by Laura Story
Martin had been a go-getter with tons of energy, but soon he began falling asleep at social events. For Laura, he had become someone she didn’t recognize. Ultimately, the doctors diagnosed the cause of Martin’s symptoms: a brain tumor. This life-changing event shook Laura and caused her to reassess the beliefs she had held about God since she was a child. These were beliefs such as if she followed Jesus and was the “best” Christian she could be, God would reward her with a pain-free life. But Laura came to understand that God didn’t owe her anything—and that she could never be “good enough” to earn God’s blessings. As Isaiah wrote, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags (64:6).”
But the question remains: Why does life have to be so hard? Paul summed up the reason in Romans 5:12: “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin . . . in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” Our world is decaying—seen in the form of death, addiction, adultery—because sin entered our world. In fact, when we look at the story of the Bible, we find the narrative breaks down into four parts: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Understanding these four segments of the narrative, and where we fall within them, will give us insight into what we can expect not only from God but also from ourselves.
1. Read John 16:33. What does Jesus say our lives will involve here on earth? What promise does he give to us?
2. Read Romans 5:18–19. What does Paul say are the effects of sin entering into the world? How are people made righteous again?
3. Given these passages, why is it unrealistic to expect that we will not have trials in life—regardless of how “good” we think we are before God? Why should we expect trouble?
Day Two: God’s Perfect Creation
How did we come into being? How did the world come to be? You’ve probably asked those and similar questions—and by now, you’ve likely arrived at an answer. Whether in church, or in a science class, you’ve heard one or more explanations of how the earth was created, and you’ve chosen which one you believe. If you accept what is taught in the Bible, you believe the world was created by an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving God. God, the Creator of the universe, was there before time began and will be there when time ends.
He was. And is. And will always be.
Some argue whether God created the world in a literal six days or whether he allowed it to evolve over several millions of years. But more important than exactly how it was created is the truth that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1, emphasis added). The earth was beautiful. And good. It was a tropical paradise lit by a brilliant, yellow sun and cooled by deep, blue pools of water. Every animal flourished in harmony with each other and with the humans God created to oversee them all. Peace and purpose reigned.
The pinnacle of God’s creation was a man named Adam and a woman named Eve. God created them to worship, love, and serve him. “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). More than anything, God wanted a relationship with Adam and Eve, and he gave them free will so they could do those things freely and voluntarily. And for a while, they did.
The Lord put Adam into the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. Together, he, Eve, and God would walk through the garden. They would stop to pet the lion that had lain down with the lambs. In that perfect Eden, Adam and Eve were free to do whatever they chose—with one exception. God warned them not to eat the fruit off of one particular tree—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—which stood in the center of the garden.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command, it ushered in the next section of the Bible’s narrative: sin and the fall.
1. Read Genesis 2:5–17. How would you describe the earth based on this account?
2. What task did God give Adam to do in the garden? What freedoms did God give him? What restrictions were imposed?
3. What did God say would be the consequences of Adam’s disobedience?
Day Three: Sin Enters the World
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6). So it was that Adam and Eve disregarded God’s instruction. There was a lot of temptation and blame to throw around, but in the end they broke the one rule God had given them and ate fruit from the forbidden tree.
Despite what Adam and Eve thought (or perhaps what they hoped), the created could never hope to be equal to the Creator. Though they had dominion over all creation, and though God had given them freedom to make their own decisions and rule the earth, Adam and Eve had no right to disregard the Lord’s rule. When they did, the consequences of their rebellion were real and swift.
Immediately, they realized they were naked and hid in shame. They were forced to leave the peace and serenity of the Garden of Eden and were not allowed to return. For the first time they had to scrounge for food, as their once-ample supply was now gone. They developed a taste for meat. Animals and humans would no longer be safe mixing with those that weren’t the same species. Eve gave birth to children, and it was painful. The children fought, and eventually one son killed the other. Sickness and disease entered the world. What was once healthy, and eternal, began to decay. Death followed.
The consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin is a tidal wave that has continued to knock down every generation in its path. The world God made is no longer at peace, and nothing is in the same condition as when he created it. People don’t act like they should. The result of sin is on the front page of every newspaper, as well as the eleven o’clock news. All around us, we observe broken lives, broken treaties, broken promises, and broken relationships. We ourselves are treading in the stinky, murky, dark, dirty waters of our own making, hoping not to go under.
