Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Marilyn Meberg is a captivating speaker, a coauthor of various Women of Faith devotionals, and the author of "I’d Rather Be Laughing and Choosing the Amusing." She lives in Frisco, TX.

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

GOD at your wits' end study guide

Thomas Nelson

Contents

Introduction...............................................ixLesson 1: The Good News....................................11Lesson 2: Signs and Sin's Consequences.....................21Lesson 3: Love and Trust...................................33Lesson 4: Size and Sovereignty.............................45Lesson 5: Seeking and Suffering............................59Lesson 6: Oddities and Oughta-be's.........................71Lesson 7: Honesty and Humor................................83Lesson 8: Faith and Assurance..............................95Leader's Guide.............................................105

Chapter One

The Good News

Cornered. Boxed in. On our last leg. In a pickle. Between a rock and a hard place. Sitting on a powder keg. Out of options. Nowhere to turn. At the end of our rope. At our wits' end.

What put us there? Physical pain? Emotional strain? Sometimes it's a loss we cannot face. Sometimes it's a shame we cannot speak of. A too-busy schedule, a tough choice, an unfaithful spouse, an out-of-control child, an inability to make ends meet. A plague of doubts, whispers of fear, the downward spiral of depression? The inequity of life, the fallout of war, the worst kind of news, a bad prognosis?

To be at our wits' end is, according to Webster, "to have [our] back against the wall." When we are at our wits' end, we feel lost in pain, confusion, desperation, and fear. Those are the kinds of emotions that drive us to "cry out to the Lord" in our trouble.

1. When we are at our wits' end, we feel overwhelmed by our circumstances, by our feelings, by our fears. The Psalms are comforting during wits' end experiences because they echo the cry of our hearts so accurately.

Psalm 55:5 - "____________________ and _____________________ have come upon me, And ______________ has _________________ me" (NKJV).

Psalm 61:2 - "From the end of the earth I will ___________ to You, When my _____________ is ________________________ ; Lead me to the ___________ that is ____________________ than I" (NKJV).

Psalm 77:3 - "I remembered God, and was ___________________; I __________________, and my spirit was __________________" (NKJV).

Psalm 102:1 - "A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is ________________ and ______________ out his __________________ before the Lord. ____________ my prayer, O Lord, And let my ___________ come to You" (NKJV).

Psalm 143:4 - "Therefore my _______________ is _______________ within me; My _____________ within me is __________________" (NKJV).

2. When we're at our wits' end, and troubled thoughts and questions press down on us, it's difficult to see beyond our immediate need to the promises God has made to us.

___ Psalm 6:3 a. I am so troubled, I cannot even speak.

___ Psalm 38:6 b. My heart is troubled and my eyes are filled with tears.

___ Psalm 77:4 c. My soul is greatly troubled.

___ Psalm 104:29 d. When we're troubled, doubts arise in our hearts.

___ Lamentations 2:11 e. I am bowed down by the weight of my troubles. ___ Luke 24:38 f. When we cannot see God, we become troubled.

3. What can we do when our hearts are troubled, when we're in distress?

What does Jeremiah ask God to see in Lamentations 1:20? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

How does Psalm 18:6 say God responded to a cry of distress? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

According to Psalm 118:5, the Lord who hears us in our distress does what? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

4. When we are at our wits' end, the only sensible thing to do is cry out to God.

How often does the psalmist call upon the Lord, according to Psalm 88:1? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

In Psalm 119:145, how does the psalmist cry out to the Lord? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

What does David ask the Lord to do when he cries out to God in Psalm 141:1? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

The good news is, when our back is against the wall-when we cry out to the Lord-He is there. God is always at our wits' end. How do we know? Because God is wherever we are. His promise is to never, ever leave us. Wherever we may wander, in foolishness or fear, God does not leave us.

5. What is the promise we find in Deuteronomy 31:8? ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________

6. Not only will God never forsake those who belong to Him, He promises to be with us.

Matthew 28:20 - "And lo, I am ________________ ____________ ________________, even to the _____________ of the age" (NKJV).

John 14:16-17 - "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another __________________, that He may __________________ with you __________________-the ________________ of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither __________ Him nor ________________Him; but you _______________ Him, for He _________________with you and will be __________ you" (NKJV).

7. Our faith is strengthened when we hold on to promises like these.

How does Psalm 138:3 say God answers our call? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

What does Jesus urge us to do when we are feeling troubled, according to John 14:1? ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

When we're at our wits' end, what promise of Jesus can we cling to? It's found in John 14:27. ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

8. Let's take a look at...