EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – Elisha: Seeing the Hand of God at Work – Session 2

Date: May 4, 2025 

God’s Hand in Meeting Our Needs 

The Point: God provides for our needs. 

Get Into the Study

Share the following after discussing Question 1:

Eddie Shed, a deacon of Empowerment Ministries Christian Center, died protecting others when a man opened fire at an Easter egg hunt on April 12.

The church-sponsored egg hunt took place at a local sports complex in Gulfport, Mississippi. The alleged shooter, Tyran Deion Gable, was in the midst of a custody dispute with an unnamed woman attending the egg hunt. Shed stepped in to protect the woman when Gable opened fire and was killed. Another person, also unnamed, was injured when they attempted to deescalate the situation. Police quickly arrived and arrested Gable, who was charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault.

Shed was known for his kindness and service toward others, and “paid the ultimate price for his valor,” according to his pastor, Gregg Magee. While not all of us are called to step in harm’s way to help others, we are called to help those around us when God calls us. We must always be ready to answer God’s call because we never know when we’re being called to act in just the right moment.

Get Into the Study (Option from Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a video clip of someone showing up at just the right time. Then ask Question #1.

Study the Bible

Share the following after discussing Question 4:

Within days of an F2 tornado hitting Lone Star, Texas in early April, multiple teams from the Texans on Mission (TXM) ministry were in the area to assist with clean-up efforts. While the damage was severe, “great progress” was being made with the help of the TXM teams.

The command center for relief efforts was Lakeview Baptist Assembly in the affected area, where volunteers coordinated teams and help requests. Teams met some physical needs by cleaning debris and were equipped with chaplains to help affected people figure out next steps. Rick Crouch, chaplain of the Bluebonnet team, said that the best message [TXM] could give was one of hope, telling one family that “this is Jesus. We don’t charge anything.”

By showing up quickly to help and offering hope in a bleak situation, these teams were able to minister to these people in just the right time, even though the need was great. We should be looking for how God sends us help when we need it, and we should be watchful for when He leads us to help those around us.

EXTRA was written by Emily Duncan, a Southern California native currently living in West Georgia with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. God saved her from Wicca when she was sixteen, and she now serves alongside her youth pastor husband as a girls’ leader at New Hope First Baptist Church in Dallas, GA. Emily spends most of her time tangled in yarn while crocheting or reading outside in the hammock.

Study the Bible (Option for Daily Discipleship Leader Guide)

After reading 2 Kings 4:1-2, play the song “Same God” by Elevation Worship. Encourage the group to listen closely to the lyrics as the song plays and consider a situation in their lives where they need to cry out to God for help. After the song is finished, guide the group to pair up with one other person and pray together for their needs.

Additional Questions

Ice Breaker

• What’s the difference between being hungry and starving?
• How can we trust God’s provision in our time of need?
• When have you received help that arrived just at the right time?
• When have your career goals taken an interesting turn?

2 Kings 4:1-2

• What’s the difference in your prayers in times of ease versus times of desperate need?
• How does the extent of our need influence the level of our trust in God?
• Why is it important that the woman cried out for help in her desperate situation?
• Why are we sometimes hesitant to cry out to God for help in our time of need?
• What do we know about God that gives us confidence to cry out to Him in our time of need?
• What other sources of help do we sometimes turn to in times of need?

2 Kings 4:3-4

• How do our actions demonstrate our faith in God’s provision?
• What does this event communicate to you about our role and God’s role in meeting needs?
• What resources do you have that God might want to use for His glory?
• When have you seen God meet a great need in an unexpected way?
• How can our ‘little’ make a big difference in the lives of others?

2 Kings 4:5-7

• When has God provided for your needs in a special way?
• What is the proper response from us when God provides for our needs?
• How have you experienced God’s care through others?
• How can meeting the needs of others point to God?
• What do we learn about God from this passage about Elisha and the widow?

Podcast

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