I Need Help - On Letting the Weak Say I Am Strong (Focus 2 of 5)

Consider this ice breaker as you gather for the Spotlight:

When, in your life, have you experienced a situation when help arrived just in time, making a significant difference?

Focus 2 | I Need Help

Too often, a person doesn’t realize how weak they are until they find themselves in too deep to get out.
Now that you've answered the icebreaker question, here's another one to think about as we get started - this time, a question about hitting rock bottom.
See what this Spotlight—and series—is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 2" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.
Pray this prayer together as you get started today:

Lord,
You’ve made us capable in many ways,
but not so that we could rest in our own capacity.
Help us lean on you instead of on our own independence.
Amen.
Watch this video about the persistent widow.
Would that you’d believe in asking for help as much as she.

Jesus tells this story, which is a rather hopeless and cynical description of a broken dynamic of power between this unfortunate woman and this proud and uncaring judge, and serves with it just enough hope: God doesn’t treat you like the judge treats the woman. He calls you his chosen ones!

Nevertheless, he adds this question at the end: “However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” This question is your challenge, your call-to-action, and your opportunity—but it is also a grace-filled reminder of all that’s needed, in better or worse, is faith - and asking for help is an act of faith.

Let’s reflect on how faith interacts with “asking for help”using this audio meditation.
Read through Psalm 38 and consider the following questions.
I know, you’re right, we did read this same psalm last week, but there’s more here. 

Let’s read Psalm 38 again, this time by dividing your group in half and alternating verses. Once you’ve read it aloud, grab a piece of paper or note-taking app, and think through the following questions. (If you’re doing this on your own, feel free to ponder the questions internally, or even journal your thoughts.)

Psalm 38 
1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Your arrows have pierced me,
and your hand has come down on me.
3 Because of your wrath there is no health in my body;
there is no soundness in my bones because of my sin.
4 My guilt has overwhelmed me
like a burden too heavy to bear.

5 My wounds fester and are loathsome
because of my sinful folly.
6 I am bowed down and brought very low;
all day long I go about mourning.
7 My back is filled with searing pain;
there is no health in my body.
8 I am feeble and utterly crushed;
I groan in anguish of heart.

9 All my longings lie open before you, Lord;
my sighing is not hidden from you.
10 My heart pounds, my strength fails me;
even the light has gone from my eyes.
11 My friends and companions avoid me because of my wounds;
my neighbors stay far away.
12 Those who want to kill me set their traps,
those who would harm me talk of my ruin;
all day long they scheme and lie.

13 I am like the deaf, who cannot hear,
like the mute, who cannot speak;
14 I have become like one who does not hear,
whose mouth can offer no reply.
15 Lord, I wait for you;
you will answer, Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Do not let them gloat
or exalt themselves over me when my feet slip.”

17 For I am about to fall,
and my pain is ever with me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
I am troubled by my sin.
19 Many have become my enemies without cause;
those who hate me without reason are numerous.
20 Those who repay my good with evil
lodge accusations against me,
though I seek only to do what is good.

21 Lord, do not forsake me;
do not be far from me, my God.
22 Come quickly to help me,
my Lord and my Savior.

On your own, take a few minutes to consider the following questions. 

  1. What have you done that you’re hoping God doesn’t punish you for? (Verse 1)
  2. From what “wounds” do you suffer that you need God to give you relief? (Verse 5)
  3. This Psalm, like most psalms, is a prayer. How open is your heart to the Lord when it comes to asking for help? Are there things you hold back from asking? (Verse 9)
  4. How are you “waiting” for God right now? (Verse 15)
  5. Where are you asking God not to forsake you? (Verse 21)
  6. In what way do you wish God felt closer to you? (Verse 22)
Respond to all this with a song that invites us to come to God, no matter how we’re doing or what we need. 
In each focus of this “On Letting the Weak Say I Am Strong” series, we’re looking at an episode from the life of Peter, the disciple of Jesus, watching as he (who was considered the “Leader” of the disciples) journeys into weakness.

Click the arrow in the frame below to begin navigating through the experience.
In the first Spotlight of this series, you got a brief primer on the concept “spiritual assessment.” Spiritual assessment tools are used (usually) in crisis situations by faith leaders to find out how best to serve people. One of the assessment tools you looked at was called the 7x7 Assessment. Today, you’re going to perform a 7x7 on a fictional character from one of Jesus’ parables.

Listen to the audio to meet the person you’ll be assessing today.
Divide and conquer to work through this task.

Imagine that, on the day he longed to eat the pig’s slop, the prodigal son came to you for a Spiritual Assessment.

