Episode 104 – Grapes in the Desert Pt 4: Trusting Godi.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-78{ color: #515151;}i.fb-icon-element.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-78:hover { color: #e00400;}i.fontawesome-icon.fb-icon-element-78.icon-hover-animation-pulsate:after {-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);-moz-box-shadow:0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);box-shadow: 0 0 0 2px rgba(255,255,255,0.1), 0 0 10px 10px #333333, 0 0 0 10px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);}Key Passage(s): Exodus 13:21; Exodus 14:10-12You’re not where you were, and you’re not where you’re going to be. You’re in between. Welcome to the wilderness. It’s in these ambiguous spaces where we either become who God is inviting us to be or we shrink into the smaller, more manageable stories we write for ourselves. Because it’s easier to be a slave in Egypt than to trust God in the desert. But no one aspires to be the person who shrinks. We want to learn to trust well and become all God intended for us to be. This teaching will give you practical ways to grow your trust in God in hard times.

Discussion Questions

What was your biggest takeaway from the teaching?

How do you feel about the statement, “It’s easier to be a slave in Egypt than to trust God in the desert?” In what ways have you experienced that to be true in your life?

What are one or two moments from your life where you felt like you really trusted God? What made your trust level so high in those moments?

What are some of the small, daily ways you choose to trust in yourself instead of in God?

What sliding door moments are before you now? How will you engage them?

How will you begin living out the truths of this teaching this week?

For Further Study

The Bible and the Land by Gary M. Burge – Chapter 3 is on the desert 

The Land Between by Jeff Manion – Outstanding book on navigating the deserts of our lives