Weekly Discussion Guide

Pastor Matt reminded us that since the suffering that comes during times of waiting on the Lord is rarely solved quickly, we are called to endure it.

MY STORY

Describe the longest time you’ve waited for something you wanted desperately.

WHAT DOES GOD WANT US TO HEAR?

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone. And say to the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat, for you have wept in the hearing of the Lord, saying, “Who will give us meat to eat? For it was better for us in Egypt.” Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. ou shall not eat just one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but a whole month, until it comes out at your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have rejected the Lord who is among you and have wept before him, saying, “Why did we come out of Egypt?”’

(Numbers 11:16-20)

How did Moses react when he realized they were going to be in a waiting period before entering the Promised Land?

In what ways did the Lord address Moses’ need for emotional healing during this time?

What did God do to directly address the complaints of the people that were causing so much distress for Moses?

What does God want us to hear? Based on the passages above, what are the factual “takeaways” that are meaningful to you?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT US TO DO?

Pastor Matt said, “See the land between is the space of unwanted transitions. It’s not something you choose. It’s not something you ask for. But suddenly, you’re there trying to adjust, trying to survive. You find yourself in a season where answers are not immediate, where the future is unclear. A season of waiting. This is the land between. And in a broken world, we can be sure of this:The land Between: All of us have been there, are there, or will be there.”

Describe a period of your life when you had to spend time in “The Land Between.” What were you waiting for? How was your time of enduring?

While you’re waiting on the Lord, what else can you be focusing on?

What does God want us to do? Flowing out of our reading and interpretation, what action does this passage or the Spirit’s leading, nudging us toward?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO?

Pastor Matt said, “This kind of presence points beyond itself. It becomes a living picture of something greater, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because at the center of the Christian story is not a God who avoids suffering, but a God who enters it. Jesus does not stand at a distance from the land between. He steps into it. He enters the waiting. He walks into the grief. He sits in the darkness. He bears the weight.”

Why is it sometimes easier to see God’s sovereignty at work after a time of waiting is over than when you’re in the middle of it?

What are you currently waiting for the Lord to do in your life? How would you like the body of Christ to surround you during this time of waiting? Who can you support in this way during his or her time of waiting on the Lord?

What does God want ME to do? What is the personal application and action step that the Holy Spirit is calling you toward?