This small group discussion guide draws directly from Jason May's sermon “WEEK 1 INVITATION: HOPE IN THE DARK - 2026-06-08” 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
Hope in the Dark — Week 1: Wrestling and Embracing
Based on the Sermon from Habakkuk 1:1-13
A NOTE TO YOUR FACILITATOR
Welcome! This guide is designed to help your group have a real, honest conversation — not just about a Bible passage, but about life. This week's sermon dove into some raw territory: doubt, unanswered prayer, and the feeling that God isn't showing up the way we expected. Those are tender topics for a lot of people.
Your job isn't to have all the answers. Your job is to create a safe space where people can be honest. If someone shares a struggle or doubt, resist the urge to immediately fix it or offer a Bible verse. Sometimes the most powerful thing a leader can do is say, "Thank you for being honest. Anyone else relate to that?"
Estimated Total Time: 60–90 minutes Suggested Format: Icebreaker → Scripture → Discussion → Application → Prayer
OVERVIEW
What was Sunday's sermon about?
Pastor Jason opened a new series called Hope in the Dark, based on the Old Testament book of Habakkuk and Craig Groeschel's book by the same name. Using Habakkuk 1:1–13, he introduced us to an unusual prophet whose very name means "to embrace and to wrestle" — and whose ministry was defined by bringing raw, honest questions directly to God. The central message: a committed believer can both wrestle with honest questions and embrace a genuine hope in God. Doubt doesn't disqualify you from faith — it can actually deepen it.
SECTION 1 — ICEBREAKER
(5–10 minutes)
Opening Question:
Think about a time in your life when something didn't turn out the way you expected — a trip, a plan, a relationship, a job. What happened, and how did you respond when things went sideways?
[Leader Tip]: Keep this light to start. This question is intentionally non-spiritual so that everyone — regardless of where they are in their faith — can jump in easily. It also naturally sets up the theme of unmet expectations, which is exactly where Habakkuk begins. Aim for 2–3 people to share before moving on.
SECTION 2 — SCRIPTURE READING
(5 minutes)
Context for Your Group:
Habakkuk was a prophet who lived approximately 600 years before Jesus, during a time when the nation of Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel) was experiencing serious moral and social decay — violence, corruption, injustice, and spiritual compromise. Rather than delivering God's message to the people, Habakkuk did something unusual: he brought the people's pain to God. His book reads almost like a journal of raw, honest dialogue with the Lord.
Read aloud together — Habakkuk 1:1–5, 12–13 (NLT):
"This is the message that the prophet Habakkuk received in a vision.
How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen! 'Violence is everywhere!' I cry, but you do not come to save. Must I forever see these evil deeds? Why must I watch all this misery? Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence. I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight. The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts. The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted."
— Habakkuk 1:1–4
"O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal — surely you do not plan to wipe us out? O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins. But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery? Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?"
— Habakkuk 1:12–13
A Note on God's Response (Habakkuk 1:5–6, NLT):
"The Lord replied, 'Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it. I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and violent people...'"
— Habakkuk 1:5–6
[Leader Note]: You don't need to fully explain God's answer right now — the discussion questions will help the group wrestle with it together. Just note that God's response wasn't what Habakkuk (or anyone) expected. That tension is the point.
SECTION 3 — DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
(30–45 minutes)
Work through as many of these questions as time allows. Questions are organized from lighter/observational to deeper/personal. You don't have to use all of them — choose what fits your group best.
THEME A: Getting Honest with God
(Questions 1–3 — approximately 10–12 minutes)
1. What stood out to you most from Sunday's message — something that surprised you, challenged you, or stuck with you through the week?
[Leader Tip]: This is a great opener because it invites everyone to contribute without requiring deep vulnerability. There are no wrong answers. If the group is quiet, share your own honest answer first to model openness.
2. Pastor Jason described Habakkuk as a "real and raw" prophet who wasn't afraid to bring his most honest, frustrated questions directly to God. How does it make you feel to know that kind of honesty is in the Bible — that it's actually part of Scripture?
Optional follow-up if discussion stalls: "Growing up, were you taught that it was okay to question God, or did that feel off-limits?"
3. Habakkuk cried out: "How long, O Lord, must I call for help? But you do not listen!" (Habakkuk 1:2). When you read those words, what emotions do they stir up in you? Does that kind of prayer feel familiar, uncomfortable, or something else?
