You'll Get Through This Part 9

a. It would have been natural for Joseph to defy his captivity and devote all his efforts to escaping. Why do you suppose he repeatedly chose not to? What would you say he chose to do instead?

b. How do you relate to this image of being in Egypt? How has your suffering hemmed you in or made your world much smaller than it once was? What limitations are most difficult for you?

c. How would you characterize your response to your limitations? For example, are your thoughts and energies devoted primarily to escape plans, to ways to cope, or to something else?

4. Between the beginning and end of Joseph's story, he underwent a remarkable transformation. The spoiled youth who once thought of no one but himself became a visionary leader who saved the world from starvation. Every tight place in Joseph's life became a training place, a narrow path to an eternal purpose.

a. Training is preparation. It is a process that makes the weak strong and the unskilled effective. What is the potential for training in your difficult situation? What new "muscles" are you working?

b. Here is the a.s.sumption of training: what we can't do now even by trying very hard is something we will be able to do later by training very hard. How do you recognize this truth in both Joseph's story and your own?

5. "The story of Joseph is in the Bible for this reason: to teach you to trust G.o.d to trump evil. What Satan intends for evil, G.o.d, the Master Weaver and Master Builder, redeems for good" (p. 10). To trump is to get the better of an adversary by using a crucial, often hidden resource at the most strategic moment. How does this idea help you understand G.o.d's involvement in your life currently?

6. Author C. S. Lewis wrote, "G.o.d whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains."2 Take a moment to reflect on what Joseph's story could reveal about the pain or difficulties you're experiencing. If G.o.d is shouting to you in your pain, what is he saying? How might he be inviting you to respond?

CHAPTER 2.

Down, Down, Down to Egypt 1. Joseph entered Egypt as a slave. He had lost everything, with one exception-his destiny. He believed that G.o.d was at work in his circ.u.mstances and had plans for his life.

a. Overall, how would you describe the impact your circ.u.mstances have on your ability to trust G.o.d-to believe he is at work in your life?

b. Reflect for a moment on the level of trust you have in G.o.d for your eternity-that he has saved you and that you will live with him forever. How does your level of trust in G.o.d for your eternity compare with your level of trust in G.o.d for your current circ.u.mstances? If your level of trust is higher for one than the other, what accounts for the difference?

2. One way to think about destiny is that we already know the ending of the story-G.o.d's and our own-and it is deeply good. Through the prophet Isaiah, G.o.d declares: I am G.o.d, and there is none like me.

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.

I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. (46:910 NIV) This kind of "mak[ing] known" reveals something utterly unique about who G.o.d is and how he works. We see a personal expression of this in Joseph's story when G.o.d used dreams to reveal what was to come (Gen. 37:511).

a. Recall a hardship or difficult season you experienced in the past. As you look back, what evidence was there of G.o.d's activity in your life? Unexpected kindnesses? Positive changes in circ.u.mstances or relationships? How did the hand of G.o.d prepare you for what followed? Did this season deepen your trust in G.o.d?

b. How do your previous experiences of G.o.d's work in your life-or his seeming absence-affect your ability to trust him in your current circ.u.mstances?

c. Think back over the last twenty-four hours. What signs of G.o.d's goodness and grace, however small, can you identify? Write down two or three.

d. What might those signs indicate about G.o.d's purposes in your life right now?

3. This is how we trust our destiny: we hold fast to what we have that we cannot lose. Max makes this practical by describing how people in two different circ.u.mstances-a job loss and a relationship loss-could remember and trust their destinies (pp. 1819). Using the examples as a reference, write a two- to three-line statement that affirms your trust in the destiny G.o.d has for you.

4. "Survival in Egypt begins with a yes to G.o.d's call on your life" (p. 19). By saying yes, you acknowledge that nothing about you is unknown to G.o.d (Ps. 139). You affirm with David, "The LORD will work out his plans for my life-for your faithful love, O LORD, endures forever" (Ps. 138:8 NLT).

a. In what ways, if any, do you sense you might be saying no to G.o.d's call on your life?

b. If you considered that part of what you are saying no to is G.o.d's love, how would it change your perspective?

c. What yes might you say to G.o.d now, in this very moment?

CHAPTER 3.

Alone But Not All Alone Max offers four concrete ways we can open ourselves to the divine presence, which "surrounds us in the same way the Pacific surrounds an ocean floor pebble" (p. 27).

1. Lay claim to the nearness of G.o.d. The pages of Scripture are full of promises that affirm G.o.d's nearness to us: I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won't be afraid.

You are with me, and your shepherd's rod makes me feel safe. (Ps. 23:4 CEV) The LORD Almighty is here among us; the G.o.d of Israel is our fortress. (Ps. 46:7 NLT) And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matt. 28:20 NLT) G.o.d has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Heb. 13:5 NIV) When you lay claim to something, you a.s.sert your rights to it and demand it as due to you. It is a posture of boldness, insistence, and perseverance.

a. How would you characterize your posture toward G.o.d's nearness? Have you been bold, insistent, and persistent in claiming this truth? Or have you tended to be more timid, pa.s.sive, and ambivalent?

b. "Difficult days demand decisions of faith" (p. 27). Using the pa.s.sages above as a reference, personalize the promise of G.o.d's nearness by laying bold claim to it for the situation you face today. Write a two- or three-line statement a.s.serting your decision to trust that G.o.d is near to you.

