Sermon Study Guide | Series: God, if You’re real | Sermon: I Need A Miracle
Scripture: Luke 8:40-42, 49-56 | Date: April 26, 2026

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CONNECT - “A Personal Reflection”

This section is designed to help you relate personally to the theme of the sermon. It encourages you to reflect on your own life experiences and how they connect to the message.

Think about a time when you looked strong on the outside but knew something deeper was unsettled on the inside. Maybe you had the tools, the relationships, the plan, and the image of someone who could keep everything moving, but beneath all of that, there was a need you couldn’t solve on your own. What did that season reveal about your dependence on God?

As you reflect on Jairus, where do you most relate to him right now: in the costly act of asking, in the painful waiting, or in the tension of hearing “reasonable” voices telling you to stop hoping? Share with your group

ENGAGE - “Exploring the Scripture”

This section invites you to dive into the biblical passage, discuss its meaning, and apply it to your life through thoughtful questions.

Read Luke 8:40-42, 49-56 together and discuss:

• Jairus was a synagogue ruler with status, reputation, and influence, yet he fell at Jesus’ feet in public. Why do you think that act of desperation was so significant?
  
  
• The message asked “When was the last time you prayed for something you couldn’t produce?” What makes that kind of prayer hard for people who are used to managing life well?
  
  
• In the message, comfort was described like a kind of “silent condition” that can mask deeper spiritual need. How have comfort, success, routine, or self-sufficiency made it easier for you to avoid deeper dependence on God?
  
  
• Jairus had to keep walking with Jesus even after the worst news came. What do you think it means to “keep walking next to Jesus after the news has come”?
  
  
• Jesus tells Jairus, “Do not fear; only believe.” What do you think belief looked like for Jairus in that moment? What does it look like for us now?
  
  
• This message made clear that faith is not a formula that guarantees the outcome we want. How does that honesty deepen your trust in Jesus rather than weaken it?
  
  
• Where do you sense “the voice of reason” trying to get you to stop bothering Jesus right now? 
  
  • How can you distinguish the difference between wise counsel and fear masquerading as wisdom?

APPLY - “Putting the Scriptures into Action”

This section challenges us to take what we’ve learned and implement it in practical ways in our daily lives.

• Name one area of your life right now where you have mostly been relying on your own strength, strategy, or image management. What would it look like to bring that honestly before Jesus this week?
  
  
• Set aside time this week to pray specifically for something you cannot produce on your own. Write that prayer down and revisit it each day.
  
  
• Share one burden with a trusted friend, spouse, or group member instead of carrying it alone. Let someone pray with you instead of only managing it privately.
  
  
• Identify one practical step of stewardship you need to take—counseling, a doctor’s appointment, a hard conversation, asking for help—and take it without believing that using tools means you are lacking faith.
  
  
• Embrace the heart of Jesus for healing and invite a friend to attend Alpha with you.
  
  
• When fear or discouragement rises this week, practice a simple prayer: “Jesus, I’m still walking with You.”

PRAY - “Seeking God’s Guidance”

This section offers a short prayer to help us center our hearts and invite God to work in our lives through his scripture.

Jesus, thank you that you are not distant, rushed, or put off by our need. Thank you that we do not bother you when we come honestly, desperately, and empty-handed.

For the places where we have relied on our own strength, image, or control, help us surrender them to you. Teach us to pray for what we cannot produce and to trust you even when the timing is painful and the outcome is unclear.

Give us courage to keep walking with you, even after hard news, and remind us that whether healing comes now or in eternity, you are faithful, present, and good. Amen.

If you have feedback on this guide or ideas that would help your group engage more deeply, we’d love to hear from you. 

Your insight helps us continue growing as a church that wrestles honestly and walks faithfully together. Contact msummers@menlo.church