This small group discussion guide draws directly from David Platt's sermon “Showcase — Trust In God Worship Night - May 2026” so you can keep engaging with the message all week. Read, reflect, and share it with your small group or friends.
Small Group Discussion Guide
Trusting the One Who Holds All Things
Based on the Church-Wide Worship Night Message
A Note to Facilitators: This guide is designed for 60–90 minutes. You know your group best — feel free to skip questions, linger longer on what resonates, or adjust the pace as needed. Your goal isn't to get through every question; it's to create space for honest conversation and genuine encounter with God. There are no wrong answers here, only honest ones.
OVERVIEW
This message centered on one of the most important questions we face as followers of Jesus: Do I actually trust God? Drawing from the stories of Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4) and healing the paralyzed man (Mark 2), the message challenged us to move beyond intellectual belief to whole-hearted reliance on God's character, ability, strength, and truth. Through breathtaking reminders of God's creative power and authority over all things, we were invited to lay down our fears, doubts, and burdens — and to trust the One who holds everything together.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN
A Quick Word for New or Less Experienced Facilitators: You don't need to be a biblical scholar to lead this discussion. Your job is simply to ask the questions, listen well, and make space for people to share honestly. If you don't know the answer to something, it's perfectly fine to say, "That's a great question — let's look at that together" or "I'm not sure, but let's explore it." Authenticity matters far more than expertise.
SECTION 1: ICEBREAKER
(5–10 minutes)
Opening Question:
Think of a time in your life when you had to trust someone completely — maybe a doctor, a mentor, a friend, or even a stranger. What made you decide to trust them, and how did it feel to let go and rely on someone else?
[Leader Tip]: This question is intentionally non-spiritual to help everyone feel comfortable jumping in — including guests or newer members. After a few people share, you can make a natural transition by saying something like: "It's interesting how much trust requires us to know something about the person we're relying on. Tonight we're going to talk about what it means to trust God in that same personal, real way."
SECTION 2: SCRIPTURE READING
(5–10 minutes)
Have someone in the group read each passage aloud. You may want to ask two or three different people to read — it helps the group engage and signals that everyone has a role.
Passage 1 — The Definition of Trust in Action
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green. And it is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit." — Jeremiah 17:7–8
Passage 2 — Jesus Calms the Storm
"And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!' And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, 'Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?' And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'" — Mark 4:37–41
Passage 3 — The Paralyzed Man Lowered Through the Roof
"And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.'... 'But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins' — he said to the paralytic — 'I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.' And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all." — Mark 2:4–5, 10–12
Passage 4 — The Foundation of Our Trust
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." — Proverbs 3:5–6
SECTION 3: DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(30–45 minutes)
Work through as many of these questions as time allows. Questions are organized from lighter and observational to deeper and more personal. Feel free to skip around based on what your group needs most.
PART A: What We Heard — Observing the Message
(Start here to help everyone re-engage with the sermon content)
Question 1:
The message opened with this definition: "Trust is the assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something." Which one of those four words — character, ability, strength, or truth — feels most important to you personally when it comes to trusting God, and why?
[Leader Tip]: This question helps people engage with the definition without feeling put on the spot. There's no right answer — it's simply a way to get people thinking about what trust actually means to them. If the group is quiet, you can share your own answer first to model vulnerability.
Question 2:
In the story of Jesus calming the storm, the disciples asked a raw, desperate question: "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" What do you think was really going on in their hearts when they asked that? Can you relate to ever feeling that way — even if you'd never say it out loud?
[Leader Tip]: This question can open up some deep, honest sharing. Normalize the disciples' reaction by pointing out that this question wasn't condemned — Jesus responded with compassion and a question of his own. The goal is to create a safe space for people to admit they've felt similarly.
Question 3:
Jesus responded to the disciples' fear with his own question: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" What do you think Jesus was really trying to teach them in that moment — not just about the storm, but about who he is?
PART B: Going Deeper — What the Scriptures Show Us
Question 4:
The four friends in Mark 2 literally tore off a roof to get their paralyzed friend to Jesus. They didn't say a word — Mark just says Jesus saw their faith. What does this story tell us about what faith in action can look like? What "roof" might you need to tear off to bring someone — or something — to Jesus right now?
