FOR PRESCHOOL AND YOUNG ELEMENTARY CHILDREN:

Ask your child if he/she has heard of a man named Job from the Bible. If yes, find out what your child knows about him and his story.

The Book of Job is one of the books of the Old Testament, and it tells the story of a man who had a very strong faith in God, even though some horrible things happened in his life.
Faith is a word we hear a lot in the Bible and at church. When we talk about faith in God, it means trusting in God, trusting that he will do what he has promised. The Bible is full of promises God makes to his children, and God wants us to know those promises, believe them, and choose to love and obey him no matter what.

Read Job 1:20-22, and have your child listen for one thing Job did not do when he was suffering (when some very sad things happened in his life).

When bad things happen in life, everyone responds differently. Job tore his clothes and shaved his head, which were common ways of dealing with sad feelings in Job’s world. But Job also worshiped God, and he did not sin. Even during the worst times in Job’s life, he trusted in God, and Job knew God loved him.

Tell your child about a time when you went through something hard. Share one thing you learned about God through that experience. (For example: Did you see God’s faithfulness to you or feel his love in a certain way? Did you get the chance to tell someone else about God’s love? How did you see God work it out for good?)

God makes many promises to his children—he loves them, he takes care of them, he is with them. He also promises that he always wins! When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, God beat sin and death. This means that no matter what happens to us in our lives, we can have faith that God is in control and that in the end he (and good) will win. And if we trust in Jesus, then one day we will live with him forever, too, and there will be no more suffering or sadness.
Read Job’s words in Job 19:25 and explain Job’s hope in God: “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.”

Review these songs we sing in Sunday School and Catechism worship:

Who made you? God. What else did God make? God made all things. Why did God make you and all things? For his own glory.
How can you glorify God? By loving him and doing what he commands. Why are you to glorify God? Because he made me and takes care of me.
Does God know all things? Yes, nothing can be hidden from God.
“My God Is So Big”
“All Creatures of Our God and King”

FOR OLDER ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN:

If your child used the listening guide to follow along with the sermon, take a few minutes to talk through his or her notes.

Read through Job 1:20-22 again as a family.

Begin by having everyone share one thing they know about Job, either from the sermon or from previous study.

An entire book of the Old Testament is dedicated to Job and his response to suffering. In the introduction to Matt’s sermon, he described Job as our model for wise responses to suffering. We know from Job 1:1 that he was “blameless and upright,” he “feared God and turned away from evil.” Unfortunately for Job, his righteous character put him under attack from Satan. In a single day, God allowed Satan to strip away everything Job loved. All his possessions, children, even his own health.

Read Job 1:20-22. What stands out to you about Job’s response to the tragedies that God allowed to happen to him?

Grief hits everyone in different ways, and there is no wrong way to grieve in times of suffering. For Job, some of his grief was predictable for his day: he tore his clothes and shaved his head. But Job also worshiped God, and he did not sin. Even during the worst times in Job’s life, he trusted in God, and Job knew God loved him.

Job’s response in verses 20-22 as well as his words and actions throughout the rest of the Book of Job show us what it looks like to suffer in faith. What does it mean to have faith in God?

When we talk about faith in God, it means trusting in him, believing he will do what he has promised. The Bible is full of promises God makes to his children, and God wants us to know those promises, believe them, and choose to love and obey him no matter what. As Job’s story shows, God often uses times of suffering to strengthen our faith in him.

Share with your child about a time of suffering you have experienced and the impact it had on your relationship with God. (If your child is old enough and a Christian, encourage him/her to share an example with you as well.) What did you learn about God through that process? How was your faith impacted in the moment? How was it impacted in the long term?

Can you look back and see any of the four marks of faith Matt pointed to from Job’s example in your own suffering (humility before God, honesty with God, hunger for God, hope in God)?

Read Job 19:25. What is hopeful about Job’s words in this verse? What is hopeful when you think about Jesus as your Redeemer?

God makes many promises to his children—he loves them, he takes care of them, he is with them. He also promises that he will bring about his good purpose, and he has begun this work already through the death and resurrection of Jesus. When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, God beat sin and death. This means that when we suffer or find ourselves stuck in hard times, we can have faith that God is in control and that in the end he (and good) will win. And if we trust in Jesus, then one day we will live with him forever, too. The hope of eternity with God puts all of today’s suffering in perspective.