MESSAGE NOTES AND INDIVIDUAL/GROUP REFLECTION QUESTIONS, 1/26/25

When it comes to faith, everyone has doubts. What are yours? Questions and doubts are not the enemy of faith. They’re the path to a deeper faith. Whether a longtime Christian or brand new to faith, we are hoping you realize that our compassionate God is not afraid of the hard questions you have and you don’t have to be either.

This week, we will focus on the question:  What do we do when prayers go unanswered? 

CONNECT

  1. When did prayer begin to matter to you? And what are your top three prayer requests that God has answered? How do they impact your faith in Him?

REFLECT  

  1. What is your most significant unanswered prayer (something that you are waiting on in the present future or was never fulfilled in the past)? What emotions (glad, mad, sad, scared, shame, shock, etc.) arise when thinking about it?

  1. How have unanswered prayers shaped your relationship with God—have they caused you to distance yourself, be disillusioned, or deepen in curious trust?

  1. When prayers go unanswered, how do we interpret passages like John 15:7 or Matthew 21:21-22? Do  you see how these passages, full of hyperbole and metaphor, can be misinterpreted? What do you think Jesus is really trying to convey?

  1. How can Jesus’ teaching on prayer (Matthew 6:9-13 – note verse 10 and the order of the prayer) and His example of praying (Luke 22:42) best inform our motives as we pray?

  1. With brokenness and suffering being allowed by God in this world, how have you experienced moments where God’s grace felt sufficient in you when your pleading prayers to God, like Paul, (see 2 Corinthians 12:7-10) have gone unanswered?

  1. What practical steps can you take to move from less doubt to greater faith when faced with unanswered prayers? Note these options and or name others:

Remember Answered Prayers  |  Wait or Grieve – write a prayer of lament

Hold onto Curious Trust  |  Look for Unexpected Blessings

PRAYER

Holy and loving God, thank you for inviting us into relationship with you through prayer. Thank you for listening to us and hearing our prayers. Help us to remember that you are always in our midst, that your love always surrounds us, and that you are ready to give us your gifts of peace, comfort, wisdom, and direction, as we are ready to receive them. Help us to be open to the ways you respond to our prayers and the ways you call us to be answers in your name to the prayers of others; in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.

RESOURCE

Wrestling with Doubt Finding Faith – Adam Hamilton

Email my notes