2. Cling to his character. The qualities of G.o.d are the unchanging aspects of his character; they are also promises we can rely on in the midst of change.

a. Set a timer for two minutes. Write down as many truths about G.o.d's character as you can think of in that time. (Before setting the timer, you may wish to reread Max's list of G.o.d's qualities on p. 28.) Or if you are able to spend more time, read Psalm 86 and make a list of all G.o.d's qualities enumerated by David.

b. Briefly review your list of G.o.d's qualities. Circle the two or three that stand out most to you. Why are these qualities especially important to you right now? What promises do they represent?

3. Pray your pain out. "Angry at G.o.d? Disappointed with his strategy? Ticked off at his choices? Let him know it. Let him have it! . . . Go ahead and file your grievance" (p. 29).

a. A grievance is a formal complaint about a problem or a wrong, filed by someone who has a right to be heard. Briefly identify the complaint you have about the difficulty you face now. What has gone wrong?

b. What emotions does this situation stir in you-about others, yourself, and G.o.d?

c. Speak plainly to G.o.d about your pain. You may choose to write your prayers in a journal or to speak them aloud. Resist the temptation to hide or withhold the truth about your thoughts and feelings. Bring the full weight of your hurts, questions, and disappointments to G.o.d.

4. Lean on G.o.d's people. G.o.d is present with those who gather in his name (Matt. 18:20). Max's vivid encouragement is to "be a barnacle on the boat of G.o.d's church" (p. 30). Barnacles begin life as tiny, free-swimming organisms, but they must attach themselves to a hard surface in order to grow into adulthood. To attach, they produce a kind of rubbery, liquid cement that eventually hardens. As barnacles mature, they continually produce concentric rings of cement, strengthening their attachment.

a. Overall, how would you characterize your current attachment to your faith community? Are you fully attached or still swimming free on your own? If attached, would you say your connection is growing weaker or stronger? Why?

b. Briefly reflect on specific relationships you have in your faith community-friends, a small group, a volunteer team you work with. Which relationship(s) would you say have the most "cement"?

c. When you lean on people, you depend on them. Which relationship(s) might you lean on more in the next week? How, specifically, will you depend on them? Ask for practical help? Solicit specific prayer? Meet for coffee to speak plain truth about what you're going through? Other possibilities?

CHAPTER 4.

Stupid Won't Fix Stupid 1. Navigating the demands of a "sandbar" crisis or a prolonged hardship can leave us depleted in many ways-mentally, emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. As you reflect on the demands you've had to navigate, how would you a.s.sess your level of depletion right now? Circle the number on the continuum that best describes your response.

a. What image would you use to describe your level of depletion-a cloth worn thin, a dry riverbed, or a car running on fumes?

b. What need(s) does your depletion image represent? In other words, what are you most aware of lacking right now?

2. Depletion can leave us vulnerable to what Max calls dumb becoming dumber, complicating our circ.u.mstances with things such as poor decisions, impulsive behavior, moral compromise, and more. Do you sense you're vulnerable because of your depletion? What resources can you tap in order to replenish yourself?

3. Justifications and rationalizations ("No one would know." "I won't get caught." "I'm only human.") are warning flags for dumb-becoming-dumber vulnerabilities. Author Dallas Willard wrote, "The most spiritually dangerous things in me are the little habits of thought, feeling, and action that I regard as 'normal' because 'everyone is like that' and it is 'only human.'"3 a. What "little habits of thought, feeling, and action" are you aware of justifying or rationalizing?

b. What potential dangers or harm could result from these vulnerabilities?

4. Read Genesis 39, which tells the story of Joseph's sandbar experience with Potiphar's wife.

a. Justifications and rationalizations tend to keep our focus on what we lack and what's wrong with our circ.u.mstances. What does Joseph's response to his master's wife reveal about how he viewed his circ.u.mstances (v. 9)?

b. Loyalty is faithfulness and devotion. What do you observe about loyalty-and disloyalty-in each of the characters in this chapter? Whom is each person trying to please? Consider the words and actions of Joseph, Potiphar, and Mrs. Potiphar.

c. Using the three human characters in the chapter as a reference, how would you describe the object and extent of your loyalty right now? What do your words and actions reveal about whom you are trying to please?

d. In what ways have you experienced G.o.d's loyalty-his faithfulness and devotion to you-in the midst of your circ.u.mstances?

5. Joseph placed his loyalty to G.o.d above everything else and refused to rationalize or justify a compromise. It was the right thing to do, but it was also costly.

a. David wrote, "Do what is right as a sacrifice to the LORD and trust the LORD" (Ps. 4:5 NCV). What sacrifice might you have to make in connection with the vulnerabilities you identified in questions 2 and 3?

b. What do you need to trust the Lord to handle?

