Life Group Questions – Who is YWHY? Lessons from Elijah.

Where is God? Meaning in your Monday to Sunday, working and playing, home and out and about life. How has that question challenged and/or helped you this week?
Read 2 Kings 1:1-17a and Hebrews 12:4-13.
- What actions and attitude could have changed Ahaziah’s story and legacy?
- How have you experienced God’s conviction or discipline? What was the end result?
- How does Hebrews help us face the Holy Spirit’s conviction of sin in our lives?
Where is Jesus most present in your life these days? Where is he needed more?
Pray through Hebrews 12:4-13.

Read 1 Kings 19:8-18 and 1 Corinthians 1:19-31.
Can you think of other instances in the Bible where YHWH reveals himself through “weakness?”
Which side of the tension do you tend to lean into more? God revealing himself through acts of power, praise and the supernatural? Or God revealing himself through the silence, simple, ordinary, poor or marginalized? What does it look like to “keep the tension?”
Like Elijah, do you ever feel alone in your battle to “keep the faith?” How might 1 Kings 19 encourage you through your sense of isolation?
Elijah heard YHWH through a gentle whisper (or perhaps even “the sound of sheer silence”). Try setting a timer on your phone for five minutes a day to sit quietly with God. In your LifeGroup you may even sit together in awkward silence for 5 minutes and debrief the experience. Focusing on being aware of YHWH’s Presence with you.

Have you grappled with violence in the Bible before? What insights, resources or experiences have you found helpful or encouraging in your wrestling?
Read 1 Kings 19:1-9 and Psalm 85:10-13. Where do you see the tension between YHWH’s justice and YHWH’s gentleness in these passages?
What happens when we lose sight of either side of the tension of God’s justice and God’s gentleness? How might this skew our relationship with God and others?
Can you think of any examples of gentle justice in the world around us?
Do you relate more with the prophet of Baal challenge (having “idols” on the altar of your heart) or Elijah’s challenge (being disheartened by the “idolatry” around you)? What is God’s gracious invitation for you in 1 Kings 19:1-9?

YHWH is both almighty AND personal. Prayer is a vital expression of our personal relationship with God and identity in God. When and how did you first learn to pray (if ever)? How has your practice of prayer changed over the years?
Reread 1 Kings 18:36-37. Is this the way you’d expect a prophet to prayer? What stands out to you about Elijah’s prayer?
How is almighty and personal God calling your heart back to him in deeper relationship and dependance these days?
Spend time in prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to lead. Make it a point to also pray out loud with other believers this week (we are not alone in our relationship with God).

Reread 1 Kings 18:16-39. An idol is something we ascribe ultimate worth or fulfillment to. The problem John Calvin pointed out is that The human heart is an idol producing factory. Have you found this to be true? Why is that?
Why does God tell people to choose follow him or Baal but not both (v 39)? Would it not be better to have a bit of YHWH and other gods than no YHWH?
Are the rhythms and values of my life today drawing me to Jesus, or am I silently but surely drifting away? The question of who will I serve is one of direction. What does following YHWH look like for you these days? What is God calling you to let go of and to grab onto for the sake of drawing closer to him?
Pray through Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and/or Revelation 3:14-2

Reread 1 Kings 17:1-24. How is the Holy Spirit been growing or challenging your vision of God these days? What difference is it making in your life?
How have you seen YHWH’s compassion at work in your life past and present?
Timothy Keller: If you pick and choose what you want to believe and reject the rest . . . you’ll have a Stepford God! A God, essentially, of your own making, and not a God with whom you can have a relationship and genuine interaction. Only if your God can say things that outrage you and make you struggle (as in a real friendship or marriage!) will you know that you have gotten hold of a real God and not a figment of your imagination. What informs your vision of God? What traits of YHWH as described in the bible do you struggle with?
What steps are you taking to ensure your vision is shaped by God and not culture or personal preferences?
Pray through Psalm 145 (or a section of it).

A. W. Tozer: We wonder why we don’t have faith; the answer is, faith is confidence in the character of God and if we don’t know what kind of God God is, we can’t have faith. What comes to mind when you think of God? How has your understanding of God changed over the years?
Reread 1 Kings 17:1-9.
According to 1 Kings 17 (and other passages of the bible) God is Almighty. His power and ultimate authority are all encompassing of every aspect of life as we know it. How does this image of God square with your current understanding of God? How might your life be different if you had more of an Elijah view of God?
Elijah was already God’s servant (cf 17:1) before any of theses events transpired. How was Elijah’s faith and service impacted by the way Almighty God directed his circumstances?