Chapter Nine

Will I Ever Be Happy Again?

God, Bring Good Out of This Bad Situation

Starting Off:	To Memorize: All things work together for good, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) Now that's a wonderful verse to quote with a big smile, except, of course, when you are crushed in the middle of some impossible situation. Then what do you do? Quote it anyway. Tuck it into your mind and let it take root there. Then wait on God to work His redemptive purpose out of the circumstances that threaten to overwhelm you. Anthony says: God stands outside of time. He sees our choices and arranges things so His plan is ultimately achieved. He can orchestrate what freely happens to achieve the outcome He desires—without taking away our freedom… He pledges that He will turn every instance of suffering into an opportunity for greater, deeper happiness. The great good news is that God can and will redeem our worst mistakes if only we ask Him and trust Him to do it. Sometimes God allows suffering to get our attention: to divert us from wrong paths; to build our faith and courage; to help us grow strong and resilient; to make us wiser, or to turn our bad situations into good ones. For instance, as you read about the redemptive actions of God in Theodore Roosevelt's life, perhaps it gave you faith for a light at the end of your own dark tunnel. And what about the darkest time of all: the crucifixion of Christ? Anthony says : In one amazing stroke of genius and grace, God turned it all around— He redeemed mankind and made it possible for sins to be forgiven. I Corinthians 2:7, 8 says that God had a secret plan before time began: the redemption of mankind. The rulers of this age —the devil and his demons—engineered the crucifixion, believing they would be rid of the Savior. But their scheme backfired! You see, they never dreamed of the resurrection. Remember, whatever you're going through, God has a “resurrection” plan for your life, too.
Reconnecting:	Think over the time since the last session. Have you asked God to give you wisdom for a special situation? Or maybe you just asked Him to walk you through all your daily circumstances with His wisdom. If you did, what happened? How has He answered you? Have you read the ninth chapter, God, Bring Good Out of This Bad Situation? Did you make any notes? Have you answered the questions in the Study Guide? Then let's…
Talk About This:	• What was most helpful to you in this chapter? Did it give you some fresh hope? A new attitude or direction? • How do you think God feels about our bad experiences? Does He cause them? (Page 152) • What is God's primary concern in our lives? (Page 159) • What does it mean to “be clay”? Are you willing to do that? Which of your personal characteristics and what part of your lifestyle or ambitions would be hardest for you to let God shape? (Page 160). • Why do you think even godly people experience hurtful situations and physical suffering? (Page 162) Anthony asks: How many untold agonies have people endured without the slightest bit of good ever coming from them? It doesn't have to be that way. • Talk about the ways Anthony says our bad situations can be transformed. What do we have to do to put this transformation into action? Will you remember to do it? (Page 163).
Action:	Philippians 4:6,7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything , by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Try reading this aloud together in the Group. Now, pray for the needs in the Group. The “bad” situations may be small or large, but God wants us to seek His help in everything, and He will answer. He loves you. Pray for Christians around the world who are in hard places and great difficulties because of their faith.
Closing Prayer:	Lord, we are so grateful that we can come to You who see the problems clearly and know the answers. We ask for Your help even in those bad situations that we may have caused by our own foolishness or mistakes. Your Word tells us to cast all of our cares on You, because You care for us. And so we do. We abandon to You all the problems we can't solve, the relationships we can't mend. Through Your wisdom and mercy Lord, we ask You to transform our trials, to bring joy and good out of the bad things we experience. Nothing is impossible with You! You have promised to work everything “for good” for those who love You. That's us, Lord! So, we depend on Your grace and deliverance. Bring Your healing love into our hearts and into the hearts of any we may have offended. As we forgive those who may have caused our troubles, even so forgive us and bring victory out of seeming defeat. Most of all, help us to allow our suffering to bring us closer to You; to make us examples of the joy and peace of God even in our darkest times. We know that whatever we are going through, there is ultimate victory ahead! Thank you, Lord. Amen.
Assignment:	Read Chapter 10. Be ready to share your notes and your answers to the Talk About This section. Be ready to share the answers God is giving you as you continue to pray all the prayers you have been learning about and praying.