Bible story

Today is our third lesson about God’s restoration (how He will make everything right again), and we are going to read about a man in the Bible who faced tremendous loss and gain. Can anyone guess his name (Job)? ➢ Even though God allowed some challenging circumstances in Job’s life, he gives us an example of how we should respond when God allows hard things to happen in our lives too. STEPS OF TRUST The children will learn to trust God no matter what circumstances they face.

MATERIALS:

• Activity handout
• Scissors,
  
  
• small box or paper bag
• Craft tape

PREPARATION:

Print the handout and cut out the prompts. Shuffle the prompts and place them inside the box/paper bag. Create the starting line and finish line (approximately 15-25 feet apart) on the ground with the tape (keeping in mind that you will most likely need room on either side of the starting line as the children progress through the game).

WHAT YOU WILL DO:
Ask the children to all stand along the starting line. Then they will take turns drawing a prompt and obeying the “gain” or “loss” command. Each prompt will be returned to the box and shaken before the next child’s turn. Encourage the children to stay positive and remember that even if they start behind, it’s still possible to win the game. Whoever reaches the finish line first is the winner. Repeat the game as time allows.

Application:
How did it feel to move forward? (Good, exciting, joyful, etc.) How did it feel to move backward? (Frustrating, annoying, angry, etc.) Our lives are a lot like this game – sometimes we “gain” and sometimes we “lose.” For example, whenever we get the teacher we wanted at school or get to do something fun with a friend, it’s a “gain.” But whenever we are put in a class we didn’t want or our parents say we can’t attend an event with our friend, we’d probably call that a “loss.” There are certainly greater gains and losses than the examples I’ve used, but my point is that we can trust God no matter what we face! Yes, God likes to bless us, but He also uses cruddy circumstances sometimes to teach us more about trusting Him because we know that nothing could even take away God’s love for us!

Conclusion
Even though Job was a “good” man, he still acknowledged his sin before God at one of the hardest times to do so – while experiencing loss. Furthermore, Job reminds us that God has power over loss and gain, and He can restore any possession, relationship, or situation. Best of all, God restores our spiritual loss through salvation and His restoration will be complete one day when we are in Heaven and everything is made new. So, even if we are waiting for physical restoration on earth, we can have confidence in God’s provision of spiritual restoration through the death of His son, Jesus.

Questions

1. How is Job described? (Blameless and upright, feared God and shunned evil, greatest man in all the people of the east, etc.)

2. How do we know he was successful and prosperous? (Because he had 10 children, thousands of livestock, and many servants.)

3. What happens to his possessions, children, and servants? (They are taken/killed.)

4. How does Job respond? (He admits that God has power over everything and praises Him. Job doesn’t blame God.)

5. Why is his reaction so amazing? (Because Job was grieving his losses and still chose to praise God.)

6. What does Job say to God in chapter 42? (He acknowledges that God can do anything and repents of the sins he has committed.)

7. How does God respond? (God restores Job’s fortunes by giving him twice as much as before.)

8. What does Job’s life teach us about loss and gain? (That despite what we encounter, God is still in control and we can praise Him!)