matzo ball soup. Or if you are only going to serve a snack, ice cream with all the toppings is always a winner.
Activity – Decoupage Stones
As a reminder that God wants to be the stronghold of our life, supply everyone with a smooth stone. Print the words of Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” on slips of paper. Decoupage the verse to the stones.
Discussion Questions
Depending on the size of the group, you may want to break into smaller groups for great participation.
- What were you afraid of when you were a child?
- How did you overcome that fear?
- What is your greatest fear today – heights, flying, spiders, snakes.
- Do you have fears about events – speaking to a group, voicing your opinion because you might appear foolish, fear of large crowds, getting lost going to a new location.
- What fears do you have regarding your family – illness, safety, alcohol, drugs, getting old.
- Do you fear death of yourself, spouse, or children?
Whom Shall I Fear?
It is hard to remember that God is your stronghold when you are in a difficult place in your life. To give praise to the Lord when it seems every effort made is an impossibility. However, the psalmist proclaims in 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” (NIV)
I woke up one June morning three weeks after my sixth and last child had been born, and it was just like any other day. I went outside and retrieved the paper, cut the rubber band, and then my world went blank. I awoke to my husband frantically trying to get me to wake up. The hours and weeks afterward were a hazy blur. I had had a major stroke that weakened my right side. As a servant of God, an officer, a wife, and a mother with a newborn, I suddenly had a new way of life to discover. So did everyone around me, including my family and corps. Did I mention also a new relationship with God? As I faced three solid weeks of therapy, learning how to walk, talk, and even do things like dress and cook again, I held onto the light and stronghold from the Lord that we read about in Psalms. My first weeks at home were a hilarious mess! I squirted toothpaste everywhere but on the brush. I tried to crack an egg over the pan instead of a bowl. I did exactly what the therapist said not to do. Psalm 124:4 says that “the flood would have engulfed us,” then in verses 7 and 8 we see the same sentiment repeated that we saw in verse 27.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid.”
Wash, rinse, and repeat…I think the scripture is trying to tell us something. Everyone we meet in our ministries has gone through some type of life crisis. It does not have to be a stroke. It can come in the form of deep loss or minor crises like a parking ticket. Every woman in our Women’s Ministries group has experienced at least one trial in their life. It is not the crisis that defines us, it is the faith we hold onto that sees us through the raging storm. The Lord is the stronghold of my life, the cleft in the rock, the shelter from the storm. Most people do not know about my crisis of 18 years ago. Unless they shake my hand too hard or throw something to my right hand. Those turbulent waters are calm now and God has me.
I have been watching a Holmes on Homes special from way back. There was an episode where he and his crew went to build a home for a family that had been affected by Hurricane Katrina. Actor Brad Pitt had put the project together. Holmes was building the first home to get it started. To rebuild fifteen home was the goal in this area, homes that had been devastated when the levee broke that day. Imagine being rescued from your home by a boat only to witness the destruction of yours’ and your neighbors’ home as you speed away from what could have been your last hours on earth.
An ocean normally stays within its boundaries but, forces of nature can whip it up into something ferocious. Our lives can be a lot like that ocean. Most days we are just ebbing and flowing, going about our business. Then the forces outside of our control come and our lives become an uncontrollable torrent of unfettered emotions, actions, and words. It is then that we must look for the lifeboat. There is someone out there looking to rescue us. He wants to provide us with an anchor. He wants to be a stronghold in the midst of an uncontrollable storm. Life sometimes gets messy because of sin. Again, what are we going to let Him do about it? “Whom shall I Fear?”
If you had told me 30 years ago, I’d be married, have 6 children, be called to become a Salvation Army Officer, have a stroke and still be my kind of normal, and still love what I do 25 years later even on the toughest days; I might have looked askew at God and said go find some other joker and I’ll stay with what I know and that is not people. That might be why the Lord does not let us see our futures. Faith in hindsight, is far better than no sight at all. The Lord is on our side through all life’s trials and that makes us stronger. Looking at what He has done before can gird us up to prepare for the battles ahead.
Conclusion
Looking back at the discussion questions you answered, here is the final question. How are you coping with your fears? What can you do differently from your previous coping mechanisms?
Close in Prayer
