Group Study Guide: What to Do When You Don't Know What to Do

Icebreaker Question: Share about a time when you felt completely powerless to change a difficult situation. How did you respond?

Key Scripture References:

* Mark 10:46-52 (Bartimaeus)
* Psalm 18:6
* 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
* James 1:2-4
* James 5:16
* Romans 8:28

Main Takeaways:

1. Cry Out to God
When we face situations beyond our control, our first response should always be prayer. God hears us in our distress.

2. Give Yourself Permission to Mourn
It's okay to feel sad, to grieve, and to acknowledge pain. Jesus wept, and we can too.

3. Learn Contentment in Weakness
Our weakness allows God's power to be perfected in us. Strength comes from relying on God, not ourselves.

4. Confess Wrongdoing
Bringing sin into the light through confession brings healing and freedom from guilt.

5. Reach Out to God's People
Fellowship with other Christians provides comfort and support during difficult times.

6. Wait for God
Trust God's timing and control over the future rather than trying to control it.

7. Seek God's Purpose
Ask for wisdom to see what God may want to teach you through your trial and trust that He works all things for good.

Discussion Questions:

Section 1: Crying Out to God
1. The sermon mentions that "cry out" appears 47 times in the Psalms. Why do you think God wants us to cry out to Him?
2. Read Mark 10:46-52. What impresses you most about Bartimaeus's faith? What kept him crying out even when others told him to be quiet?
3. Have you ever desperately cried out to God. How do you think He may have responded to that?
4. What's the difference between believing God can help and believing God will help?

Section 2: The Permission to Mourn
5. Why do we often feel guilty for mourning or feeling sad, especially as Christians?
6. Gary mentioned that Jesus wept when He saw Mary and others weeping over Lazarus. What does this tell us about how God views our grief?
7. How can we balance mourning our losses while also trusting in God's goodness?
8. Have you ever felt pressure to "celebrate" when you really needed to mourn? How can we better support those who are grieving?

Section 3: Contentment in Weakness
9. Read 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Why would Paul "boast" about his weaknesses?
10. The sermon states: "We want the strength to come from us." Why is it so hard to admit we need God's strength instead of relying on our own?
11. Share about a situation where you had to rely completely on God because you had no other option. What did you learn?
12. How does recognizing our vulnerability help us cast our anxieties on God?

Section 4: Confession and Community
13. Read James 5:16. Why is confessing our sins to others so powerful for healing?
14. What fears keep us from confessing our struggles to trusted friends?
15. Gary said, "If you bring your sin into the light, you will find that you have fellowship even around your temptations and mistakes." Have you found this to be true?
16. How can our group make it safe to confession and build accountability?

Section 5: Reaching Out to God's People
17. Read 2 Corinthians 7:6. How did God comfort Paul? What does this teach us about the role of fellowship?
18. When you're struggling, do you tend to isolate or reach out? Why?
19. How can we move beyond "pithy statements" to truly sitting with people in their pain?

Section 6: Waiting for God
20. Read Isaiah 40:31. What does it mean practically to "wait for the Lord"?
21. The sermon states: "The greatest source of our anxiety is our attempt to control the future." Do you agree? Why or why not?
22. What are you trying to control right now that you need to trust God to handle?

Section 7: Seeking God's Purpose
23. Read James 1:2-4. What is being tested in trials? Why does God allow this testing?
24. Can you look back on a difficult season and now see God's purpose in it?
25. When you're in the middle of suffering, how can you seek God's purpose without minimizing the pain?

Practical Applications

This Week's Challenge:
Choose at least one of these practices to implement this week:

Option 1: Prayer Journal
* Start a prayer journal where you honestly cry out to God about your struggles
* Write down specific requests and later record how God answers

Option 2: Discussion Partner
* Identify one trusted Christian friend
* Schedule a time to meet, discuss, pray, and encourage

Option 3: Service in Weakness
* Identify an area where you feel weak or inadequate
* Volunteer to serve in that area, trusting God's strength

Option 4: Encouragement Ministry
* Reach out to someone you know is struggling
* Don't offer quick fixes—just sit with them in their pain

Option 5: Purpose Seeking
* If you're currently in a difficult situation, spend time this week asking God: "What do You want me to learn from this?"
* Journal your reflections

Group Prayer Time:

Prayer Prompts:
* Pray for group members facing situations where they don't know what to do
* Pray for courage to open up aobut struggles to trusted Christians
* Pray for contentment in weakness and trust in God's strength
* Pray for eyes to see God's purpose in current trials
* Pray for patience to wait on God's timing

Confidentiality Reminder: What is shared in the group stays in the group.

