“When there is injustice, hold on to hope. “
Scripture Reading: (Genesis 37:17-36)(Psalm 138:7-8)(Romans 8:36-39)(Please read and discuss with the questions)
Introduction
Have you ever experienced someone’s ruthlessness? Have you ever felt like someone (or everyone) was completely against you? Maybe you’ve been hurt by someone in your family. Maybe you’ve been devastated by something that’s been done to you. How do you hold on to hope when you’ve been a victim of ruthless injustice? How do you get past bitterness when everything within you hurts? When it feels like people are out to get us, we need a firm foundation to help us withstand the weight and pressure of those challenges.
Discussion
Humans can be ruthless to one another. But nothing hurts more than when your own flesh and blood attacks you. (Read Genesis 37:17-36)
- What are some things pride makes people do?
- What are some reasons a person might attract “haters”?
- When is it easy for you to brush off someone who’s being cruel? When is it not easy?
- Between Joseph and his brothers, do you think there are any clear heroes or villains in this story? Why or why not?
David faced incredible injustice from someone who wanted to do him harm, but he trusted God would protect him. (Read Psalm 138:7-8)
- What are some of the ways you’ve seen people be cruel to each other?
- Why do you think people treat each other cruelly?
When it feels like people are out to get us, we need a firm foundation to help us withstand the weight and pressure of those challenges. (Read Romans 8:38-39)
- How do you hold on to hope when you’ve been a victim of ruthless injustice?
- How do you get past bitterness when everything within you hurts?
- How does Jesus’ love help us remain hopeful when we’re experiencing cruelty from others?
- How might Jesus’ love motivate us to stop treating each other cruelly?
Conclusion
No one ever wants to experience cruelty at the hands of other people. But when we do face those things, we get to see just how strong our foundation really is. We can’t avoid the weight and pressure of people’s ruthlessness and injustice forever. But when our foundation is made of hope in the goodness of God, we can stay strong when the pressure mounts. Joseph and David made a choice to hold on tight to what God says is true, even when it was difficult. So the next time you feel like Joseph or David, being crushed by the weight of other people’s cruelty, remember When there is injustice, you can hold on to hope.
Prayer
- Let us ask God that just as He did for King David, He would revive and save us in the midst of our troubles. (Psalm 138:7-8)
- Let’s pray “God protect us from people, principalities or powers that are out to get us and want to do us harm.” (Psalm 138:7-8)
- Father help us stay strong, standing firm on our foundation of hope as we weather the injustices in our world. (Romans 8:38-39)
- Pray for one another as needed.
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