Practicing Hope | Week Two

We all want to expect better ahead. Depending on our current circumstance and the world around us, that may be hard, or we may be tempted to put our hope in shaky things. But God, in Jesus, has guaranteed good ahead no matter the state of the world or our place in it. We can have a confident expectation because of the God who promised, the Spirit within us, Jesus who leads us, and the community that surrounds us. So we take a new grip daily by Practicing Hope.

Use this guide to dive into what scripture has to say about the hope we have, no matter what the world looks like around us. This study can be done alone, but growing closer to Jesus is always better with others. Find a group of people to walk through this study with and see what you discover about hope and each other along the way.


Arrival:

  1. What were the high and low points of your week?

  2. When was a moment you experienced or witnessed “hope” this last week?

  3. What is one thing God invited you to do to be obedient to Him this last week?

  4. How did the practice of memorizing Psalm 23 go last week? Share your experiences.

    Scripture:

  5. Begin by reading Psalm 131. Read it in two different translations.

  6. Take time on your own to rewrite the Psalm in your own words. Then speak out your rewritten Psalms to the group as a prayer.

  7. What does this Psalm say about God?

  8. What does this Psalm say about people?

  9. How does this Psalm help you to practice hope?

    Practice:

  10. This week, we will practice hope by growing in our awareness of God’s presence in our everyday lives. Think about the challenges or situations in your life that are grabbing for your attention. Commit to praying Psalm 131 each day this next week over one of those challenges.

Challenge: Offer to pray Psalm 131 over someone who is close to you but far from God.


Practicing HopeKASEY SMITH