Memory Verse for the Week
"God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." — Romans 8:28

Closing Reflection:

Take a few moments of silence to reflect:
* What was the most powerful thought to you from this sermon?
* What is one specific way you will apply this teaching this week?
* How can this group support you?

For Next Week
Come prepared to share how you applied this week's challenge and what God taught you through it.

5-Day Devotional: When You Don't Know What to Do

Day 1: Crying Out to God in Desperation
Reading: Mark 10:46-52; Psalm 18:6

Devotional: Bartimaeus couldn't fix his own blindness. He had no power, no influence, no ability to change his circumstances. But he had something more powerful—he had faith that Jesus could help and would help if he asked. When the crowd told him to be quiet, he cried out even louder. This is the essence of faith: believing not only that God can help, but that He will help when we ask.

In your moments of powerlessness, when you face problems you cannot solve, remember that crying out to God is never wasted breath. He hears every prayer, every plea, every desperate cry from His temple. Your weakness becomes the very platform for God's strength to be displayed. Don't let pride or embarrassment keep you silent. Like Bartimaeus, throw aside everything that hinders you and come boldly to Jesus with your need.

Day 2: Permission to Mourn
Reading: Nehemiah 1:1-4; John 11:32-36

Devotional: Nehemiah sat down and wept for days when he heard about Jerusalem's destruction. David's bed was soaked with tears. Jesus Himself wept at Lazarus's tomb, moved by the grief of those He loved. These aren't signs of weak faith—they're expressions of genuine humanity that God honors and understands.

We live in a culture that pressures us to always be positive, to celebrate even in pain, to never admit we're struggling. But Scripture gives us permission to feel the weight of our losses, to acknowledge when things are not as they should be. Mourning doesn't mean you've given up on God; it means you're honest about your pain while still trusting Him with your future. God doesn't ask you to pretend everything is fine. He invites you to bring your broken heart to Him, knowing that He is close to the brokenhearted and saves those crushed in spirit.

Day 3: Strength Perfected in Weakness
Reading: 2 Corinthians 12:7-10; Philippians 4:6-7

Devotional: Paul begged God three times to remove his thorn in the flesh. God's answer wasn't what Paul wanted, but it was exactly what he needed: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." This is counterintuitive to everything our culture teaches about self-sufficiency and personal strength.

The truth is, we often want the strength to come from us—our intelligence, our resilience, our resources. But God's design is different. He allows us to experience situations where we're completely powerless so we'll learn to depend entirely on Him. The woman facing death from cancer who said, "God has always taken care of me; He'll always take care of me" understood this profound truth. When you're weak, then you're strong—because God's power works best through your acknowledged weakness. Stop fighting your limitations and start embracing them as opportunities for God's strength to shine.

Day 4: Bringing Sin into the Light
Reading: 2 Samuel 12:1-13; James 5:16; 1 John 1:7-9

Devotional: We think the worst thing in the world is for others to know our sin. But the truth is, the worst thing is keeping it hidden in darkness where it festers and grows. David's sin with Bathsheba remained hidden until Nathan confronted him. Only when it came into the light could David confess, repent, and receive forgiveness.

Confession isn't just about telling God what He already knows—it's about bringing your struggle into the light, finding accountability, and discovering you're not alone. When you confess your sins to a trusted brother or sister, you break the power of shame and isolation. You'll find that others have fought similar battles, that the church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum for saints. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin, but we must first walk in the light. Whatever secret sin is robbing you of peace, bring it into the light today. Confession is the pathway to freedom.

Day 5: Waiting for God's Purpose
Reading: James 1:2-4; Romans 8:28; Isaiah 40:31

Devotional: The greatest source of anxiety is our attempt to control the future. We want answers now, solutions today, relief immediately. But faith says: God is in control of the future, God has my best interest at heart, and I will wait for Him to act in His timing.

James tells us to consider it joy when we encounter trials because the testing of our faith produces endurance. God isn't being cruel—He's developing something precious in you. He's proving your faith, strengthening your endurance, and preparing you for greater things. Sometimes waiting looks like Joseph in a dungeon or Daniel in a lion's den. Sometimes it's Jesus in Gethsemane, submitting to the Father's will despite the agony ahead.

God causes all things to work together for good for those who love Him. You may not see the purpose now, but God knows. Trust Him to know. Your job isn't to figure out the future—it's to be faithful today, where God has placed you, doing what He's asked you to do.