WHY

Message Notes: “Why?”
Message by Richard Rock 

 Today’s Scripture References:

• Isaiah 53.5
• Matthew 27.45-47
• Hebrews 4.15
• Proverbs 3.5-6
• Genesis 50.20
• Romans 8.28
• 1 Corinthians 13.12
• 1 Corinthians 2.9
• Romans 8.37-39
• Romans 8.1-2
• 1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

Think about it…

This week, we learned another way to live through a bad day by observing how Jesus handled His worst day. After hours of horrible pain on the day of His crucifixion, Jesus questioned God. As He asked God, “Why,” He set the example for us to aim our hard questions at God rather than man. God can handle our toughest day and our toughest questions; we just need to ask Him. When things around us don’t make sense, we need to remember God loves us. We need to trust in His nature, His promises, and His final destination for us. He is the Father of compassion, He is always there for us, and our troubles here on Earth are momentary when we view them with an eternal perspective. Simply put, Jesus went through the worst on Earth so we could experience God’s best in heaven. In a challenging season that prompts us to ask “why,” we can learn from our pain and show love to others as God leads us through our trials. Real worship is trusting God when life doesn’t make sense, and worshipping through the “why” will cause our pain to lose power as we magnify God.

“… My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Matthew 27:46

Talk about it…

• Why is it so important to trust God when life doesn’t make sense? Discuss how having a relationship with God and worshipping Him through difficult times can help you get through life’s challenges.
• In the middle of a difficult situation, we may wonder where God is and why we face certain struggles. Discuss what you learned from this message on how to persevere during troubling circumstances. How can you apply what you’ve learned to help someone else overcome a trial by trusting in God?
• Have you ever questioned God or gotten angry with Him when you were going through a painful time? Share what you learned from that experience and how you might handle that situation differently after hearing this message.

Pray about it…

• This week make time to worship God before asking Him to meet your needs. Share your pain with Him and ask Him to reveal His purpose in your tough season. Tell Him that you will trust Him in good times and in bad times. Thank Him for consistently carrying you through the trials of life.

Act on it…

• Reading Plan: Join us this week in our church-wide reading plan as we continue to wrestle with our “Why” questions in hard seasons. Click here.
  • We’d love to hear your voice in this conversation or simply just read along with us!
• Invite someone to join you for church online next week. Here are some tools to help.