Storytellers (Week 1)
In our annual summer series, Storytellers, we will hear from a variety of wonderful guest speakers. This week, we will hear from Abbey Frazier, Young Adults Director at New Hope Chuch in Durham, NC.
Icebreaker: Tell about a time you had to wait much longer than you expected for something important. What made the waiting difficult, and what helped you persevere?
This week’s sermon is based on 2 Kings 4:8-37. If you have time, read it together. (You may want to divide the reading up.)
1. Abbey reminded us that “God knows our hearts better than anyone else.” The Shunammite woman never asked Elisha for a son, yet God knew the deepest desire she had stopped voicing. What does this teach us about prayer? Are there prayers you've stopped praying because you've grown discouraged?
2. After her son died, the Shunammite woman immediately sought out Elisha rather than giving in to despair or trying to solve the situation herself. When disappointment or suffering enters your life, where are you most tempted to turn first? What practices help you "run to God" instead?
3. Another key point from the sermon was that "What matters to you matters to God." How does that truth change the way you think about bringing both big and small concerns to God in prayer? Is there something you've hesitated to pray about because it seemed too insignificant—or too impossible?
4. The woman had to wait outside while God was working behind a closed door through Elisha. Can you think of a season when you couldn't see what God was doing but later recognized His faithfulness? How might remembering those stories strengthen your faith today?
5. This miracle wasn't only about one family's restoration—it revealed God's power and faithfulness through His prophet. How might God use the answers to our prayers or our faithful waiting as a witness that points others to Him? Where do you see God inviting our church to be part of His work in the lives of others?
6. The sermon concluded with the challenge: "Don't let what is wrong with your circumstances keep you from worshipping what is right about God." What does worship look like during seasons of waiting or unanswered prayer? As a group, how can you encourage one another to trust God's character even when His timing is difficult to understand?
Closing Prayer: Spend time praying for one another's "waiting places." Invite each person to share one situation where they are trusting God to work, and pray specifically that they would experience God's presence, peace, and perseverance as they wait, while remaining attentive to how God may be working in and through them.
(*Video available after Sunday services)
