January 2024 Wednesday Study Questions

January 3: Sense of Purpose

1. Describe a time when your plans did not work out how you had intended. What other opportunities became possible as a result? How did your life change because of your new plans?
2. When you experience change, do you mourn what you had before? Why or why not? In what ways do you actively nurture a new sense of purpose in such times?
3. Do you believe there are days when nothing important happens? How do you find the significance in what you do every day? How does your focus change how you perceive each day?
4. In what ways do you spend time with God daily? How does this practice affect your behavior and mood?
5. Do you have a strong sense of purpose and direction? Where does that purpose and direction come from? How does your faith inform your sense of purpose?

January 10: Before We Ask

1. How does your faith strengthen and encourage you when you or a loved one is undergoing difficult surgery or treatment? What spiritual practice is most meaningful for you in those times?
2. What role does prayer and devotional reading play in comforting you when you are waiting and hoping for something? How does your practice of prayer and devotional time change depending on your circumstances?
3. Do you find that your prayers are more often requests or expressions of thanksgiving? Why do you think that is? Do you ever wonder if God tires of your requests? Why or why not?
4. What scripture passages remind you of the value of prayer and the way God responds to our prayers? How do these scriptures inform the way you pray?
5. In what ways do your prayerful requests express your faith in God? What do your most recent prayers reveal about your faith?

January 17: God’s Protection

1. The cow and calf in today’s meditation were vulnerable following the calf’s birth. What other instances of vulnerability in nature come to mind for you? What can you learn from those examples?
2. Describe a time when you were surrounded and protected by others. Was the protection you received physical or otherwise? What was that experience like for you?
3. What is the most memorable illustration you have witnessed of God’s protection and refuge? Why is that illustration memorable or significant for you?
4. When you are in a difficult or vulnerable situation, do you find it easy to notice the ways God is providing protection and comfort? Why or why not?
5. Where do you find the most refuge and comfort in vulnerable moments? What role does community play in such times? How do you support others in their vulnerable times?

January 24: Good Gifts

1. Recall a time when your expectations were not met. Were you disappointed? How did you respond to the situation?
2. Who has given you an unexpected gift? What was the gift? How did you react to their gift? How has that gift impacted you?
3. When you ask God for blessings, do you find yourself hoping for or expecting the same gifts and blessings God gave you before? Why or why not? How often does God give you the same gifts as before?
4. In times when you wish God had given you a different answer to prayer, what scripture verses or spiritual practices help you accept God’s answer with open arms? How does your response to God’s answers affect your faith and your attitude?
5. Do you find it easy or difficult to anticipate all of God’s gifts and blessings with excitement? Why? Who in your life serves as an example for you of excitedly embracing whatever God offers?

January 31: Inspired to Write

1. When you experience rejection, how does it affect your mood? How do you respond?
2. Have you ever questioned your God-given purpose following a rejection? Why or why not? What strengthens your conviction about your purpose?
3. Recall a time when a rejection served as a catalyst for learning, practice, and growth for you. What happened? How did that experience change your path?
4. What activity best allows you to express your love for others and for God? What motivates you to persevere in this activity even when you face obstacles? How does your faith inform your approach to the activity?
5. What does it mean to you that God has weaved within you a divine purpose? What scriptures most remind you of this? How do you answer God’s call and purpose for your life each day?