Hope for Hard Times Leader Guide: Lessons on Faith from Elijah and Elisha

By Magrey deVega

We’ve all been there. Rock bottom. The end of our rope. The last straw. During hard times, it often seems like the only option is to throw in the towel.


In Hope for Hard Times, author Magrey deVega examines the lives of the great biblical prophets Elijah and Elisha and reveals a consistent message in their stories: Don’t give up, and don’t lose hope. Trust that God will help you find a way.


When you look closely at the accounts of Elijah and Elisha from 1 Kings 17 to 2 Kings 8, you will find amazing stories of God’s provision. God provides for Elijah, as he faces down opposition in a mountaintop showdown and when he feels alone and ready to give up while hiding in a cave listening for God’s still, small voice. God provides for Elisha, when he brings healing to Naaman and when he is surrounded by enemies and praying for spiritual eyes to be opened to hope.


There is hope for you in hard times. Your story of hurt, heartache, and hopelessness has been heard, and God has a message for you. Read these stories, pray through them, and listen as you receive encouragement and guidance for whatever you are facing today. Open your eyes, and open your hands. For just like ravens at the Brook Cherith, God is with you, giving you everything you need.


The Leader Guide contains everything needed to guide a group through the four-week study including session plans, activities, and discussion questions, as well as multiple format options.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Abingdon Press
• Release date: Apr 2, 2019
• ISBN: 9781501881411

Magrey deVega

Magrey R. deVega is the Senior Pastor at Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, Florida. He is the author of over a dozen books, including Questions Jesus Asked, The Christmas Letters, The Bible Year, Savior, Hope for Hard Times, Almost Christmas, and One Faithful Promise. He is also a contributor to numerous publications on preaching, worship design, and the spiritual life. He is the proud father of two daughters, Grace and Madelyn.

Book preview

TO THE LEADER

Welcome! Thank you for accepting the invitation to serve as the facilitator for this study of Hope for Hard Times: Lessons on Faith from Elijah and Elisha by Magrey R. deVega. With the help of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, you and your group of learners will explore what it means to live faithfully in hard times.

In the first two chapters of this four-session study, Magrey R. deVega invites his readers to consider six stories from the life of the prophet Elijah. In chapters 3 and 4, deVega calls the reader’s attention to seven stories about Elijah’s successor, the prophet Elisha. The study is guided by two basic questions: (1) How did Elijah and Elisha respond to God’s call upon their lives and the challenges they faced? and (2) What do these stories teach us about living faithfully with hope today?

This four-session study makes use of the following components:

•The book Hope for Hard Times: Lessons on Faith from Elijah and Elisha, by Magrey R. deVega;

•This Leader Guide;

•An optional, free set of video segments for each of the four chapters in the book. The videos can be found online at AbingdonPress.com/HopeforHardTimes.

It will be helpful if participants obtain a copy of the book in advance and read the Introduction and chapter 1 before the first session. Each participant will need a Bible. A notebook or journal is also recommended for taking notes, recording insights, and noting questions during the study.

Session Format

Every group is different. These session plans have been designed to give you flexibility and choices. A variety of activities and discussion questions are included. As you plan each session, keep the session goals in mind and select the activities and discussion questions that will be most meaningful for your group.

You will want to read the section titled Before the Session several days in advance of your meeting time. A few activities suggest making some preparations in advance.

The activities in Getting Started are designed to help participants begin to focus on the main topics for the session. Watch your time here so you will have time for the more in-depth discussion questions and activities suggested in the section Learning Together.

Each session plan includes suggestions for a Bible Study and Discussion and a Book Study and Discussion for each of the stories presented in the chapter. In many cases, your session time will be too short to do everything that is suggested here. Select ahead of time the activities and discussion questions that will best fit the personality of your group and decide how much time you want to allow for each part. You may prefer to spend most of your time on one or two of the stories discussed in the book chapter instead of trying to split the group’s time among all of them.

Each session plan includes one or two Optional Activities. The optional activities offer opportunities for participants to respond to the stories of Elijah and Elisha in creative ways and to continue the discussion of some of the material presented in each chapter.

The activities in Wrapping Up are designed to give participants the opportunity to reflect on and process the various themes and topics covered in the session, especially as these relate to their own growing relationship with