Session 11

Impatience

Genesis 15:1-6; 16:1-6

ENGAGE

Prepare:

• When have you been overwhelmed by the stars in the night sky?
• When have you blamed God for something?
• When have you had to wait patiently for something to happen?
• When have you taken matters into your own hands to get something done?
• When have you discovered that God's plan was better than your plan?
• When have you cried out to God for a solution or answer to something going on in your life?

Ask:

• What makes it hard to have patience?

Context:

Read the opening paragraph and question on page 93.
Share why it can be hard to trust God sometimes.

Shortcuts are often helpful-until they lead away from where we should be, that is.
In 2011, news broke of the discovery of a woman who had gone missing some seven weeks earlier.
The lady and her husband were on a trip from Canada to Las Vegas when their GPS unit led them onto a snow-covered dirt road in the mountains of northern Nevada.
Soon, they got stuck in mud and snow.
After three days the husband tried to hike out to get help.
The wife stayed behind in the van, surviving on snow, water, and trail mix.
Finally, forty-eight days later, she was found by hunters in the area.
Her husband’s body was discovered more than a year later.

Not all short cuts can be trusted.
As you reflect on this session from Genesis 15 and 16, think about shortcuts that didn’t work out well for you-both on a trip and in life?

• Why do we often struggle to wait patiently for God’s timing?

Transition:

This session explores a time when Abram and Sarai got tired of waiting
and tried to circumvent God’s plan by creating a plan of their own.

EXPLORE THE TEXT