THREE THINGS TO KNOW
DON’T MISS THIS. Every year, we set aside time at the beginning of a sermon to give an update on important things happening in the life of our church. This is often where Pastor Aaron will remind members to vote for new elders or deacons and give a brief overview of our upcoming budget for the next calendar year. Want to stay in the loop on these things year-round, but don’t know how? Consider a step toward membership! Our next MEMBERSHIP CLASS is happening on Sunday, May 31, across all our campuses. As a member of Ada Bible Church, you can stay informed on things happening in the life of your church, gain a deeper understanding of our core beliefs, and find your next step into your church community. You can learn more HERE.
GROUP VALUES. This week, we continue our focus on the group value of PRAYER. Small groups that pray together are groups that support each other. There are times in a group when we can be uncertain about how best to walk alongside someone through a difficult season. It could be a loss, an illness, or a changing family dynamic. This week, we focus on the prayer that Hannah gives through her grief and suffering. It is a form of prayer called lament. A lament is an emotionally honest prayer to God about something painful or difficult. As a group, one of the best ways we can support one another through difficult moments is to lament together. Through honest prayer, we can move towards peace as we trust in God.
GROW AS A LEADER. This week, unpacking Hannah’s prayer might address a sensitive topic for some in your group: infertility. As leaders, we follow Jesus’s example of spiritual maturity. He did not run from our pain or pretend it didn’t exist. He moved towards it by carrying our sin and taking on our likeness. We follow his example as we make space for an honest and emphatic engagement with life’s difficult circumstances. If you’d like help walking through something difficult with someone in your group, don’t hesitate to reach out to your group life contact.
SERMON DISCUSSION GUIDE
Welcome to another week of our new sermon series, POWERFUL PRAYERS, where we explore some of the most powerful prayers in the Bible! This week, Pastor Aaron Buer unpacks a sensitive and difficult prayer from the Old Testament: Hannah’s prayer.
ICEBREAKER
What is something you waited a really long time for—a job, a relationship, a trip, an answer—and what did that season of waiting feel like?
THIS WEEK’S TEXT
Have someone read 1 Samuel 1:9–11 aloud.
What stands out to you about the way Hannah approaches prayer?
What does this passage reveal about God’s character?
What does this passage teach us about the things we can bring to God in prayer?
THIS WEEK’S SERMON
In the second week of POWERFUL PRAYERS, Pastor Aaron walks through Hannah’s story in 1 Samuel and explores how we can respond to life’s unexpected sorrows. As a group, recall some of the sermon’s big ideas and main points.
How we process pain and disappointment can affect our relationships, our health, and even our future. How do you see the world around us approach disappointment or unmet expectations?
Pretending that pain doesn’t exist is not true spiritual maturity. Why do you think people sometimes feel pressure to hide pain or act like they’ve got it all together?
Hannah found peace before her prayer was answered. Why do we often need an answer before feeling peace? How does that run contrary to God’s way?
Spiritual maturity requires emotional honesty. Do you find it easy or difficult to be honest about your emotional experience?
A prayer of lament is a prayer that brings our raw, emotional honesty to God. Share about a time when you took your sorrow to God in prayer. What made that experience difficult or freeing?
When Hannah “stood up,” she took decisive action. What is one area of your life that you need to take action and bring your discomfort to God?
Hannah’s desperate prayer points forward to Jesus—the ultimate answer to every cry for rescue. How does the hope of the gospel change the way you bring your pain or disappointment to God?
WRAP UP
This week, we explored what to do with pain and disappointment—and how bringing it honestly to God in prayer can be the turning point that changes everything. What encouraged or challenged you most from the sermon or this conversation, and why?