The account of Job reminds us that God is in control, even when life is challenging. Job’s encounter with God is a remarkable conversation that highlights the power and might of our awesome Lord. There are a lot of things we don’t understand, but God cares for us and holds all things in His hands. This lesson comforts us with the reminder that He knows all and can do all, and that out of His great love, He will take care of us.
It’s tough to understand why we experience pain and suffering. We wonder why a loving God would allow it. Job experienced great suffering, but trusted that God was in control even in the hardest times. God doesn’t want us to go through hardship, but it happens because of sin. We know He is walking with us through whatever we face, and that because of Christ, we have hope of a better future. This passage of Job might make God seem scary or incomprehensible. But it should really be encouraging to know that He is master and ruler of all. We can be in awe of His power, and remember that it comes with great love!
Sunday School Lesson on Job 38 for Children: God is in control
Passage: Job 38:1-7, 34-41
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade (Might be better geared toward older crowd)
Materials Needed: Construction paper; cotton balls; yarn or string; paper towel tube; paper plates; glue; markers or crayons; tape; scissors; decorative supplies; needles, pictures and diagrams; Bibles.
Lesson Opening: This lesson focuses on Job, who after great suffering had a remarkable encounter with God. God reminded Job of His strength and power, and Job recognized that God is always in control. Get students thinking with opening activities related to this passage. Some possible ideas include:
- Fascinating Fact Hunt: Provide students with questions about the natural world, along with tools to find answers (internet, science magazines, etc.). Have them work to locate information about unique parts of the world around us and report facts back to the class. For younger students, talk about amazing things that God does, and bring in pieces of nature (shells, leaves, etc.) to explore and discuss.
- Creative Creatures: In Job 38, God reminds Job of the things He created. Some of these were unique animals. Play a game of pictionary or charades (or a combination of both) in which students act out or draw given animals for others to guess.
- Wild Weather Bottles: create a “storm in a bottle” using empty soda bottles, water, and glitter. Discuss how God created and controls all of the weather and all things.
- Illustrate a passage: have students select a few verses within the passage (Job 38-39) and identify key points that highlight God’s power and work. Invite kids to create an illustration showcasing that part of God’s creation and power.
- Hide and Seek: It seemed to Job like God was hiding, but He was there with him all the time. Play a few rounds of hide and seek with students, or choose an item to hide in the room and invite children to find it. For a younger student variation, play “I Spy” to locate things that are already in plain sight in the room.
Explain to students that the lesson focuses on a man named Job, who followed God but still encountered difficult trials in his life. Sometimes there are things we face that are hard, even when we love and serve Jesus. But God is strong and mighty, and He is with us through all of the challenges we endure.
Bible Lesson: Job 38:1-7, 34-41 Explained for Children – Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind
Bible Lesson:
This passage mostly consists of God talking. It does not lend itself as much to role play, but could be an opportunity to act out some of the elements described, or merely discuss them. You might also read the passage dramatically out loud, or have students take turns reading. Choose the preferred reading method for your group ages and size.
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me. -Job 38:1-3
We often see God appear in a whirlwind, representing His power and mystery. For several chapters of Job, God has seemed silent, and Job wondered where He was. Here He answers in a powerful way. Job had been speaking with some of his friends, who had varying opinions about why he was experiencing suffering. It’s possible that God addressed the friends as well here, but likely the words are aimed mostly at Job. Note that God wouldn’t expect them to have the “words with knowledge” that would understand His will and ways. But they spoke of things they couldn’t comprehend, rather than recognizing that God’s ways are beyond our understanding.
Ask: What are some things about God that are hard to understand?
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the sons of God shouted for joy? -Job 38:4-7
God’s questions for Job were not meant to be answered. He couldn’t answer them, of course, because he was nowhere close when God created the earth’s foundations. These questions are a reminder of God’s power. Job was overwhelmed with God’s mysteries, but God is not supposed to be fully grasped or understood. Job didn’t really have a place to question Him. Now, these words might seem harsh, but they’re actually wonderful. Job had thought God abandoned him. Now he was hearing directly from the master of the universe, an assurance that God was still there and that He cared deeply.
Ask: Have you ever felt abandoned by God? What gave you comfort?
“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
that a flood of waters may cover you?
35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts
or given understanding to the mind?
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
38 when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods stick fast together? -Job 38:34-38
Again, these are remarkable acts of God that Job had no ability to understand. He had no control over weather and wind. That was God’s business. Nowadays, we have learned through science a little more about things like storms. However, that doesn’t tell us everything we need to know. Science cannot explain the wondrous acts of God or why He does what He does. Knowledge can make us feel powerful, but ultimately God is still in control.
Ask: Do thunderstorms frighten you? Have you ever thought about seeing them as a display of God’s power?
39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
40 when they crouch in their dens
or lie in wait in their thicket?
41 Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God for help,
and wander about for lack of food? -Job 38:39-41
God began by talking about the foundations of the earth and the sky. Then He moved closer and closer in, describing weather patterns and, here, animals. Job couldn’t even understand the animal kingdom, let alone all of God’s creations and abilities. God also reminded Job that He was the one who took care of those creatures. If He provided food to the birds, wouldn’t He also take care of His servant Job?
Note: Throughout Job 38 and 39, God described His amazing and complex creations. It might be interesting, especially for older students, to read through more of the passage and talk about things like the leviathan and behemoth. These verses are just a sampling, but show how awesome and mighty our Lord is, greater than anything we could imagine. It’s important to also remind students, though, that God’s love is stronger than anything else. We don’t always understand how or why He’s doing things, but can rest in the assurance that He works things out for good. While He does marvelous and incredible works and deserves every ounce of our respect, awe, and worship, He also cares enough to come down to Earth as a man and give Himself up for us. As we are in wonder of His incomprehensible greatness, we can rejoice that He uses that power to provide for His most precious creation, people.
Close with prayer, thanking and praising God for His strength and power, and asking for help in trusting when we don’t understand life.
The Lord Spoke to Job (Job 38:1-7, 34-41 ) Sunday School Lesson and Activities
6 Life Changing Lessons from the Book of Job
