Icebreaker

If you could swap places with any historical figure for a day, who would it be and why?

Qestions

  1. When Paul says, “Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?” (v. 20), how does that challenge the way we often approach difficult doctrines? What does it reveal about how we view ourselves in relation to God?
  2. How do you respond emotionally and spiritually to the idea that God shapes people for different purposes? What makes this truth hard—or freeing—to accept?
  3. What do verses 22–24 suggest about why God displays both His wrath and His mercy? How does this reshape your view of His glory and justice?
  4. How does it change your understanding of grace to realize that God’s people are not defined by lineage, tradition, or effort—but by His sovereign calling?
  5. Paul closes this section with a reminder that only a remnant of Israel is saved. What does that teach us about God’s faithfulness, even when many reject Him?

Next Steps

Reflect on one truth from this passage that stretched your thinking or stirred your heart. Write it down and revisit it daily this week. Ask God to deepen your trust in His character—even when His ways are beyond your understanding

Prayer Focus

Praise God for being sovereign, just, and merciful—perfect in all His ways.

Confess any areas where you’ve resisted God’s authority or demanded answers He hasn’t given.

Thank Him for calling you by His mercy and making you part of His people.

Ask for a heart that delights in God’s will, even when it challenges your assumptions.

Intercede for those who don’t yet know Christ, that they would be called by His grace