REAL TALK
TITLE: Handling Crisis
WEEK OF: October 26, 2025
What's Up?
- Give us an update on your life right now - what’s something that happened this past week, or is soon to happen in your life? And how are you feeling about it? (Let’s go around in a circle and answer this one, and have someone in the group write this stuff down so we can follow up on it when we’re together again!)
This Week's Conversation
Read: Every one of us faces moments when life feels like it’s coming apart — when what once felt stable suddenly shifts beneath us. For some, that crisis is relational. For others, it’s financial, emotional, or spiritual. And while we may think faith should shield us from crisis, Scripture shows otherwise — even those closest to God, like David, faced moments of heartbreak and uncertainty. In 2 Samuel 15–18, we find David in the midst of one of the greatest crises of his life — betrayed by his own son and forced to flee for his life. Yet through the chaos, we see that what breaks us down can also bring us to a deeper dependence on God. So here’s the tension: what if crisis isn’t just something to survive, but something through which God reshapes our faith?
KEY VERSES:
Read 2 Samuel 15:30–31
- When you hear the word crisis, what kind of situation in your life comes to mind first?
- Why do you think David chose to flee rather than fight Absalom right away (2 Samuel 15:14)? What might that reveal about his leadership and faith?
- David surrounded himself with wise, faith-filled people during his crisis. Who are the people in your life that help you think clearly and stay grounded when things fall apart?
- David refused to react in anger toward those attacking him (2 Samuel 16). How hard is it for you to stay calm when you feel like things are falling apart?
- What might God be trying to form in us through crisis — not just fix for us?
- How can you prepare before crisis hits — spiritually, relationally, or emotionally — so that when it does, you already have a foundation to stand on?
- How can we as a group, church, or circle of friends become a place where people walk through crisis together instead of alone?
- We want to walk through life’s ups and downs together — is there a challenge or crisis you’re facing right now that we can stand with you in?
Read: David’s crisis didn’t disappear overnight — but his choices in the midst of it revealed something profound: he prayed before acting, refused to react in anger, and surrounded himself with wise counsel. And through those decisions, God guided, protected, and even grew him. Crisis has a way of stripping away what’s superficial so that our faith becomes real again. The good news is this — the same God who met David on the Mount of Olives meets us in our valleys too. He still delivers, still redeems, and still turns what was meant for harm into something that strengthens our faith.
Prayer
Read: Is there anything we can pray together about in regard to our conversation today for you, (or even something unrelated)?