Finding Strength in Weakness: Trusting God's Plan
Summary
### Summary
Good morning, everyone. Today, we gather to worship and give thanks to God, recognizing that even in our struggles, God's grace is sufficient for us. We began with a call to worship, affirming our trust in God's presence and justice. Our opening hymn, "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind," set the tone for our reflection on God's power being made perfect in our weakness.
I shared a personal story from my childhood in Florida, where "stickers" or thorns would cling to everything, much like the thorns in our lives. These thorns remind us that everyone has struggles, but through them, God's strength is revealed. We then sang "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," a hymn that underscores the comfort we find in Christ.
Our Gospel reading took us to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed fervently before His crucifixion. This passage highlights the struggle with unanswered prayers and the importance of aligning our will with God's. Jesus' prayer, "Not my will, but yours," teaches us to trust in God's greater plan, even when it diverges from our desires.
I shared a story about a woman who longed to go to heaven, illustrating how God's timing and answers to prayer can shape our lives and those around us. We also discussed the movie "Bruce Almighty," which humorously shows the chaos that would ensue if all prayers were answered with a simple "yes."
Reflecting on my own experience of being appointed to this church, I realized that God's answers to our prayers often lead us to growth and unexpected blessings. My initial reluctance to cross the bridge to Bath turned into a profound connection with this community, demonstrating that God's plans are always for our good.
We concluded with a reminder that prayer is essential, but how we pray and perceive God's answers is crucial. Sometimes, the answers come in ways we don't expect or even in the next life. As we approach the upcoming General Conference, we are called to pray for God's will to be done, trusting that He will guide the decisions that shape our church.
### Key Takeaways
1. God's Strength in Our Weakness: Our struggles and weaknesses are opportunities for God's power to be made perfect. Just as thorns in our lives can be painful, they also remind us of our dependence on God, who uses our vulnerabilities to reveal His strength and grace. [12:32]
2. The Mystery of Unanswered Prayers: Unanswered prayers can be a source of frustration, but they often lead to greater outcomes than we could imagine. Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane teaches us to trust in God's will, knowing that His plans are higher and more profound than our immediate desires. [20:29]
3. God's Timing and Purpose: Sometimes, God's answers to our prayers come in His timing, not ours. The story of the woman longing for heaven shows how God's delayed answers can impact and inspire others, revealing His purpose in ways we might not initially understand. [22:43]
4. The Chaos of Self-Will: The movie "Bruce Almighty" humorously illustrates the chaos that would ensue if all prayers were answered with a "yes." This reminds us that God's wisdom surpasses our understanding, and His answers are always for the greater good, even when they conflict with our immediate desires. [25:01]
5. Growth Through Discomfort: God's answers often lead us to places of discomfort and growth. My own experience of being appointed to this church, despite my initial reluctance, has been a journey of unexpected blessings and profound connections, demonstrating that God's plans are always for our ultimate good. [26:56]
### YouTube Chapters
[0:00] - Welcome
[0:45] - Call to Worship
[1:30] - Opening Hymn: "Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"
[5:56] - Children's Moment: Thorns and Stickers
[12:32] - God's Strength in Our Weakness
[16:13] - Gospel Reading: Garden of Gethsemane
[18:35] - The Struggle with Unanswered Prayers
[20:29] - Jesus' Prayer: Not My Will, But Yours
[22:43] - Story: Longing for Heaven
[25:01] - Bruce Almighty and the Chaos of Yes
[26:56] - Personal Story: Appointment to Bath
[28:48] - The Role of Prayer in Our Lives
[30:40] - Upcoming General Conference
[32:24] - Praying for God's Will
[34:33] - Unanswered Prayer is Not a Thing
[36:53] - Trusting God's Answers
[39:08] - Offering and Announcements
[41:11] - Upcoming Services: Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
[44:41] - Closing Hymn: "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah"
[45:30] - Benediction and Sending Forth
Study Guide
### Bible Study Discussion Guide
#### Bible Reading
1. 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."