Open the PDF in the link below and work your way through each question. (If you’re in a group, split the group in half—have half the group work through the first page and the other half work through the second page. After both groups have worked through their sections, come back together to compare notes.)

+ 7X7 SPIRITUAL ASSESMENT


If you didn’t catch the previous Spotlight yet, Illume is partnering with “Seattle Parents of Preemies” for this series. As you consider “letting the weak say I am strong,” please add preemies and their parents to your prayers.

This week, we hear from a couple who have been in the NICU with premature babies—twice. Listen in as they share what was most helpful and encouraging for them during that process. (Many thanks to Rachel and Lucas Boehm for their willingness to share their story.)



Pictured above: a recent photo of the Boehm’s sons, Ian (right) and Micah (left). Ian, who was born at 27 weeks, can also be seen (in the other picture) shortly after his birth.
Small Group Prayer Exercise: Praying for Parents of Premature Babies and Their Babies

Instructions:
1. Form Your Group: Get into small groups of 3-4 people. Once your group is formed, find a quiet space where you can pray together while still viewing the instructions.

2. Begin with a Moment of Silence: Before you start praying, take a moment to center yourselves. Spend a minute or two in silence, inviting God’s presence into your time together.

Remember:
This is a time of support and intercession. There’s no right or wrong way to pray—what matters is the sincerity of your hearts and your desire to lift up these families in need.

3. Prayer Structure:
First Person: Acknowledge Their Struggles
Begin by acknowledging the challenges and emotional burdens that parents of premature babies face. Pray for strength, resilience, and peace for these parents as they navigate this difficult time.

Next Person: Pray for Their Comfort

Ask God to surround these parents with his comfort and love. Pray that they feel his presence in the midst of their worries and fears.

Next Person: Ask for Support

Pray that these parents receive the support they need from family, friends, and their community. Ask God to send people into their lives who can offer them practical help, emotional support, and spiritual encouragement.

Next Person: Pray for Their Health

Lift up the premature babies in prayer, asking God to bless them with strength and health. Pray for their growth and development, that they may overcome any challenges they face in the neonatal period.

Next Person: Ask for Protection

Pray for God’s protection over these fragile lives. Ask for his guidance and wisdom for the medical staff caring for them, that they may make the best decisions for the babies’ health.

Next Person: Pray for a Future Filled with Hope
Ask God to fill these babies’ futures with hope and joy. Pray that they grow into healthy children who know they are loved and cherished by both their families and God.

Next Person: End with Gratitude

Conclude your prayer by thanking God for hearing your prayers. Express gratitude for his love and care for both the parents and the babies.
Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)

Prayer Requests



Contact
In every way, this has been a Spotlight about faith and doubt. It is faith that invites us to ask, it is doubt that deters us. Close with this poem by Anne Brontë, called “The Doubter’s Prayer,” as a way to finally reflect on this.

Eternal power of earth and air,
Unseen, yet seen in all around,
Remote, but dwelling everywhere,
Though silent, heard in every sound.

If e’er thine ear in mercy bent
When wretched mortals cried to thee,
And if indeed thy Son was sent
To save lost sinners such as me.

Then hear me now, while kneeling here;
I lift to thee my heart and eye
And all my soul ascends in prayer;
O give me – give me Faith I cry.

Without some glimmering in my heart,
I could not raise this fervent prayer;
But O a stronger light impart,
And in thy mercy fix it there!

While Faith is with me I am blest;
It turns my darkest night to day;
But while I clasp it to my breast
I often feel it slide away.

Then cold and dark my spirit sinks,
To see my light of life depart,
And every fiend of Hell methinks
Enjoys the anguish of my heart.

What shall I do if all my love,
My hopes, my toil, are cast away,
And if there be no God above
To hear and bless me when I pray?

If this be vain delusion all,
If death be an eternal sleep,
And none can hear my secret call,
Or see the silent tears I weep.

O help me God! for thou alone
Canst my distracted soul relieve;
Forsake it not – it is thine own,
Though weak yet longing to believe.

O drive these cruel doubts away
And make me know that thou art God;
A Faith that shines by night and day
Will lighten every earthly load.

If I believe that Jesus died
And waking rose to reign above,
Then surely Sorrow, Sin and Pride
Must yield to peace and hope and love.

And all the blessed words he said
Will strength and holy joy impart,
A shield of safety o’er my head,
A spring of comfort in my heart.
Sing along with (or listen to) this song to close out this Spotlight.
Feel free to sing along or simply listen. Do what makes you comfortable—but do whatever helps you focus on the song's meaning best.
Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.

Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.                          

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