This Isn't Working

KEY VERSES:

• Psalm 63:1–11
• Romans 8:38–39
• John 4:14
• Hosea 10:12
• Philippians 1:6

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Joy vs. happiness: what’s the real difference?
  • Happiness depends on what’s happening; joy doesn’t.
  • Joy is steady, rooted, and available even in hard seasons.
  • The goal for the new year isn’t just feeling better—it’s living deeper.
• The wilderness is normal, not a failure
  • Dry, confusing seasons are part of real life and real faith.
  • Feeling disconnected doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong.
  • God often plants His deepest work in unseen places.
• David’s context: joy written from the dirt (Psalm 63)
  • David is betrayed, on the run, and pushed into isolation.
  • Relationships are broken, the future is uncertain, and life feels unsafe.
  • Yet he writes a prayer anchored in trust, not circumstances.
• What we preach and pray to ourselves
  • You are still my God — even when life falls apart.
  • I thirst for the right water — not distractions, but God Himself.
  • Your love is better than life — nothing can separate us from it.
  • I will be fulfilled — satisfaction comes from God, not outcomes.
• What we can do right now
  • Remember — reflect on God’s faithfulness in the past (Psalm 63:6).
  • Declare — remind yourself you’re protected and not alone (Psalm 63:7).
  • Cling — hold onto God when you don’t have answers (Psalm 63:8).
• Reframing the dirt
  • The dirt of life isn’t punishment—it’s soil.
  • God may be growing something you can’t see yet.
  • Joy often starts underground before it ever shows up above.

TALK ABOUT IT:

• Where are you currently chasing happiness instead of joy?
• What wilderness season have you walked through that shaped you?
• Which part of Psalm 63 feels most personal right now?
• What “right water” are you tempted to replace God with?
• How does remembering past faithfulness change your present outlook?
• What would it look like to cling to God this week?
• How might God be using your current dirt as soil for growth?

APPLY IT:

• Stop measuring your faith by how you feel and start grounding it in truth.
• Be honest with God about dryness, doubt, or exhaustion.
• Practice remembering God’s past faithfulness when anxiety rises.
• Shift your focus from fixing circumstances to deepening trust.
• Choose joy daily by clinging to God instead of chasing quick happiness.
• Reframe hard seasons as soil where growth may be happening.