2. Matthew 26:36-46 - The account of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane.
#### Observation Questions
1. What does Paul mean when he says, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness"? How does this relate to the thorns in our lives? [12:32]
2. In the Garden of Gethsemane, what were Jesus' emotions and actions as He prayed? How did His disciples respond? [16:13]
3. How does the story of the woman longing for heaven illustrate God's timing and purpose in answering prayers? [22:43]
4. What was the main lesson from the movie "Bruce Almighty" regarding the chaos of self-will and answered prayers? [25:01]
#### Interpretation Questions
1. How can our weaknesses and struggles be opportunities for God's power to be revealed? Reflect on the personal story shared about the "stickers" or thorns. [12:32]
2. Why is it important to align our will with God's, especially in times of unanswered prayers, as demonstrated by Jesus in Gethsemane? [20:29]
3. How does the story of the woman who longed for heaven help us understand the impact of God's delayed answers on our lives and those around us? [22:43]
4. What does the pastor's experience of being appointed to the church in Bath teach us about growth through discomfort and God's plans for our good? [26:56]
#### Application Questions
1. Reflect on a time when you felt weak or struggled. How did you see God's strength and grace revealed in that situation? How can you remind yourself of God's sufficiency in future struggles? [12:32]
2. Have you ever experienced a situation where your prayer was not answered in the way you expected? How did you come to understand or accept God's will in that situation? [20:29]
3. Think about a time when you were impatient for God's answer to a prayer. How can you cultivate patience and trust in God's timing and purpose in your current prayer life? [22:43]
4. How do you handle situations where your desires conflict with God's will? What steps can you take to align your will more closely with God's, especially in challenging times? [20:29]
5. Consider the chaos depicted in "Bruce Almighty" when all prayers were answered with a "yes." How can you trust in God's wisdom and greater good, even when His answers conflict with your immediate desires? [25:01]
6. Reflect on a time when you were placed in an uncomfortable situation that led to personal growth. How can you embrace discomfort as an opportunity for growth and trust in God's plans for your good? [26:56]
7. As we approach the upcoming General Conference, how can you pray for God's will to be done in the decisions that shape our church? What specific prayers can you lift up for the church community and its future? [30:40]
Devotional
Day 1: God's Strength in Our Weakness
Our struggles and weaknesses are opportunities for God's power to be made perfect. Just as thorns in our lives can be painful, they also remind us of our dependence on God, who uses our vulnerabilities to reveal His strength and grace. The thorns in our lives, much like the "stickers" or thorns from childhood, cling to us and remind us of our human frailty. However, these very weaknesses are the places where God's power can shine the brightest. When we are weak, God is strong, and His grace is sufficient for us in every situation. [12:32]
2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV): "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
Reflection: Think of a current struggle or weakness in your life. How can you invite God to show His strength through this situation today?
Day 2: The Mystery of Unanswered Prayers
Unanswered prayers can be a source of frustration, but they often lead to greater outcomes than we could imagine. Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane teaches us to trust in God's will, knowing that His plans are higher and more profound than our immediate desires. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced the ultimate test of aligning His will with the Father's. His prayer, "Not my will, but yours," is a powerful reminder that God's answers to our prayers are not always what we expect, but they are always for our ultimate good. [20:29]
Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
Reflection: Reflect on a time when a prayer of yours went unanswered. How did God's plan unfold in that situation, and what did you learn from it?
Day 3: God's Timing and Purpose
Sometimes, God's answers to our prayers come in His timing, not ours. The story of the woman longing for heaven shows how God's delayed answers can impact and inspire others, revealing His purpose in ways we might not initially understand. God's timing is perfect, even when it doesn't align with our own. His delays are not denials but are often opportunities for growth and deeper trust in His plan. [22:43]
Habakkuk 2:3 (ESV): "For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay."
Reflection: Think about a prayer you are still waiting for God to answer. How can you trust in His timing and purpose today?
Day 4: The Chaos of Self-Will
The movie "Bruce Almighty" humorously illustrates the chaos that would ensue if all prayers were answered with a "yes." This reminds us that God's wisdom surpasses our understanding, and His answers are always for the greater good, even when they conflict with our immediate desires. If every prayer were answered according to our will, the world would be in chaos. God's wisdom ensures that His answers are always for the greater good, even when they conflict with our immediate desires. [25:01]
Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV): "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Reflection: Consider a desire or prayer you have been holding onto tightly. How can you surrender this to God's wisdom and trust in His greater plan?