[Leader Tip]: Some people may have been taught that questioning God is sinful or faithless. Be prepared to gently affirm that lament — bringing pain and confusion honestly before God — is a deeply biblical practice. The Psalms are full of it (see Psalm 13, 22, 88). You're not encouraging doubt for its own sake; you're creating space for honesty.
THEME B: The Crisis of Belief
(Questions 4–6 — approximately 12–15 minutes)
4. Pastor Jason referenced what author Henry Blackaby called a "crisis of belief" — those moments when life doesn't match what we expected from God, and we find ourselves asking, "Where are you? What are you doing?" Without sharing more than you're comfortable with, has there been a season in your life that felt like a crisis of belief? What was that like?
Optional follow-up: "What helped you hold on — or what do you wish you'd had in that season?"
[Leader Tip]: This question has the potential to open up some very meaningful sharing. Give people time and silence. Don't rush to fill quiet moments — sometimes people need a few seconds to decide whether they're going to be honest. If someone shares something painful, acknowledge it before moving on: "Thank you for trusting us with that."
5. Pastor Jason described a spectrum of responses when we hit a spiritual wall: we can run to God, run away from God, or just get stuck. Which of those three responses feels most natural to you personally — and why do you think that is?
6. Habakkuk's name means "to embrace and to wrestle." Pastor Jason pointed out that these two things — embracing God and wrestling with God — aren't opposites. They happen at the same time. What do you think it looks like practically to wrestle with God while still embracing him? Is that a tension you've experienced?
Optional follow-up: "Can you think of a biblical character besides Habakkuk who wrestled with God while still holding on to him?"
[Leader Tip]: If your group is familiar with the Bible, someone might bring up Jacob wrestling with the angel in Genesis 32, or Job, or David in the Psalms. That's great — encourage those connections. If the group is newer to Scripture, you can briefly mention that Jacob literally wrestled with God all night and walked away with a limp — and a blessing. Both things are true.
THEME C: Trusting What We Can't Fully Understand
(Questions 7–9 — approximately 10–15 minutes)
7. When Habakkuk asked God to fix the violence and injustice around him, God's answer was essentially: "I am doing something — but you wouldn't believe me if I told you." And then God described raising up an even more violent nation to deal with the problem. How do you respond to that kind of answer from God? What does it tell us about the way God works?
Optional follow-up: "Can you think of a time when God's solution to a problem in your life looked nothing like what you expected — but in hindsight made sense?"
8. Pastor Jason said: "Intimacy with God is not manufactured on the mountaintop. It is forged in the valley." Do you agree with that? What has your experience taught you about where you tend to grow closest to God?
9. Read this quote from Craig Groeschel that Pastor Jason shared:
"What if honestly acknowledging your doubts is your first step toward building a deeper faith? What if embracing your secret questions opens the door for a maturing knowledge of God's character? What if drawing closer to God — developing genuine intimacy with him — requires you to bear something that feels unbearable?"
What's your reaction to this idea — that doubt and pain might actually be doorways into deeper faith, not signs that your faith is failing?
[Leader Tip]: This question works especially well for people who have felt shame about their doubts. The goal isn't to romanticize suffering, but to reframe it — God isn't absent in the hard seasons; he's often most present and most formative there. Be sensitive to anyone currently in a painful season who may not yet be able to see the growth on the other side.
SECTION 4 — PERSONAL APPLICATION
(10–15 minutes)
These questions are more reflective. You might invite people to think quietly for a moment before sharing, or give people the option to journal their answer rather than speak it aloud.
1. Where are you right now on the "mountaintop to valley" spectrum Pastor Jason described? Are you in a season of spiritual energy and clarity, a season of confusion and doubt, or somewhere in between? What's one honest thing you could bring to God this week that you've been holding back?
2. Pastor Jason encouraged the group: "Don't deny doubt, but let those doubts drive you to God." Is there a specific doubt, question, or frustration with God that you've been avoiding or suppressing? What would it look like to bring that honestly to him this week — in prayer, in journaling, or in conversation with someone you trust?
3. The sermon ended with a challenge to trust God even when we don't understand his ways. Proverbs 3:5–6 says:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take."
What's one specific area of your life right now where trusting God feels hard? What would it look like to take one small step of trust in that area this week?
🗓️ THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE
Choose one (or more) that fits where you are:
Read Habakkuk 1 on your own this week. Read it slowly, out loud if possible. Notice every emotion Habakkuk expresses. Write down any question or line that resonates with your own life right now.
