When Your Plans Don’t Pan Out

THE TEXT: Acts 16:1-40.(MULTILINE)

5 Things to Do When Your Plans Don’t Pan Out: 

1. Stay and get godly and . 

| Acts 16:1-10 | Proverbs 16:9 | Proverbs 29:18 KJV |(MULTILINE)

2. Go where and trust .  

| Acts 16:11-15 |(MULTILINE)

3. Discern how to or , through the .

| Acts 16:16-18 |(MULTILINE)

4. and God through it anyway. 

| Acts 16:19-34 | 1 Thessalonians 5:17 | John 6:40 |(MULTILINE)

5. Remember your is in .  

| Acts 16:35-40 | Philippians 3:20 | 2 Corinthians 4:17 |(MULTILINE)

Small Group Questions

What do you think?

Have someone quickly re-read the fill-ins from Sunday’s message. Then share what particular point(s) stood out to you, challenged you, or raised a question for you.(MULTILINE)

The story of your life.

Tell about a time when your plan did not pan out but God worked it out even better.(MULTILINE)

Digging deeper in God’s Word.

1. 1. The Book of Job tells the story of a righteous man who, despite immense suffering and loss, maintains his faith in God. Seemingly, in a single day, all of Job’s plans for his life were destroyed. Read Job 1:13-22 and answer the following prompts. 
      1. Have a few members recap the story in their own words.(MULTILINE)
      2. How can Job’s story encourage us to maintain faith and worship through our own difficulties?(MULTILINE)
      3. What does this passage tell us about God? People and yourself?(MULTILINE)
   2. One of the best New Testament examples of trusting that God is working when the plans are not working out is the birth narrative of Jesus Christ. Read Luke 2:1-7 and answer the following prompts.
      1. Put yourself in Mary’s shoes. What do you think she was going through emotionally, physically, and spiritually?(MULTILINE)
      2. Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. What do you think he was going through emotionally, physically, and spiritually?(MULTILINE)
      3. Put yourself in the innkeeper’s shoes. What do you think he was going through emotionally, physically, and spiritually?(MULTILINE)
      4. In light of this, what can we learn about what God wants us to do when plans don’t seem to be working out.(MULTILINE)
   3. Read the following verses out loud one at a time. Then share as many insights as possible from the text on what to do when our own plans don’t pan out.
      1. Psalm 37:23-24(MULTILINE)
      2. Romans 8:28(MULTILINE)
      3. Isaiah 55:8-9(MULTILINE)
      4. Proverbs 19:21(MULTILINE)
      5. Jeremiah 29:11(MULTILINE)
      6. Isaiah 41:10(MULTILINE)
      7. 1 Peter 5:7(MULTILINE)
      8. Hebrews 13:5(MULTILINE)

Personal reflection and application.

1. Have everyone share one thing someone else shared in the discussion that struck a chord with you.(MULTILINE)
2. Pray for one another (men with men and women with women if possible).(MULTILINE)