22 Jun
2025

The God Who Laughs

Passage: Psalm 2

“There is no greater drama in human record than the sight of a few Christians, scorned and oppressed by a succession of emperors, bearing all trials with a fierce tenacity, multiplying quietly, building order while their enemies generated chaos, fighting the sword with the word, brutality with hope, and at last defeating the strongest state that history has known [the Roman Empire]. Caesar and Christ had met in the arena and Christ had won.”   —Will Durant, Caesar and Christ 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

A New York Times headline asked, “Is the world really falling apart or does it just feel that way?” What are some of the significant causes of unrest in our current context? Consider this question globally, locally, and personally.

Read Psalm 2. What does this psalm show you about God’s character and about being his follower? What challenges, encourages, or sparks questions for you in this passage?

In the face of unrest, people can think God is distant and uninterested or powerless to do something. How does Psalm 2 address each of these perspectives?
Hebrews 1:3 reads: “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” How do we see Jesus as king at his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension?
In what ways is our confidence in the goodness and power of Christ’s reign encouraged by looking back on the past, anticipating Jesus’s future return, and practicing a faithful presence in our daily lives today?

What from this passage and this discussion is something you want to put into practice or be more aware of this week?

PRAYER

Share with your group how they can be praying for you: what is weighing on you from this past week? What are you praising God for from this past week?

Micah 6:8, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”