“In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The world can be a scary place, bad things happen, we feel scared and alone, and sometimes our own doubts threaten to sideline us. But during this 10-week Bible Study, Sheila Walsh demonstrates that being in the shelter of God’s promises is a safe and wonderful place to be.
This study shares 10 promises found in Scripture that give us hope and strength to get through each day victoriously. Each week begins with a 20-25 minute video where we are introduced to the week’s promise by Sheila with her Scottish lilt. Sheila jumps right in starting with a game-changing promise, the promise of Jesus. In the first week, we learn that every promise is “yes” in Jesus. This one week brings profound hope in a world that sometimes seems so hopeless.
As she moves through God’s promises on earth such as confidence, peace, love, and hope, Sheila gives real-life examples, Biblical heroes and her own life experiences to help us see how God brings His promises to life still today. The final lesson reminds us of our final promise, the promise of everlasting life. That even when things seem unfair on earth, or when the answer to our prayer isn’t the answer we hoped for, our story isn’t finished and ultimately, God has a heavenly home for us and this promise can bring peace like no other.
I loved the concept of this Bible Study! The idea that even when we can’t see how He is working the promise, we can be assured that He is faithful to keep His promises. I’ll admit though, I wasn’t very engaged in the weekly homework. I read through it and looked up most of the Bible passages each week, but I didn’t feel stretched. I also didn’t feel like many of the questions related to my life, perhaps because my life is usually pretty easy. But God’s word never returns empty and I definitely grew from this study. I loved the week on “more”. God has great things in store for us and so often we settle for less than all He intends. We limit ourselves. We knock and the door is opened. But instead of stepping through the door into His bountiful goodness, we stand outside and say it’s fine and we’re just pleased that He opened the door. We ask, but often with an attitude of begging for crumbs. This week’s lesson was a great reminder that God desires to bless us so we can be a blessing to others. I’m learning to ask for more, not from an attitude of entitlement, but with an attitude of showing God’s greatness in this world.
And as always, the best part of doing Bible Study is doing it with friends. Learning more about their lives and their struggles makes them more real, more like me. This fellowship is what keeps me coming back week after week.
If you’ve done this study, let me know what promise you are clinging to!