CHAPTER 5.

Oh, So This Is Boot Camp!

1. "Every day G.o.d tests us through people, pain, or problems" (p. 61).

a. When Max faced a test, he had to decide if he would pout or apologize, ignore the tension or deal with it. Think back over the last twenty-four hours, and identify a test that came your way. What was the choice or question you faced?

b. In school some tests are graded, and others are pa.s.s/fail. How would you a.s.sess your response to the test you faced?

c. The theme of Max's test might be described as relational integrity. What is the theme of the lesson your test represents? What gains could you realize if you learn this lesson well? What losses or consequences might you suffer if you fail to learn it?

2. G.o.d used the tests in Joseph's life-and he uses the tests in our lives-not as punishment but as preparation. It's a crucial distinction author C. S. Lewis affirmed when he wrote, "If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad."4 a. What's your initial response to this idea? How does it affect your perspective on what it means to be tested by G.o.d?

b. Joseph didn't know what his tests were preparing him for, but the lessons he learned were all about leadership, faithful service, and trust in G.o.d. Like Joseph, you may not know what G.o.d is preparing you for, but the lessons themselves might point in a certain direction. When you consider the lessons and themes of the tests you have experienced recently, where do you sense G.o.d may be leading you?

3. The biblical perspective on hardships is radically countercultural and counterintuitive. Here is how the author of James describes it: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (1:24 NIV) a. The key to shifting our perspective on hardships begins with the two-word phrase "consider it." The Greek word for consider is a verb about thought, not emotion. "James is not commanding how one should feel, but rather how one should think about one's circ.u.mstances."5 How do you respond to this distinction between thinking and feeling in connection with your circ.u.mstances? What concerns you or intrigues you about the idea of thinking joy even when you aren't feeling it?

b. One scholar suggests that instead of "looking at the trial," we look "through the trial to its potential outcome."6 What words come to mind when you look at your trial? Similarly, what words come to mind when you look through your trial?

4. "Share the message G.o.d gives to you. This test will become your testimony . . . Your mess can become your message" (p. 52). In a court of law a testimony is an eyewitness's public declaration given under oath. It const.i.tutes evidence in support of facts and truth. What comes to mind when you think of yourself as an eyewitness to G.o.d's activity in the midst of your mess? What facts and truth about G.o.d are supported by the evidence of your testimony?

CHAPTER 6.

Wait While G.o.d Works 1. Joseph was probably seventeen when he was sold into slavery and thirty when Pharaoh put him in charge of famine preparations. His time of waiting-in Potiphar's house and in prison-spanned thirteen years.

a. Take a moment to recall your age and the circ.u.mstances of your life thirteen years ago. Write down three things you remember about what that season of your life was like and then three things about your level of personal growth and maturity at the time. Consider spiritual, emotional, and relational maturity.

b. What are some of the changes in your life and in your level of maturity between then and now?

c. During Joseph's season of waiting and preparation, G.o.d was working. If you think about your last thirteen years as a similar time of waiting and preparation, how would you say G.o.d has been working in your circ.u.mstances and in your personal growth?

2. We are often in a hurry, but G.o.d is not. The pages of Scripture repeatedly encourage us to wait for the Lord. The psalmist provides a compelling image of what this kind of waiting looks like and what it requires: With all my heart, I am waiting, LORD, for you!

I trust your promises.

I wait for you more eagerly than a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn.

Yes, I wait more eagerly than a soldier on guard duty waits for the dawn.

Israel, trust the LORD!

He is always merciful, and he has the power to save you. (Ps. 130:57 CEV) The psalmist makes it clear that he has invested his whole heart in the expectation that the Lord is coming. Other Bible versions render the intensity of this longing for G.o.d as "I wait for the LORD, my soul waits" (NIV); "I am counting on the LORD; yes, I am counting on him" (NLT); "I pray to G.o.d-my life a prayer-and wait for what he'll say and do" (MSG).

a. When you consider the circ.u.mstances in which you are currently waiting on the Lord, how would you characterize the investment plan of your heart? Like the psalmist, are you 100 percent invested in waiting on the Lord? Or are you hedging your heart by also investing in things like worry or potential backup plans?

b. Using the various Bible versions previously quoted as references, write a statement that expresses the intensity of your longing for G.o.d right now.

c. Overall, do you tend to be more aware of your longing for G.o.d or your longing for what you hope G.o.d will do for you? How do you distinguish between the two?

d. How does the image of a soldier on night guard duty help you understand what it means to trust the Lord and to be active in your waiting?

3. "Waiting is a sustained effort to stay focused on G.o.d through prayer and belief. To wait is to 'rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him . . .' (Ps. 37:7)" (p. 63, emphasis added). Use the sentence starters below to consider how you can actively wait on G.o.d in the days ahead.

a. I can stay focused on G.o.d in prayer by . . .

b. I can stay focused on G.o.d in my beliefs by . . .