UNEXPECTED ONE: SILENT TREATMENT

Session 1 Summary: Silent Treatment
You’ve heard of the silent treatment, right? If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of the silent treatment then you know it’s confusing, hurtful, and just no fun at all. Have you ever felt like you were getting the silent treatment from God? You’ve prayed for something and felt like you never heard Him respond. You’ve been in a hard situation or have questions about things happening around you, and it seems like God is nowhere to be found. If you’ve ever felt that way about God, I’ve got some news for you—you’re not alone! In fact, lots of people in the Bible felt this way, too. As the Old Testament came to a close, believers in God were left with hundreds of years of what seemed like silence before His work in the New Testament began. But as we look at the end of one chapter and the beginning of another, we’ll see that even though God seemed silent, He was working on behalf of His people all along. Christmas was coming!
 Bottom Line
Even when God is silent, He’s up to something.
GOAL OF DISCUSSION
To help us understand that even when it seems like God is silent, God is right beside us, working through our difficult circumstances. 

• When is the last time something unexpected happened to you? Do you ever feel like God is distant or doesn’t care? If so, when? 
• Have you ever felt like God didn’t come through for you? How did that affect your relationship with God?

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Matthew 1:16 New Living Translation (NLT)
16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

Galatians 4:4 New Living Translation (NLT)
​4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

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• In what ways have you seen God work through someone else’s difficult situation?
• In what ways could God be working in your difficult situations?
• What would it look like for you to trust God, even when it seems like God’s silent? 
• What’s one thing that could cause your trust in God to crumble or weaken?

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God, thank you for sending us your son. Help us to trust in you, even when we are not sure of your presence in our situations and circumstances. Forgive us when we get frustrated and impatient with you. Remind us that you are working even when you are silent. In your name we pray, AMEN.

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Use this simple blessing with your family, while you bless one another, mark the cross on the forehead of each member as a reminder of your baptism.

(Name), you are a Child of God.

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