Write an honest prayer — not a polished, "church-appropriate" prayer, but a raw, real one. Tell God exactly what you're confused about, frustrated by, or grieving. Don't edit yourself.
Share your valley with someone. If you're in a hard season spiritually, tell one person in this group or in your life this week. You don't have to have it figured out — just say it out loud to someone safe.
Memorize Proverbs 3:5–6 and repeat it every morning this week, especially in the moments when you feel most uncertain.
SECTION 5 — PRAYER FOCUS
(5–10 minutes)
Close your time together in prayer. Here are suggested focal points — you can pray through these as a group, break into pairs, or have one person pray over the group.
Suggested Prayer Topics:
🙏 Honesty — Ask God to give your group the courage to be real with him and with each other, especially in the hard seasons.
🙏 Those in the Valley — Pray specifically for anyone in your group (or in your lives) who is in a season of doubt, grief, or unanswered prayer. Ask God to draw near to them.
🙏 Trust — Ask God to help each person identify one area where they need to surrender their understanding and trust his ways.
🙏 The Series — Pray that over the coming weeks, as your group works through Habakkuk together, God would do something real and lasting in each person's heart.
🙏 Those Who Don't Yet Know Jesus — Pastor Jason closed the sermon by inviting anyone who doesn't know Christ to reach out to him. Pray for people in your lives — and perhaps in your group — who are still seeking.
[Leader Tip — Closing Prayer]: If your group includes people who are new to faith or exploring Christianity, consider asking for a volunteer to pray rather than putting someone on the spot. You might say: "I'd love for someone to close us in prayer — anyone willing?" This keeps it voluntary and low-pressure.
SECTION 6 — OPTIONAL DEEP DIVE
For groups wanting to go further
These bonus questions are for groups with extra time or who want to explore the theological themes more deeply. They work well as take-home reflection questions too.
Deep Dive 1: The book of Psalms contains many "lament psalms" — songs of honest grief, frustration, and questioning directed at God. Read Psalm 13 (it's only 6 verses). How does David's prayer in Psalm 13 mirror Habakkuk's cry in Habakkuk 1:2–4? What does it tell you that God preserved these raw, honest prayers in Scripture rather than editing them out?
Deep Dive 2: Pastor Jason mentioned that God's answer to Habakkuk's prayer involved raising up the Babylonians — a violent, pagan nation — to discipline Judah. This is deeply uncomfortable. How do you reconcile the idea that a good God might use painful or even evil circumstances to accomplish his purposes? What scriptures or experiences help you hold that tension?
Helpful passages to explore: Romans 8:28, Genesis 50:20 (Joseph's story), Isaiah 55:8–9
Deep Dive 3: Pastor Jason shared a personal story about being kidnapped as a young man and experiencing the nearness of God in his darkest moment. He said: "Intimacy with God is not manufactured on the mountaintop. It is forged in the valley." How does this connect to what Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 about weakness and God's strength? What does it mean for how we view suffering as a community of faith?
"Each time he said, 'My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.' So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me... For when I am weak, then I am strong." — 2 Corinthians 12:9–10
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE FOR FURTHER READING
These passages connect to this week's themes and are great for personal study throughout the week:
| Passage | Theme |
|---|---|
| Psalm 13 | Honest lament and renewed trust |
| Psalm 22:1–5 | Crying out when God feels silent |
| James 1:2–4 | Trials as a path to spiritual growth |
| Proverbs 3:5–6 | Trusting God beyond our understanding |
| Romans 8:28 | God's purposes in all circumstances |
| 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 | God's strength in our weakness |
| John 10:28–29 | Security in God's hands |
SERIES PREVIEW
Hope in the Dark is a multi-week series through the book of Habakkuk. Here's a brief look at where the series is headed:
- Week 1 (This week): Wrestling and Embracing — Habakkuk 1:1–13
- Week 2: Watching and Waiting — Habakkuk 2
- Week 3: Trusting in the Dark — Habakkuk 3
Encourage your group to read through all three chapters of Habakkuk on their own this week — it's a short book and only takes about 10 minutes to read. Come next week with observations and questions.
This guide was prepared for Rock City Church small groups. Questions? Reach out to your group coordinator or church office.
"A committed believer can both wrestle with honest questions and embrace a genuine hope in God." — Pastor Jason