Day 5: Growth Through Discomfort
God's answers often lead us to places of discomfort and growth. My own experience of being appointed to this church, despite my initial reluctance, has been a journey of unexpected blessings and profound connections, demonstrating that God's plans are always for our ultimate good. Discomfort often precedes growth. When we step out of our comfort zones and trust in God's leading, we find unexpected blessings and profound connections that shape our lives in meaningful ways. [26:56]
James 1:2-4 (ESV): "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
Reflection: Identify an area of your life where you feel discomfort or reluctance. How can you embrace this as an opportunity for growth and trust in God's plan?
Quotes
1. "So I was thinking about that when it was talking about the thorns in our flesh. And I was thinking that for a lot of us, we don't think about the fact that everybody's got thorns, right? Pretty much everybody does because we're human beings and there are things that happen in our lives. Stickers, don't care who you are. If you're there, if you're in the world, you're going to get covered with stickers. Well, the fact of the matter is because we're human beings, we're going to have thorns. But we're going to trust because God said, in your weakness is my strength made perfect." [12:32] (48 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
2. "The problem is that when we look at prayer, what we often do is we look for the prayer answer that we want, right? We look for what we're expecting God to answer. What do you think would have happened if God had answered Jesus's prayer with, okay, you don't have to be crucified. You don't have to die. You don't have to rise from the dead. You don't have to do any of that. Where do you think we would be today if God had answered prayer? That way. We wouldn't be a Christian church because that's part of what created the church that follows Jesus." [18:35] (47 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
3. "So I want us to think about the fact that when we look through the Bible, there are a lot of situations in this Bible where there's a good possibility people were praying different ways, right? Praying opposite sides of an issue. Because what happens when you have wars? You have people disagreeing. Sometimes it's two. Sometimes it's a lot more than two. If they're both praying very devoutly that God will answer their prayer, is it possible? That God can answer both prayers? Yes. It's unlikely in most cases, at least." [19:50] (46 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
4. "God puts us in uncomfortable places because those are the places we grow. Those are the places we learn. Those are the places that help us to share all the things that have happened in our own lives to people who are struggling with the same thing. There are things that I would happily give up. That thorn in the flesh kind of thing. I would give up panic disorder in a heartbeat. It still happens sometimes for those of you who don't know. Panic disorder is one of those situations where literally you will just be going about your everyday kind of stuff and all of a sudden you are convinced that if you don't leave that space in that time you're going to drop dead." [28:48] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
5. "Sometimes that prayer that we lift up is not unanswered but answered in a better way. That we don't see. Sometimes we don't see the answer at all in this lifetime. Did you know that? Sometimes the thing that we pray for isn't going to happen while we're alive. It's going to happen afterward. As United Methodists, there are a lot of things that we ought to be praying for. We had Bishop's Day on the district yesterday. And there are some things coming up that I'll invite you all to lift up in prayer. And I'll ask you to pray the same way that Jesus prayed. Not my will but yours. Not our will but yours." [29:55] (57 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
6. "When I was in seminary, they told us, write down what you pray for, and then later go back and look at it and see, did this prayer get answered? Was the answer yes? Was the answer no? Was the answer not yet? Or do you not have a clue? Because all of those are possibilities, but oftentimes we don't know until we go back and look the things that actually, if it had been answered yes, would not have been answered. If it had been answered yes, would not have been as good as the answer we got. I wouldn't have been here, and I love you guys." [34:33] (43 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
7. "So, unanswered prayer is not really a thing, because God always answers our prayer. It's just not always the prayer that we think it will be, and I'm going to share just a quick story that Adam shared, I believe, in this chapter. He had a congregation member who was, dying of cancer on hospice, very late end-stage cancer, and he was praying, even knowing that this guy was probably going to die within a very short time span. I think it was like within a week or so, but he was praying for him in his nightly prayers, and he said when he went to visit, he could always tell when he'd forgotten to pray for the guy, because he was praying, and he would come, and the guy would say, one of two things, I slept really well last night, or I just couldn't get to sleep last night at all, and he realized, looking at his night the night before, that there was a very close connection. When he prayed, the guy got to sleep. When he didn't pray, the guy didn't." [34:33] (92 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
8. "So lift up in prayer all your concerns to God. And trust that God is there and help share God with all the world. Amen." [44:41] (12 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)
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