[Leader Tip]: This question bridges faith and action beautifully. Some people may share about a friend or family member they've been praying for. Others may identify a personal barrier — pride, doubt, busyness — that's been keeping them from bringing their own needs to Jesus. Both are valid and worth exploring.
Question 5:
The message reminded us of the staggering scale of creation — trillions of trees, billions of birds, quintillions of bugs, and stars beyond counting — and pointed to Colossians 1:16–17, which says Jesus created all things and "in him all things hold together." How does reflecting on the sheer scale of what God holds together affect the way you think about whether he can handle what you're carrying right now?
(Optional follow-up if discussion stalls: "Is it ever hard to connect the 'big God of the universe' to the specific, personal things you're worried about? What makes that connection feel distant sometimes?")
Question 6:
The message declared powerfully: "Cancer and tumors will not have the last word. Anxiety and depression will not have the last word. Sin, Satan, and death will not have the last word — because Jesus has authority over them all." How does that truth land with you today? Does it feel like solid ground, or does part of you struggle to hold onto it? What makes it feel real — or hard to believe?
[Leader Tip]: Be sensitive here. Some people in your group may be walking through illness, grief, mental health struggles, or deep loss right now. This isn't a question to rush past. Affirm that honest struggle doesn't disqualify anyone — in fact, the message itself made room for that. You might say: "The message didn't pretend trust is easy. It invited us into trust even when it's hard."
PART C: Making It Personal — Bringing It Home
Question 7:
The message introduced a definition of the Hebrew word for "heart" in Proverbs 3:5 — it's not just emotions, but your mind (what you believe), your affections (what you feel), and your will (how you live). Thinking about those three dimensions, which area of your heart is it hardest for you to fully trust God with right now — your thinking, your feelings, or your actions?
Question 8:
The closing CS Lewis quote said: "When we can't trace the hand of God, we trace the heart of God." What does it mean to you to "trace the heart of God" when his hand isn't obvious? Can you think of a time when you couldn't see what God was doing, but you held onto who he is?
Question 9:
The message described the PRAY acrostic used during the worship night — Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield. If you were to honestly apply that framework to your life right now, which of those four movements feels most needed for you personally — and why?
(P — Praise God for specific ways he's proven faithful. R — Repent of areas where you're not trusting him. A — Ask for help to trust him. Y — Yield your heart completely to him.)
SECTION 4: PERSONAL APPLICATION
(10–15 minutes)
These questions are for individual reflection. You can invite people to share, but make it clear that these are personal — no one is required to answer aloud. Consider giving 2–3 minutes of quiet reflection before opening it up.
Reflective Questions:
The honest question: If Jesus asked you right now, "Do you trust me?" — what would your most honest answer be? Not the answer you think you should give, but the real one.
The specific thing: What is the one area of your life — a relationship, a fear, a decision, a season of suffering, a dream that hasn't come true — where trusting God feels hardest right now?
The remembered moment: Think of one specific time when God proved faithful to you — when he showed up, answered a prayer, sustained you through something hard, or surprised you with his goodness. How might remembering that moment strengthen your trust today?
The invitation: The worship night included time to write out prayers at tables using the PRAY framework. Whether or not you did that Sunday night, what would you write down right now if you had a piece of paper in front of you?
🔑 THIS WEEK CHALLENGE
Choose one (or more) of the following practical responses to this message:
Option 1 — Write it down. Set aside 10–15 minutes this week to write out a prayer using the PRAY framework. Be specific. Name the areas where you're struggling to trust. Bring them honestly before God.
Option 2 — Remember and record. Make a list of 5–10 specific ways God has been faithful in your life. Keep it somewhere visible this week — your phone, a sticky note, your mirror — as a reminder when doubt creeps in.
Option 3 — Bring a friend. Like the four friends in Mark 2, identify someone in your life who needs to be brought to Jesus right now. Commit to praying for them daily this week, and consider reaching out to let them know you're praying.
Option 4 — Trace the heart. When you face a moment of fear, uncertainty, or doubt this week, practice asking: "What do I know to be true about who God is?" Write down what comes to mind.
