February 2023 Wednesday Study Questions

February 1: Remembering Promises

1. Describe a time when you had high hopes that did not come to fruition. How did you feel? Did that situation change your relationship with God?
2. Have you ever felt that God was punishing you when your life was not going well? Why or why not? What scripture passages help you trust that God is present in your situation and working for good?
3. Today’s writer spent seven months feeling distant from God. Have you ever been distant from God? Why? What brought you back to God? What did you learn from that experience?
4. When your situation does not resolve in the way you had hoped, how do you respond? Is your faith strengthened or shaken in such times? How does returning to God’s presence bring you peace?
5. Name your favorite Bible story in which someone reunites with God. Why do you like this story? In what ways does it remind you of how important it is to return to God, no matter how distant you might feel?

February 8: My True Identity

1. Do you struggle with comparing yourself to others or finding your identity in your accomplishments? Why do you think it is easy to want to compare ourselves to others? How do you remain focused on what truly matters?
2. What does scripture say about how God sees you? When you remind yourself of what God thinks of you, do you find it easier to stop worrying about what others think? Why or why not?
3. In what ways does your faith community remind you that you are a child of God? How does remembering that you are God’s child keep you focused on what is eternally significant?
4. In what ways do you invest in your relationship with Christ? When you are actively working on strengthening that relationship, what changes do you notice in yourself and the way you view others?
5. How might you encourage the people in your life who seem to be struggling with low self-esteem? Name specific ways you can remind them of their identity in Christ.

February 15: Falling Leaves

1. What task seems never-ending for you? In what ways do you try to work around it or try to make it easier next time?
2. When you are faced with challenges and stress, do you want to get it all over with at once? Why or why not? How do you feel when you have to wait for problems to resolve?
3. How does the fact that new worries come each day encourage you to rely more heavily on God? What scripture passages bring you peace as you face each new struggle?
4. In what ways have you found joy in the spiritual practice of discernment? What spiritual practices best help you remain joyful and at peace amid life’s challenges?
5. How do you remind yourself to depend on God each day? In what ways do you lean on your faith community in difficult times? Where else do you find support and comfort?

February 22: Ash Wednesday

1. When you have not seen someone in a long time, how do you reach out to them? In what ways do you and your loved ones encourage one another in your faith walks, even from a distance?
2. What scripture passages remind you that God’s hand is always open to you? How does reading scripture regularly call you back to God’s presence?
3. When you feel overwhelmed by the chaos and uncertainty in the world, what brings you peace? Where and when do you most strongly feel God’s presence?
4. Who in your life encourages you to reach out and remain near to God? How do you encourage those around you to do the same?
5. What does it mean to you that God is always ready to take your hand and offer you new life? What does new life in God look like?