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HOW DID WE SEE GOD THIS WEEK?

What victories can we celebrate?

What challenges did we encounter?

WHAT DID GOD SAY IN HIS WORD?

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

Recall from Sunday:

Blessing abounds as we believe the promise (1:39-45), magnify the promise-maker (46-50), and see by faith what is not yet (51-56).

Reflect:

What are the most significant notes you took during the sermon?

What did you learn about God and his plans for us from the Bible passage?

WHAT DID GOD SAY TO ME THROUGH HIS WORD?

Mary praised God even though she hadn’t yet seen him fulfill the promises he had made about her child (Luke 1:51-56). Is there a promise of God you are waiting to see fulfilled in your life? How do you deal with the waiting?

Mary magnified God in her soul even before his promises were fulfilled (Luke 1:46-50). Sometimes our souls worry and fret about our problems, magnifying them beyond reality. Is there a problem your soul is fixated on that is blocking your view of God?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO ABOUT IT?

Brainstorm together about how you can magnify God in your souls. Identify something concrete you can do this week to remind yourself of God’s faithfulness in light of your problem. Consider as a group how you can encourage members who are particularly struggling.

Try journaling together. Invite each group member to take 15 minutes at the end of each of their days to just ask God to show you how he showed up throughout your day. Write down each thing, no matter how small. Next week, share about how you saw God throughout the week and encourage each other about how this can help you trust him more.