In the Midst of a Nightmare

Small Group Guide
"Here I Am: Trusting God in the Nightmare"
Based on Genesis 22:1-14

OVERVIEW
In this sermon, Reverend Bethany Pierbolt walks us through one of Scripture's most difficult and disorienting stories — God's command to Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Rather than offering easy answers, the sermon invites us to sit honestly with the hard questions and discover what it means to trust God in the middle of a nightmare, to stay present when everything in us wants to run, and to keep our eyes open for the ram in the bushes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• "Here I am" is a statement of bold partnership, not passive resignation. When Abraham answers God with hineni, he is not broken or defeated. He is declaring himself present, ready, and trusting — even in the face of something terrifying.
• Trust and distrust can exist in the same space. Acknowledging fear and doubt does not mean you lack faith. Abraham almost certainly wrestled with every step of that walk up the mountain. Honest faith holds both.
• Staying present is an act of faithfulness. Abraham did not barrel forward blindly. He paid attention to the journey, noticed the mountain God pointed to, and remained alert enough to hear the angel's voice and see the ram. Presence made provision possible.
• God's provisions rarely arrive on our schedule or in the form we expect. Like the pastor who refused the boat and the helicopter, we can miss what God is doing when we are too fixed on how we think the answer should look.
• We are people who sing "How Great Thou Art" at funerals. Even in grief and loss, we testify to a God whose faithfulness does not depend on our circumstances.

OPENING QUESTION
Go around the group and share briefly:

• Think of a time when fear turned out to be a liar — when something you dreaded ended up being survivable, or even good. What happened?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
On the Story

• Genesis 22:1-14 describes God testing Abraham by asking him to sacrifice Isaac — the very son who was the fulfillment of God's original promise. What is your honest, gut reaction to this story? Does it trouble you? Why or why not?
• The sermon points out that Abraham answers God with the Hebrew word hineni, meaning "here I am" or "behold." This is described not as a cry of brokenness but as a bold statement of a strong partner. How does that reframing change the way you read Abraham's response? Does it feel accurate to you?
• Abraham tells his servants, "We will worship and then we will come back to you" — speaking of both himself and Isaac returning. The sermon suggests Abraham trusted that God would provide something, even though he could not see how. What do you think was going on inside Abraham at that moment?
• The sermon describes Isaac asking, "Where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" and Abraham answering, "God himself will provide." Have you ever had to give an answer like that — where you genuinely did not know how things would work out, but you said it anyway? What was that like?

On Trust and Presence

• Reverend Pierbolt says, "Trust and distrust are not always on opposite ends — they can exist in the same space." Do you agree? What does it look like in your own life to hold both trust in God and deep uncertainty about a situation at the same time?
• The sermon uses the image of a pastor who refuses a rescue boat and a helicopter because he is waiting for God to save him in a specific way. Where in your own life might you be so focused on a particular outcome that you are missing what God is already doing?
• The sermon emphasizes that Abraham stayed present and kept his head up throughout the journey — which is ultimately how he heard the angel and saw the ram. What does "staying present" look like practically for you when you are in the middle of a difficult or frightening season?
• Reverend Pierbolt says: "God adjusts as we learn to live in our nightmares. God says, okay, you've made these five steps. I'm going to take you over here now." Has there been a moment in your life when you felt God redirecting you mid-journey? What did that feel like?

On Our World Right Now

• The sermon honestly names the difficulty of talking about God's provision when the world looks like earthquakes, wildfires, war, and drought. How do you personally hold together belief in a providing God with the reality of suffering in the world?
• Reverend Pierbolt says: "We notice how firefighters from other states come to help us. We notice how helpers come in in war-torn areas." Where have you recently seen a "ram in the bushes" — a provision from God that came in an unexpected form?

REFLECTION EXERCISE
The sermon included a guided prayer practice of drawing circles of presence — starting with yourself, then widening out to your community, your nation, and the world, and then drawing back inward with gratitude at each level.

Try this together as a group:

• Sit quietly for a moment.
• Begin with yourselves. What are you each carrying this week that you want to offer to God?
• Widen the circle. What are the needs of this group, this neighborhood, this city?
• Widen further. What is happening in the world that weighs on you?
• Now draw back in. Where have you seen God already at work — in the world, in your community, in this room, in your own life?
• Close by giving thanks together for what you named.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

• Practice saying "here I am" this week. When you face a moment of fear, uncertainty, or an unwanted task, try pausing and saying — out loud or silently — "Here I am, God. I trust you. I am present." Notice what shifts.
• Identify your box. The children's message invited kids to think about how we put God in a box — assuming we know everything about who God is. Spend some time this week asking: Where have I limited my understanding of who God is or how God works? What would it look like to collapse that box?
• Look for the ram. Choose one situation in your life right now that feels like a nightmare or a dead end. Commit to staying present and watching for unexpected provision. Journal what you notice over the next two weeks.
• Reach outward. The Moment for Mission reminded us that Matthew 25 calls us to feed, clothe, and offer a drink — not just as good deeds, but as a way of saying to another person: I see you. I love you. We are family. Identify one concrete act of service this week that puts that love into action.
• Share your hineni with someone. Tell one person in your life — a friend, a family member, or someone in this group — about a moment when you had to trust God through something hard. Let your story become an encouragement to someone else who may be walking up their own mountain right now.

CLOSING PRAYER
Close your time together by reading aloud this phrase from the sermon, and then praying together:
"We are people who trust God. We have a God who is trustworthy. We have a book that shows us that God's provisions do show up. And at every step, we say, here I am."
Invite group members to close with their own brief prayers, or close together with the Lord's Prayer as the congregation did in the service.

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION

• Genesis 22:1-14 — The account of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah
• Genesis 12:1-4 — God's original covenant with Abraham, the foundation of the trust Abraham demonstrates in this story
• Hebrews 11:17-19 — The New Testament reflection on Abraham's faith, describing how Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead
• Psalm 23 — A psalm about God's provision and presence even through the darkest valleys
• Matthew 25:35-40 — Jesus describing acts of care for others as acts of care for him, referenced in the Moment for Mission