August 2022 Wednesday Study Questions

July 27, 2022 by Upper Room Editorial Staff

August 3: A Grateful Heart

1. How do you respond when faced with a life change that doesn’t seem exciting to you? When is it easiest for you to fall into patterns of complaining and dread? How do you avoid getting stuck in such patterns?
2. When you aren’t happy about a situation, do you still give thanks to the Lord? Why or why not? In what ways does giving thanks change your mindset?
3. What practices best help you to turn your mind and heart toward gratitude? How do you remind yourself of what God has done for you and all that you have to be thankful for?
4. Who in scripture do you think best demonstrates gratitude? Who do you know that models gratitude well? What can you learn from them?
5. How does your faith community talk about gratitude? Is giving thanks an act of prayer, a monetary gift, a way of living? Or is it something else? How do you show others and God that you are grateful?

August 10: Transitions

1. Today’s writer learned more about his faith through his experience of lifting weights. What experience in your life has taught you about your faith? Describe what you learned.
2. Recall a time when you were frustrated by a period of transition, only to see in hindsight that the transition was important. How has that experience helped you face other times of transition?
3. How are you encouraged to know that our struggles can strengthen and prepare us for things to come? What else brings you peace and confidence in times of struggle?
4. What stories from scripture feature people whose faith was strengthened through change and adversity? How do you use times of transition to draw closer to God?
5. How does your community encourage your faith when you are experiencing change? How do they help you to grow wiser, stronger, and closer to God?

August 17: Enduring Care

1. Has your life or the life of a loved one ever been dramatically changed due to an injury or illness? How did your community respond? Name some ways you or your loved one received love and care. "2. How do you care for others who are in difficult circumstances? What do you find most challenging about caring for others? What is most rewarding?
3. When has your life been blessed by the care of others? When has someone offered you help without having to ask for it? In what ways has this affected how you care for others?
4. How are you encouraged by biblical examples of communities that cared for their members? Which of these examples is the most meaningful to you? Why?
5. Who in your community needs care right now? How will you care for them? How might you continue to care for them beyond their immediate situation?

August 24: Expect the Best

1. Where is your favorite place to hear an echo? Before reading today’s meditation, had you ever thought of an echo as a parallel to your life? Why or why not?
2. When have you gotten back what you put out into the world? What did this teach you about your attitude and the way that it can affect your perspective?
3. How does scripture help you in times of grief or sorrow? Where else do you find comfort?
4. What prayers, spiritual practices, or scripture passages help you to focus on God’s goodness? Why do you think focusing on God’s goodness helps you to see the goodness around you?
5. Who in your life consistently puts out goodness into the world? How do their actions bless others and themselves? What do you most admire about this person? What can you learn from them?

August 31: True Identity

1. When have you been part of an easily identifiable group? What made the group identifiable? Describe that experience.
2. When you are in an unfamiliar space, how do you feel when you find someone you can connect with? Why do you think finding common ground with others is so encouraging?
3. What does it mean to you to be a child of God? How do you embrace that identity? In what ways might others be able to perceive this identity in you?
4. Today’s writer describes several of her identities — a university student, a Filipino woman, a child of God. What are your identities? As you live into your other identities, how do you allow your identity as a Christian to shine through?
5. How do you find common ground and community with people who are different from you? In what ways does Christian faith bond people and give them a shared identity?


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The Upper Room magazine's mission is to provide a practical way to listen to scripture, connect with believers around the world, and spend time with God each day.

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