Option 5 — Memorize a verse. Choose one of the key passages from this message to memorize or meditate on this week:
- Proverbs 3:5–6
- Jeremiah 17:7–8
- Mark 4:40
SECTION 5: PRAYER FOCUS
(5–10 minutes)
Close your time together in prayer. Here are some suggested ways to structure this:
Option A — Open Group Prayer Invite anyone who wants to pray aloud to do so. Suggest the group focus on one or more of these themes:
- Thanking God for specific ways he's proven faithful
- Asking for grace to trust him in areas of current struggle
- Praying for one another's specific needs shared during discussion
- Surrendering the things we've been holding onto instead of giving to God
Option B — Popcorn Praise Go around the group and invite each person to complete one sentence: "God, I trust you with _______________." Close with a brief prayer by the facilitator.
Option C — Silent and Spoken Begin with 1–2 minutes of silent prayer where everyone brings their specific area of struggle to God privately. Then close with a spoken prayer covering the themes of the evening.
Suggested Closing Prayer (for facilitators who'd like a guide):
"Father, you are the one who holds all things together — every star, every tree, every molecule, and every moment of our lives. Tonight we've been reminded that you are good, you are able, you are strong, and you are true. Help us to trust you — not just with our words, but with our minds, our hearts, and the way we live. For the areas where trust feels hard, meet us with your grace. For the things we've been carrying that belong at your feet, give us the courage to let go. We trust in you, Jesus. Amen."
SECTION 6: OPTIONAL DEEP DIVE
(For groups wanting to go further — or for a follow-up week)
Deep Dive Question 1:
The message pointed to Jesus' authority not just over nature (the storm) and over sickness (the paralyzed man), but over sin itself — saying "Son, your sins are forgiven." Why do you think Jesus addressed forgiveness before physical healing in that story? What does that tell us about what Jesus considers our deepest need?
Deep Dive Question 2:
The message quoted Colossians 1:16–17, which says all things were created through Jesus and for Jesus, and that in him all things hold together. Read that passage together slowly. What does it mean for your daily life that the same Jesus you're trusting with your struggles is the one who is actively holding all of creation together at this very moment?
Full text for reference: "For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." — Colossians 1:16–17
Deep Dive Question 3:
The message closed with this powerful declaration from Romans 15:5–6: "May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accordance with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
What role does community play in our ability to trust God? How have other people helped you trust God in a difficult season — and how might you play that role for someone else right now?
RELATED SCRIPTURES FOR FURTHER STUDY
For individuals or groups who want to explore these themes more deeply during the week:
| Theme | Passage |
|---|---|
| Trusting God in fear and uncertainty | Psalm 27:1–4, 13–14 |
| God's faithfulness through generations | Lamentations 3:22–23 |
| Faith as a gift from God | Ephesians 2:8–9 |
| Jesus' authority over all things | Matthew 28:18 |
| Bringing our burdens to Jesus | Matthew 11:28–30 |
| The peace that surpasses understanding | Philippians 4:6–7 |
| When we can't see what God is doing | Romans 8:28 |
| The heart of God toward those who trust him | Psalm 34:18 |
QUICK-REFERENCE GUIDE FOR FACILITATORS
| Section | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Icebreaker | 5–10 min | Keep it light; everyone should feel welcome to share |
| Scripture Reading | 5–10 min | Ask 2–3 people to read different passages |
| Discussion Questions | 30–45 min | Aim for 4–6 questions; don't rush |
| Personal Application | 10–15 min | Allow quiet reflection before sharing |
| Prayer Focus | 5–10 min | Close warmly; make space for honesty |
| Total | 60–90 min |
[Final Facilitator Note]: If your group runs out of time before finishing the questions, that's a good sign — it means people are engaging deeply. You can always save questions for next week or encourage people to reflect on them personally. The goal is never to finish the guide; it's to help people encounter God and each other in a meaningful way. Trust the Spirit to lead the conversation where it needs to go.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." — Proverbs 3:5–6
Discussion guide prepared for small group use. Permission granted to print and distribute within your church community.