Asking For A Friend - Superheroes
September 5, 2020

Superheroes

Question: Why doesn’t God make superheroes to help people?

Main Point: God may give us more than we can handle on our own because he wants us to trust in him and not in our own strength.

Acts 12:1-17 — Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison

God has the power to do whatever he chooses.

Quite often good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” —Matthew 5:43-45

Prayer is powerful and effective.

Acts 12:5 — So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Frequently God chooses not to intervene in the way we would have chosen.

Acts 12:2 — He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

Acts 12:8 — Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him.

God has more important objectives than preserving our comfort.

“Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.” —Acts 12:11

“When we become aware that life will give us more than we can handle and come to grips with this, we find a promise: God is faithful to meet us in the mess and in the pain.” —Michael Hidalgo

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33

Discussion Questions

  1. If you could have one “superhero power” what would you choose and why?

  2. How does knowing that God causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous shape your understanding of the existence of evil and suffering in the world?

  3. How can we “meet God in the miracle” by doing the things that we can do? Have you ever seen that happen in your own life?

  4. When in your life have you encountered more than you could handle? Did you find that God was faithful to meet you in the mess and in the pain?

Table Discussion Question — God has the power to do whatever he chooses. So, how does it affect your relationship with him when he chooses to not intervene in the way you would have chosen?