12.1.2024 | The Suffering of Job
Job
If you read the newspaper or watch the evening news on TV, most of what you see is bad news. Sometimes it can cause us to ask: Why would God allow so many bad things to happen and so many people to suffer? When Job lost everything—including his family—he asked God a very similar question.
God reminded Job that He was all-powerful, always in control, and always good. Even though Job couldn’t understand what God was doing, Job trusted in who God is. Through all the suffering, Job never turned away from God. In the end, God gave back to Job everything he had lost—and even more.
Romans 5:3-4 tells us that we can rejoice in suffering because “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope … ” Even when we don’t understand the suffering that is happening to us or someone around us, we can trust that God is good, He is present, and He is in control.
When we face hard things in life, we can still trust in God and His plans. Need proof? Just think about the cross. At the cross, God used the ultimate pain and suffering to bring the ultimate good news—our future and final salvation from sin.
In his suffering, Job recognized that God is all-powerful and good. When we face suffering, we can hope in God. God sent Jesus, the only truly innocent One, to suffer and die so that everyone who trusts in Him can have forgiveness and eternal life.
Memory Verse & Question
Family Prayer Time
Mornings
Ask God to help you bless His name even when things don’t go well. Why could Job say “Blessed be His name” even when things were bad? How can we remember God’s goodness in times of trouble?
Evenings
Make a list of all the things you have to be thankful for. Praise God for the blessings He has given to you and your family. How can we share our blessings with others to help them know Jesus?
Family Activities
For Fun
Plan a day of fun for your kids, but do not tell them any of the details. If they ask where you’re going or what you’ll do, remind them to trust that you have a plan. After the day of fun, talk about how it can be frustrating to not know what will happen next. Even in those moments, we can trust that God is all-powerful, sovereign, and good. We can always trust His plans for us.
To Serve
Visit an assisted living facility or hospital to comfort the residents. Read books, play games, or think of other tangible ways your family can bring peace and joy to their lives. Talk with kids about how we can be a comfort for those who are suffering because we can know and trust God as the ultimate source of comfort.
