Heart Over Hype: Living With “Perhaps”

Use this curriculum to help you further engage with the sermon, the scriptures, and each other. Allow the Holy Spirit to bring things up to encourage and guide you so that you are always growing in your faith. If the Spirit leads you away from these questions and into conversation and prayer that encourages and points you to Jesus, go for it.

scripture

Read the following scriptures together: 1 Samuel 14:1-46.

overview

Last week, we saw how Saul demonstrated what fear does under pressure. In our passage this week, we see what faith can look like through Jonathan, who faced the very same impossible circumstances and chose to trust God. Jonathan showed great courage and took off with just his armor-bearer to fight the Philistine army, admitting that he didn’t know the outcome. He says out loud that “perhaps the Lord will act,” and what is striking is his faith in trusting that God can do impossible things. Faith is not certainty in an outcome; it is confidence in the power of God. When we have a decision in front of us, we have the choice to act out of fear and the false sense of security that control brings us, or we can act in faith – waiting for God’s direction even if it is one step at a time.

question 1

We all move between faith and fear. Have you ever made a choice out of fear? What happened? Share a time you waited on God and acted in faith instead. How did that go?

discussion

As well as being led by fear, Saul also seems to lack a coherent plan which led to him making decisions on the fly. His poor planning is exemplified by his rash, ego-driven oath that weakens his army. The Scriptures encourage us to plan, but to also hold those plans before the Lord and be ready for him to change our direction – like Jonathan did in bringing his plan before God but with the attitude of “perhaps”. When we don’t make goals or plans for our lives, we will find ourselves being tossed around or stuck doing nothing. Good plans succeed when we go to the Lord in prayer and accompany it with wise counsel from others, not solely relying on our own biased perspective. 

question 2

Discuss some reasons as to why we might not want to ask others for advice. Has anyone invited someone else to speak into one of your plans and their wisdom was the opposite of what you wanted to do? What was the outcome?

Read Mark 12:29-31. When we love the Lord with our whole selves, our lives will bear fruit accordingly. Saul’s self-imposed rule caused hunger that drove the army to sin by eating meat with the blood still in it. Fasting is not bad for us, but when it is imposed on people it misses the point of devotion and obedience to God. Jonathan’s response in verse 29, “My faither has made trouble for the country” is spot on. We aren’t sure if Saul’s spiritual life was ever thriving since we mostly read of his striving and surface-level religion. It’s one’s heart towards God that leads us to devotion and spiritual practices – otherwise the things we do that appear spiritual are truly empty. But when our hearts are fully devoted to God, we will be attuned to him, and our lives will reflect sound judgement as well as love for others.

question 3

How do we tell if our spiritual practices are done out of routine or a heart for deeper connection with God?

weekly application

Moving into the fall season is a great time to make some goals and plans. Consider taking time before God asking him to direct you. Invite a trusted friend to pray over these plans with you and give them permission to speak into them.