Beyond the Weekend: EPIC
Stories of Trust, Failure and Faith That Point to Jesus
What does it look like to believe God, not just believe in God? This fall, we're diving into the raw, unfiltered stories of biblical heroes who wrestled with doubt, took dangerous detours, and discovered that trusting God means following him even when you can't see the outcome. Their epic journeys of trust, failure and faith all point to the ultimate hero—Jesus.
Key Messaging Points:
- There's a difference between believing in God and believing God
- God speaks in life's detours and disruptions
- Wrestling with God transforms us
- Trusting God means obeying before you see the outcome
- Every story of human struggle points to Jesus
Faithful in Disappointment
Read: 1 Samuel 8:1-7 Listen: 1 Samuel 8
And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” 1 Samuel 8:7
Disappointment crashes over Samuel in waves. His sons have not followed in his faithful ways. The people ask for a king, and Samuel feels deeply rejected. Samuel anoints Israel’s first king, Saul, who soon disobeys the Lord, resulting in the loss of the kingdom (1 Samuel 13:14). Yet, in these deep disappointments, Samuel still listens to God. He still follows his directions. God calls Samuel out of his disappointment to look toward the future and anoint a new king (1 Samuel 16:1-4). Even though the people have been unfaithful, Samuel is faithful to pray for them and teach them God’s ways (1 Samuel 12:23).
Disappointment is inevitable in our fallen world. Our natural tendency may be to numb out, check out or shut people out. The question is: Where do we go with our disappointment? Whether it’s disappointment over a lost friendship, the way life has turned out, parents who let us down, the decisions someone makes or someone who walked out on us, we can keep our hearts alive to God and others, through his help. Like a garden needs water in drought, our hearts need God’s presence in disappointment. He invites us to cry out to him in our deepest disappointments. We can trust that while the situation may not change, he will be present with us.
TODAY: Keep your heart alive to God by praising him for who he is and what he has done through Jesus. Join Ada Bible Worship as they sing “Praise the Lord.” Let the lyrics guide your worship. “Through the shadow, through the storm…The greater the fight then let the praise roar.”
