CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Read Genesis 17:1–8.

2. Abraham waited decades for Isaac, and even laughed at the idea of becoming a father at 99. Can you recall a time when God’s promises felt distant or unbelievable? What helped you keep going—or what would have been helpful to you?

3. Abraham and Sarah tried to solve their pain through Hagar, taking matters into their own hands. What does it look like to trust God when the waiting feels unbearable? What helps you resist shortcuts that might lead to regret?

4. God invited Abraham to walk “before him and be blameless.” Is there an area of your life that feels fractured or unfinished? How might God be inviting you to walk with him in that space?

5. Isaac’s birth was a miracle—life from a womb long closed. Can you share a time when God brought healing, hope, or restoration from a situation that felt hopeless? What did that reveal about God’s character?

6. The with-God life is lived in his presence, even when the future is unclear. What practices, people, or truths help you stay grounded when you’re tempted to doubt or drift?

Title: Abraham
Reference: Genesis 16:15–17:8
Speaker: Rachel Nesse, RachelN@cckc.church

It’s been a while since I felt You near to me,
And all I hold is the vagueness of Your memory,
Why did I roam so far from You, oh Lord?
-Antoine Bradford

– God invites you to intimacy with him.

Refusing to worship him is a way of trying to avoid his face and his eyes. - Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart

– God invites you to integrity in him.

– God invites you to influence because of him.