When You Are . . .

Week 3 | “When You Are . . .  Brokenhearted”

August 22 – 28, 2021

Big Idea

When you are brokenhearted, move toward God and experience his presence.

Scripture

Psalm 23

Icebreaker

When you are brokenhearted, what is the most important thing someone can do for you? What have you experienced as helpful?

Opening Thought

Perhaps we struggle with lament in America because we believe that we have to have it all together before God. “If I’m honest about my pain and my struggles, it would infer I don’t believe God’s promises or trust his goodness”. Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

Bible Discussion

  1. Read Psalm 23. What do you notice? What do you typically associate this passage with?
  2. Re-read Psalm 23:1-3. What does this say about God and his provision?
  3. Re-read Psalm 23:3-4. What does this say about God’s leading?
  4. Re-read Psalm 23:5-6. What do these passages promise us in the midst of trials?

Life Application

  1. In the Psalms, David demonstrates that we don’t have to shortcut, bypass, explain away or put a happy face on our broken-heartedness. David doesn’t show us the perfect, respectable, always-has-it-together grief; he shows us what it looks like to fall apart, to rail at God, to wallow and despair. What do you think keeps us from pressing into grief in this way?
  2. Why is it hard to trust God when we are brokenhearted? How does your earlier discussion of Psalm 23 play into this conversation?
  3. Soong-Chan Rah wrote, “Lament is honesty before God and each other. If something has truly been declared dead, there is no use in sugarcoating that reality. To hide from suffering and death would be an act of denial.” This is bold truth-telling, but we often don’t see it in that light. Why?
  4. As hard and painful as it is to go through grief, what if there’s more freedom, joy, and healing on the other side. How would giving ourselves the space to be honest about the hard parts of life bring more freedom, joy, and healing?
  5. How can you practice bold truth-telling this week? There might be some distance between where you are and wholeness. Can you name that this week and bring it before God?