The biggest break is our relationship with God. And yet, rather than repair it, we continue the rebellion through our lies and grudges, holding on to anger, and lusting over people and things we prefer to keep private. We hold hate in our hearts and envy in our eyes. We lust, we leak, we fumble, and we fail. “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:11–12).
It’s called the “fall” because we’ve fallen away from God, and we can’t get up by ourselves. Everything is distorted and broken, and as much as we try, we can’t put our humpty-dumpty world back together again. But fortunately, God did not leave us in this state. Even as he uttered the curse against humankind, he was planning a way for each of us to be reconciled. God’s plan would usher in the next section of the Bible’s narrative: redemption.
1. Read Genesis 3:6–10. What were the immediate effects of Adam and Eve’s disobedience?
2. Read Genesis 3:11–19. What were the long-term effects of their sin (the curse)?
3. What are some of the consequences of the fall that you see today?
Day Four: Restoring the Broken
In our broken world, each of us has a plan to fix the things we see are broken. Maybe, for you, the answer is a political party, an ideology, or a philosophy. Perhaps it is a self-help book or a person you idolize. We believe that if everyone would just see things the way we do—do what we tell them to do—everything would be okay. The problem is that none of us can agree on what that plan should be.
Whenever we try to integrate our solution, we reach a point where we can’t take it any further. As much as we’d like, we don’t rule the world, because we didn’t create it. So we fail at our attempts to spread our personal gospel of solutions—yet somehow, we each believe there is someone or something
that can make things right. We can agree there is a rescuer, even if we can’t agree on who or what it is.
And we are right. There is a rescuer. Even though God hated our sin and rebellion, he determined to restore his relationship with us. Ever since Adam and Eve messed up, God has had a plan to restore us. He even promised Adam and Eve there would be a rescue. He said one of their descendants would crush the evil that had been unloosed on the earth.
Through the generations, God’s plan continued to unfold. Centuries before the rescuer’s coming, the prophets dropped hints about his birth, life, and death. They recorded these accounts and passed them down in both oral and written form. In these accounts, which we have assembled into sacred Scripture, we learn he would live the perfect and blameless life we were intended to live—and that our punishment would become his.
The entire record, gathered into what we today call the Old Testament, points to this rescuer and this climactic event that would occur in history. And then it did. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, entered history as a baby born in Bethlehem. This God-man spent his life helping those around him understand what these ancient eyewitness accounts meant when they alluded to him. He interpreted them and prophesied about his own death and resurrection. He directed people to his loving Father. And though he lived a blameless and perfect life, as part of his Father’s plan, he agreed to take the punishment for our sins—past, present, and future.
Our faith in Christ’s ability to rescue us relieves us of the punishment we are due and restores our relationship with his Father—God, our Creator. For all those who believe Jesus is their rescuer, his death and resurrection overcomes our sin and its consequences. He overcomes physical death and restores eternal life. “The Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever” (Galatians 1:3–5).
Outside of Jesus, we cannot restore our relationship with God or our broken world. We can’t stop sin or the consequences of sin from happening. But with our faith in God’s plan and in Jesus whom he sent to rescue us, we can now turn from our rebellious ways and have victory over sin. But the story doesn’t end there, for God promises to renew the whole world. This is the final section of the Bible’s narrative: restoration.
1. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17–21. What does Paul say God sent Jesus into this world to do? What happens to us when we accept Christ as our rescuer?
2. Now that we have been reconciled to God, what does the Lord command us to do? What does it mean to be an “ambassador” for Christ?
3. Read Hebrews 10:10. What does it mean that Christ paid the price for our sins once and for all time?
Day Five: A New Heaven and Earth
In the book of Revelation, we read how Christ will one day return to judge sin and evil and escort in righteousness and peace. The disciple John gives us a glimpse of what this glorious new heaven and new earth will look like. He also writes that at this time, “[God] will wipe every tear. . . . There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4).
Perhaps you have your own vision of what this new reality will be like. Picture the world as you’ve always wanted it, with no more earthquakes, tornados, tsunamis, or hurricanes. No more wars, guns, hate, or aggression. A place where people aren’t defined by their race, gender, or physical limitations. No more sickness and no more cancer. No more broken hearts. A place where family members can no longer hurt you, where bosses won’t lie and cheat, and where gossiping friends cease. Broken things will be completely fixed. No more selfishness and no more divorce.
