What Is This?: Finding Direction When Life's Storms Leave You and Your Family Speechless

By Michelle Karume

As a family, discover a road map that helps you navigate the challenges you are facing!

Families of today, like yours and mine, are facing challenges of many kinds. You are often left disrupted and in despair, wondering what to do. Using the story of King Jehoshaphat, Dr. Michelle Karume meticulously pens down the steps the king and his pe

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trilogy Christian Publishing
• Release date: Aug 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781685566845

Michelle Karume

Dr. Michelle Karume is a marriage and family therapist who runs a single private practice and is a full-time university faculty member who specializes in the same area.Her work with individuals and families spans over fifteen years, which has given her the honor of helping them navigate their challenges. Her firm Christian foundation and continued walk with the Lord are at the core of this work. She currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

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WHAT IS THIS?

FINDING DIRECTION WHEN LIFE’S STORMS LEAVE

YOU AND YOUR FAMILY SPEECHLESS

Michelle Karume

Trilogy Christian Publishers

Tustin, CA

Trilogy Christian Publishers

A Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Trinity Broadcasting Network

2442 Michelle Drive Tustin, CA 92780

What Is This? Finding Direction When Life’s Storms Leave You and Your Family Speechless

Copyright © 2022 by Michelle Karume

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 1986, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Public domain.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without written permission from the author. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.

Rights Department, 2442 Michelle Drive, Tustin, CA 92780.

Trilogy Christian Publishing/TBN and colophon are trademarks of Trinity Broadcasting Network.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Trilogy Christian Publishing.

Trilogy Disclaimer: The views and content expressed in this book are those of the author and may not necessarily reflect the views and doctrine of Trilogy Christian Publishing or the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Manufactured in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

ISBN: 978-1-68556-683-8

E-ISBN: 978-1-68556-684-5

DEDICATION

To my mother, Lucy, and my brother, Njenga,

for always being there for me.

To all you, families, who choose to keep

fighting the storms of life—together!

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my prayer team for steadfastly praying for this project from inception. I would also like to thank Trilogy Publishing for their dedication to spreading God’s message across the world. I especially want to thank Mark Mingle, the acquisitions executive, who, from the beginning, ensured that all my questions were answered and that I had all pertinent documents.

My project manager, Jody Patton: thank you for your expertise on this project and for walking each step of the way with me. The layout artist and editorial team: thank you for bringing the creative vision of the project to life.

CONTENTS

Introduction vi

How to Get the Most from This Study x

Jehosephat Defeats Moab and Ammon xii

Week One. Inquire of the Lord 1

Week Two. Petition through Prayer 30

Week Three. The Power of the Family 63

Week Four. Marching Orders 91

Week Five. The Power of Your Praise and Worship 120

Week Six. Peace on Every Side 148

Your Family Battle-Plan Model 176

INTRODUCTION

If you are like me, you understand that life can be challenging and that, as families and individuals, we all go through some things. However, no matter how much I understand that, I sure wish they were not so painful or, sometimes, so many. The ones that feel as if they have come out of nowhere are the ones I struggle with the most. I find myself asking, What is this? Why does this happen to me? What is the point of this challenge? How will I make it through this? I want to imagine the same is true for challenges faced by families. It could be one person who is front and center of the situation, but for the family members, this can be just as painful to have to see them go through it.

No matter how difficult the challenge I have faced, I always find myself looking for the road map on how to deal with it. I want to know how others dealt with similar situations; I want to know how to go through it effectively so that I can pass the test. As a therapist, I have the honor of walking with people through their most trying times. Emotional pain is palpable, and the one thing they want to know is, Dr. Michelle, how do I stop this pain? I will do anything, they say, just tell me what to do. Now, because as therapists, we do not give advice, what I have found, however, is that walking alongside this family or individual is far more beneficial to the process of their healing than if I was to tell them what to do. Giving them the effective tools is a priceless gift they get, for not only does it equip them for this season but for every other tough season they may go through. They complete sessions with a new packed bag of emotional tools. But if you do not have the right tools or the community to support you, then making it through becomes an arduous task. See, every storm is not wasted; every tear cried is not for nothing—it is all part of the bigger plan. Whereas the situation could truly be unfair and not right, God has a way of turning those dark moments into moments of light.

Time is another factor that plays into the challenges: they seem to take far much longer than I would appreciate. But this, too, I have learned is essential to building your character, deepening your faith, and developing you for greater blessings. Can I be honest with you? When someone would tell me that my character was being built or that my faith was being deepened, my response was, Well, I didn’t ask for a deeper faith or stronger character; I’m fine the way I am. We don’t need to strengthen anything. Have you ever felt that way? Like, My goodness, why does it have to be so hard or why does it feel like punishment to build this character? Surely, there can be another way to do it! If you’ve ever felt this way, I hear you. However, let the next few weeks of this Bible study teach you more effective ways of handling those challenges. This way of thinking, I learned from my own experience, only delayed the process. I have since learned that the posture I take and the attitude I hold will determine how well I go through these challenges. I’m, by no means, an expert now, but I can shed light on a few ways of how to face the armies before you.

So, if you have ever wondered what to do as a family when going through a tough season or how to support your loved one dealing with a challenge, well, this Bible study is for you. In the next few weeks, we shall use the story of King Jehoshaphat to see how and what to do when we have been faced with a tough season. We will journey together using a road map that will equip us for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.

Psalm 63:1

HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM THIS STUDY

This Bible study includes six weeks of material broken down by five days per week. You can do this study as a family, Bible study group, or personally.

Group Sessions

You can choose to do this study with your family, church-life group, or group of friends. Pick a day of the week and time that is consistent for the duration of the study. This helps give structure to the groups and creates emotional safety for its members. A suggested way to run the groups is as follows: each week, the group’s members will do the following:

read the book and watch the videos (if they are available) for each day of the week you are in,

fill in all your responses in the blanks given in the book,

meet with your group to have the study,

be open to sharing and hearing from your group’s members,

have an open heart ready to hear from the Lord.

Tips for Group Leaders

The group facilitator opens the meeting with a prayer and sets the tone for the week’s topic that you have all prepared for. Preparation will really help the group run smoothly. Review the material and study it for yourself. Anticipate questions and write some down. For the initial phase of the group, these questions are helpful in getting the group’s members talking and acclimated with each other.

Pray for each member of the group and ask the Holy Spirit to use you as you facilitate the study.

Refreshments are always a great treat to have: they also set an intimate tone for new members.

Tips for Members

Prepare for your weekly group meeting by making sure you have completed all five days’ material. The facilitator is exactly that—a facilitator, so full participation from you helps you get the most out of the study as you learn from each other and from God.

Personal Study

Each week has five days of Bible study and video series (if included with this study) to be accompanied with. Apply the activities and teachings to your personal life. The extra two days are good for reflection and worship as you look forward to the next week’s study.

Additional stationery you will need for this study:

your Bible,

a journal for personal notes,

pens, and

highlighters.

Jehoshaphat Defeats Moab and Ammon

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.

Some