Start your time together by reading the story of Philip and the Ethiopian in Acts 8:26-38.
How do you decide what you’re going to do? What helps you with your direction or your next steps? Do you make a list of pros and cons or are you more likely to flip a coin? Do you seek advice from others or just go with the crowd? Do you tend to pick the easiest? Cheapest? Most fun? Do the words “Magic 8 Ball” ever come into play?
There are so many things we think about when trying to decide what to do, and sometimes those factors can lead to a very muddled, confusing place of uncertainty. Here’s something that I hope will guide you, us as we continue on from here. As Christians, as families who have chosen to follow Jesus, the entire rest of our lives should be spent doing the will of God. That’s our new GPS, our new source for direction. What God wants us to do is what we want to do, too. (Say that five times fast.)
Take a look at Philip. He was one of the first followers of Christ, one of the first “members” of this new Church that was growing. His goal was to spread the Gospel and help people and communities of believers grow in their new relationships with Jesus. But it was a big, big world. How could he know where he could best be used?
Look at vs. 26: Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south[a] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went…”
Wait a minute! Hold on! you say. If I had the angel of the Lord giving me directions, I’d know what to do, too! you insist. That’s true. I bet you would. But truth be told, I’m betting he is giving you directions. You may think of them as “ideas” or “spiritual nudges.” Sometimes we call them “missional impulses.” Basically it’s the Holy Spirit directing you to do something specific that will, in some way, help advance the Kingdom.
Don’t believe me? Have you ever had one of these thoughts randomly rush through your head?
- It sounds like my friend is having a hard time right now. I should write them a note.
- I feel bad that that kid always sits alone at lunch. Maybe I should go sit at their table.
- Looks like we have a new family on the block. We should invite them over for dinner.
- That guy is always helping others. I wonder if anyone ever does something nice for him?
- Tax return time! I bet it would really bless somebody’s life if I shared some of this with someone in need.
Ring any bells? You may not have realized it, but each time that happened, it was the voice of God giving you direction. Often, we rationalize it away. We think ourselves out of actually acting on what God is saying.
If I do that, they’ll think I’m silly. Or other people will think I’m silly. Besides, they’ll probably say no. And I really can’t afford to anyway. I’m just so busy right now. I’ll do it next week!
The reality is that we get direction from God all the time and we convince ourselves not to follow him. Imagine what that mental conversation might have sounded like if Philip had questioned those leadings.
Things are going so well in Samaria. People are getting healed and saved—now is not the time to be heading to the desert!
It could be very dangerous heading to that road, standing there waiting for who knows what. I’m much more use to God if I keep doing what I’m doing.
I feel like I should talk to that guy, but I don’t know him. He may not even be able to understand me. Plus it’ll freak him out if I talk with him.
I don’t want to insult the guy or overstep my bounds.
I’m sure glad Philip listened to that voice. And I bet the Ethiopian is, too! And all of his family and descendants. That’s the great lesson from Philip’s story here. He followed God’s leading and someone came to believe in Jesus! How awesome!!
It may seem weird to think it, but the same thing is true for you. This little nudges, those impulses to reach out to the people around you with kindness, gentleness, love, etc. That’s God pointing you to someone who needs a special touch from a Jesus-lover. God knows that that lunch or that gesture of goodwill will open up an opportunity for grace and love to shine through. Let’s not miss those moments!
Are you feeling any nudges that might be the Holy Spirit trying to lead you? What can you do? When can you do it? Did you ignore or explain away something instead of acting on it? Can you act on it now? Share with each other something you can do to respond to God’s direction and connect with someone out there. Then end your time praying for each other and asking God to use your family for his will.
SHARE
What’s your favorite Disney movie song? I bet I know it! Not that I can guess what your choice is—too many to choose from. But I’m certain I know the song. I mean, let’s be honest. Disney has a knack for developing catchy toe-tappers that worm their way into your heart and brain. Sometimes the latter more than the first. One in particular comes from “The Lion King.” It details the life philosophy held by Timon, Pumbaa, and eventually Simba in a way that had every preschooler smiling…and every parent ready to stab their eardrums. (Don’t remember? Check out the video together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abjAqvdGZgM )
In the song, we learn that if you’re troubled or discouraged by something in your life, the best way to deal with it is, essentially, to not. Don’t deal with it. Ignore it. Brush it away. It is a “problem-free philosophy.” It sounds great on the surface, right? Just don’t worry about it. But Simba learns, as we all do, that many of life’s problems can’t be brushed aside. We can try to just ignore them, but that doesn’t make them go away. They just hover in the corner of our brains waiting to pounce back at us. Not so Hakuna Matata.
READ
Today we’re wrapping up Habakkuk. Like Simba, Habakkuk’s been dealing with some stressful circumstances in his present. He takes his complaint to God who is so faithful! He responds to Habakkuk by telling the prophet that God is letting the Babylonians defeat the Israelites to teach them a lesson. Habakkuk’s not content with that idea, either, so he issues another complaint to God. This time, God gives Habakkuk a snapshot of the future. He reveals that, while Israel will suffer for their sins now, they will eventually be redeemed. And Babylon will be crushed for their sins as well. Read Habakkuk 3 to see his response.
THINK
The first verse lets us know that this isn’t just a prayer—it’s a song. And it only takes a couple of verses before we realize it’s a song of praise! After all of these questions and rebuttals, Habakkuk ends with an amazing time of praise for the God of the universe. While always wonderful, praising God often isn’t unusual. God deserves our praise, after all! But in this situation, it’s not what we expect. You see, God hasn’t changed the situation. He didn’t alter the plan and set the Babylonians in a different direction. He didn’t send a king to teach the Israelites while defending them at the same time. He kept to plan A: defeat and slavery for His chosen people.
But still Habakkuk praises. Why?
In that slivered glimpse of the future, Habakkuk recognizes God’s hand at work throughout this whole situation. He sees the bigger picture, a luxury few of us get. Habakkuk learns the truth of Romans 8:28—And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose. Isn’t that an awesome verse? God works for the good. The good. In all things. ALL! Everything God is doing, he’s doing for the good of his children. Habakkuk learned that even the defeat of Judah by the meanest neighbors around would be used for their good eventually.
APPLY
We all struggle with different seasons in our life, just like Habakkuk did. People get sick or lose jobs. We have trouble in school and at work. At times, we feel like God is letting the bullies win. In those times, we have choices about how we handle the difficulties. We can get mad at God. We can try and forget the problems and sing “Hakuna Matata.” Or, we can learn from Habakkuk and trust God. Remember, God is always good. He is always loving. He is always righteous, which means he does the right thing in each and every situation. Sometimes are struggles happen because we made sinful choices. Sometimes they happen because of other peoples’ sinful choices. And sometimes…they just happen. But in it all, we can hold on to the truth in Romans 8:28 and, like Habakkuk did, trust that God is still at work and bringing good.
As a family, take a memory verse challenge this week and learn Romans 8:28. This is a verse that can really help you in tough moments when you have it hidden in your heart. Help each other memorize this verse. Maybe you can work together to make a sign of the verse and hang it somewhere everyone will see it, like the fridge or the bathroom mirror.
PRAY
Father God, we know that your are in control. And we know that you are loving and good. But there are times when it’s hard to remember that in the middle of difficult times. Would you help us keep Habakkuk’s lesson in our hearts and the truth that you are working everything—everything—to our good when we choose to surrender our lives to your Son. Thank you for that comfort and hope, Lord! In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen
REPLY
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