For the first time, you’ll feel whole. You will be complete. You’ll never fight or argue again. The things you long for most—love, security, joy, meaning, and purpose—will be abundant. Death, decay, and destruction will be gone. Peace and love will prevail. Humans and animals will once more live together in harmony. The world will be perfect, the way God intended it to be.
All of the good things we desire will be present, but this won’t be a utopia with us at the center of it. Though we all have a shared vision for this perfect world, at the center of it will be Jesus to whom all praise, glory, and honor belong. We will worship him. We will serve him. And we will be in perfect relationship with him for eternity.
Until then, even though we’ve been rescued, we still feel the consequences of the original fall. We still deal with unexpected troubles and pain because we are still living in a fallen world. But because we’ve been rescued, we know that Jesus is our anchor in the rough waters of a troubled life. We can survive the storm by clinging to him like the salvation he is. And when we’re with him, we can be a part of the restoration.
It starts with us restoring our relationship with our heavenly Father. With us recognizing that as people who are rescued and who know the rescuer, we can help others escape their own sin cages. With us understanding that our job, our purpose, is to help reveal God’s coming perfect world for others to glimpse before it is ushered in completely. And as we serve God, love Jesus, and respond to the Holy Spirit’s whispers in our lives, we can heal ourselves and begin to give others a glimpse of what life looks like when what’s broken is fixed. Together, we can begin to work for the world that we all desire.
1. Read Revelation 21:1–5. How does John describe the new heaven and new earth?
2. How do you picture the restoration that God promises to provide?
3. How can you help give others a glimpse now of what this restoration will look like?
SESSION TWO
Best-Made Plans
We each have plans and dreams for our lives. We think we know what’s best and if God just followed our plan, everything would be great. But God’s plans are much bigger than ours. . . . When we trust that God is for us and not against us, we can see our future as he sees it. It is a future filled with plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future. And plans that will ultimately draw you closer to him.
LAURA STORY
Introduction
Joni Eareckson Tada was a teenager going out for a swim when her life was radically changed. A diving accident left her a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. This was not the plan she had for her life. Nonetheless, today she inspires people around the world with paintings she does by holding a brush in her teeth, by sharing how her faith continues to carry her through the challenges she faces, and by leading a ministry for people with disabilities.
Christine Caine knew nothing about human trafficking. She was not a crusader, but she was a faithful follower of Jesus. She did not have plans to begin a ministry or go to war against an international practice of injustice and human degradation. But God redirected her steps and reordered her life. Christine Caine now travels the world battling against the practice of selling human beings as objects.
Ann Voskamp never aspired to be a public speaker. She had no grand goals to travel around the world and talk about faith, thankfulness, or any other topic. As a matter of fact, she is not fond of getting on planes and flying anywhere. If the decision had been up to Ann to design her days, she would have stayed on the family farm, taught her children, loved her husband, and wrote her thoughts out in private journals. But God did not check in with Ann about his plan for her life. He called her, inspired her, and gave her a message. She wrote it down in her book One Thousand Gifts. Her life has now taken a trajectory she did not ask for and did not plan for—but one that God designed for her.
What is it God might be calling you to let go of, to leave behind, in order to take hold of a greater blessing?
What do all three of these women have in common? None of them planned where they are today. How could they have? But each would tell you that somehow, in his sovereignty, God has led them in ways that have broug
ht him glory and led to true and lasting joy.
Talk About It
To get things started for this second session, discuss one of the following questions:
• When you were younger and dreamed of what a “perfect life” would look like for you, what pictures and future did you imagine? How is your life today different than you thought it might be?
or
• When you were a child, what did you think you would “be” when you grew up? How has God led you toward or away from that childhood sense of what your future would hold?
Video Teaching Notes
As you watch the video teaching segment for session two, use the following outline to record anything that stands out to you.
The perfectly planned life and the reality of detours
How we respond when God calls us to follow his plans and not our own
What role does our faith play in how tightly we hold on to “our plans”?
The story of Abraham and Sarah:
• The purpose of biblical stories
• God’s call on Abraham and Sarah
• The call can be surprising and difficult
Abraham’s faith journey had highs and lows. He believed God’s promises from a young age, yet he got out into the real world and struggled to trust those promises in the midst of hard seasons. He was a lot like you and me.
Martin and Laura’s journey
Other stories of faithfully following through during challenging times