part0013

R eflect on the material you’ve covered this week by engaging in any or all of the following between-sessions activities. Each personal study consists of several reflection activities to help you implement what you learned in the group time. The time you invest will be well spent, so let God use it to draw you closer to him. At your next meeting, share any key points or insights that stood out to you as you spent this time with the Lord.

In this week’s group time, you studied the miracle of Jesus feeding 5,000 men plus women and children with a few loaves of bread and fish. What seemed far from enough to feed a crowd ended up being enough to feed an army. You probably know what it feels like to not have enough time, money, patience, in your own life. It’s easy to feel as if you just don’t have enough to meet your needs, which begs the question: What is enough?

1. What do you feel you do not have enough of in your life right now? What would be enough of whatever you feel short on?

2. We often read the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 as a story of abundance. Jesus miraculously produced an abundance of food, and we hope he will produce an abundance in our lives . But what if we read this story as a lesson in contentment ? What if Jesus wanted us to know what we have in him is enough? Read John’s account of this story again and answer the questions that follow.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.

7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” There was plenty of grass in that place, and they sat down (about five thousand men were there). 11 Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

12 When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” 13 So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten (John 6:5–13).

How many barley loaves and fish were there? How much did everyone in the crowd end up getting to eat? When did the disciples stop serving the food?

3. This miracle proves the adage, “a little goes a long way.” What is an example of this in your life? (It could be with tangible materials like money or food or with intangible things such as love and patience.) Explain your answer.

4. Why do you think it is so tempting to want more than you actually need? Realistically, what do you need more of in your life today? What do you actually have enough of?

5. Have you ever received more of what you needed, but then wanted more on top of it? For example, you got a raise . . . but wanted more money? Or you got a house . . . but then you decided you wanted a bigger one? If so, why did you then want more?

6. What does this miracle say about contentment? How can you apply this model of contentment to what you feel you are lacking today?

Prayer: Spend your prayer time today expressing gratitude to the Lord. Write down a list of what you are thankful for that he has provided. Thank him for each item on this list, and then pray for an attitude of contentment so you can focus on what you have rather than what you want.

During a storm, the natural instinct is to seek shelter. But sometimes that isn’t possible. Like the disciples on the Sea of Galilee, there are times when you find yourself with no choice but to ride out the storm. The money simply doesn’t appear. The relationship doesn’t get righted. The illness doesn’t just go away. At such times, the only way out of the storm is through it. Perhaps this is why Jesus performed this miracle on this sea—to show he was with the disciples as they rode out the storm. In the same way, you can know that he will be present as you ride out your storm.

1. How do you typically weather the storms in your life? What are your coping mechanisms for hard times? Are your coping mechanisms effective? Why or why not?

2. It’s easy to view the Bible as a book that contains magical solutions to problems, but if you look closely, there are fewer solutions than there are suggestions for getting through the hard times. The point of our faith isn’t to use it to avoid pain but rather to use it as a help during pain. We see this clearly in the book of Psalms, which is a collection of poems that not only praise God but also express the writers’ anguish, pain, and confusion. The Psalms beautifully depict what it’s like to be in the middle of a storm, as the following clearly relates:

Underline any descriptions of pain the psalmist uses. What do these descriptions tell you about what the psalmist was going through and what he was feeling?

3. Now underline all the questions the psalmist asks. Of these questions, do any resonate with questions you are asking or have asked during a storm? If so, which ones?

4. Now underline the hopeful passages in this psalm where the psalmist praises God or seems to break through his pain. Why do you think the psalmist was able to have hope and praise God even in the midst of such terrible pain?

Prayer: Identify where you are in your stormy season. Are you feeling deep in pain, or are you able to praise God and find hope? Wherever you are is okay. The psalmist in the passage you read today was honest with God about his questions and feelings. So be honest with God as well. Tell him where you are. Praise him if you are able. Or ask him some hard questions that have been on your mind. If it’s helpful, use this psalm as a guide for your prayer time.

When Jesus was walking toward the disciples in the storm, he identified himself as “I AM” (see John 6:20 NLT ). It was a name God had been using since the story of Moses and the burning bush in the book of Exodus—a title of steadiness and power. This is significant, because Jesus was announcing his identity and his godly power to the disciples. If you pay attention, he will announce the same as you go through your storms in life.

1. As noted above, the first time God calls himself “I AM” occurs when he is talking with Moses at the burning bush. God gives Moses the responsibility of delivering the Israelites from slavery. Read the following account of this meeting and answer the questions below.

12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’ ” (Exodus 3:10–14).

How did Moses respond to God’s calling to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt (see verse 11)? How did God respond to Moses’ hesitation (see verse 12)?

2. The phrase “I AM” in verse 14 uses the same Hebrew verb in verse 12, when God says, “I will be with you.” God was telling Moses the one who has called him is the one who is with him. How beautiful that God has written the promise to be with us into his very name! What do you think God wanted Moses to understand in this passage about who he was and who Moses was?

3. In a way, Moses was also in a storm. He had been told he would be the one to lead this miraculous feat of delivering the Israelites, but he didn’t know how it could be done. If you continue to read Moses’ story, he went through many storms as his people wandered in the desert. But all the while, he had the promise of I AM. In a difficult time, it is natural to ask, “ When and how will this end?” But what if instead you asked, “ Who is God in this time? ” How would asking that question change your outlook?

4. Think about what you have learned about Jesus so far through studying his miracles. What qualities does Jesus have that would make his presence comforting during a storm?

5. The name I AM is a symbol of steadiness and power. What promise do you need most today—Jesus’ steadiness or his power? Why?

6. Whether you are in the middle of a storm, the beginning of one, or a storm is finally behind you, how will you invite I AM to be with you where you are today?

Prayer: Read this prayer silently or aloud: “God, thank you for your promise to be with me. Thank you for your promise of I AM. Help me to cling to this promise today. Help me to see who you are clearly even in the midst of this storm that has made my life far from clear. Reveal your character to me and show me how to trust you more. May my heart look more like yours when this storm is over. I say this all in the name of Jesus, who came to embody the I AM. Amen.”

Use the space below to further reflect on what you studied this week: contentment, how to ride out a storm, and the promise that “I AM” will be with you in every trial. Journal your thoughts or write them as a prayer to God, either asking him questions about what you learned, thanking him for what you learned, or seeking answers from him on what to do next now that you better understand these topics in Scripture. Also write down any observations or questions that you want to bring to your next group time.