Big God
WELCOME TO WEEK 1
Do you ever feel really small? What are some things that are bigger than you? Sunflowers? Trees? A basketball rim? God? Some of those things you will be taller than one day or you may fly in an airplane and look down on them, but we will never be bigger than God. We can be glad God is bigger than us but see each one of us. This month we will see that even though God is big, he had a plan for one small man, Job.
BIBLE STORY
Think of the small item I will tell you and see if you can guess the big miracle that came with such a small item. Think of a miracle about…
A coin…..Fish and the coin
An empty net…Peter and the large catch of fish
A small lunch…Turning 5 loaves and 2 fish into a meal for 5,000 people
Jars of water…Turning water into wine
A clump of mud…Turning mud into a healing salve to heal a blind man
What do all of these miracles have in common? They all turned something simple or small into something big. Some were big problems that seemed unsolvable but God took something small to solve a big problem. Water is a simple drink that is common and yeet Jesus turned it into wine to solve what seemed like an impossible situation. A man who was blind from childhood had his sight restored because Jesus used simple, unimportant mud. Mud itself has no power and is often unwanted, but with God it was a healing salve. We are often faced with big situations we do not have answers to, but God is bigger than any situation no matter how big. We can trust God is big enough. This week we will see a man who was blessed with land, money, and family but had it all taken away. Job was only one man on earth and yet God knew Him and knew His heart. God knew that Job loved him not because of all of His blessings but because He loved God. Even though we are small, God sees and knows us. Let’s read to see what God thought of Job.
Read or listen to the scripture Job 1:1, 2:1-10
Where did Job live? (UZ)
How does the Bible describe him? (Blameless and upright)
How did Job rest evil? (He shunned evil)
Who came with the angels that presented themselves to God? (Satan)
Where had Satan come from? (From roaming the earth to and fro)
How did God describe Job? (A man who fears God and shuns evil)
What did Satan want to take from Job? (His life or flesh)
What did God tell Satan he must spare? (Job’s life)
What did Satan afflict Job with? ( painful sores all over his body)
What did Job’s wife suggest Job do? (Curse God and die)
What was Job’s response to his wife? (Shall we accept good from God and not trouble)
Did Job sin in his suffering? (In all of this Job did not sin)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
Activity
Play this game of Pictionary. Pull a card from each pile, one of a person or thing and the other of a place. Draw a picture from the perspective of that person or thing would have in that place. For example an ant in a garden would see large leaves and parts of a plant without being able to see the entire garden. Draw the ant and large leaves or petals for your team to guess. Continue taking turns drawing and guessing. The perspective each character had may not be the same perspective we see being the size we are, but God also has a different perception on our situations as well. God can see what we can not see and can handle problems that seem big to us. Wee can trust that there is nothing too big for God.
Materials: Pictionary cards with characters and another set of cards with settings
Alternate
What does it mean to have integrity? Doing the right thing when no one is looking. Listen to the following scenarios and decide if the person acted with integrity. If they did not, say what they could have done to show integrity. The bible says that Job was blameless and had integrity. Having integrity is not always easy in difficult situations. We are sometimes pressured to behave as others or do what others are doing even when we know it is wrong. We can know that God wants us to have integrity, to do the right thing even we don’t think anyone else is watching, and God can help us when we are faced with those difficult situations. Even when it seems too hard to resist, there is nothing too big for God.
Materials: printed scenarios or device for viewing
Independent activity:
Job was upset with his wife for not accepting the bad things that had come and said “Shall we only accept the good from God and not the trouble?” It can be hard to accept the hard things that come in life, it’s much easier to accept the good. Make 2 lists. On the first list, write all of the good things you accept and are grateful to God for that you know comes from Him. On the other list, write all of the troubles you have experienced or fear you will experience. On the bottom of each list write “…Yet God”. Even through all of Job’s trials, the one thing he was able to cling and hang on to was God. We can know that we can lose everything yet God will be there.
Materials: sheet of paper, pencil/pen
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Complete the following Job puppet. Print the puppet page, color and cut out the printable. Then glue the picture of Job to the top of a small paper lunch sack.
Materials: printed Job sheet, scissors, glue, paper lunch sack
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
Read or listen to Psalm 8
This scripture describes how majestic God is and how small we are in comparison. When we consider the beauty and awesomeness of all God’s creation and what He is capable of doing, we can see how small we are in comparison. We can not set the moon and stars in their place and yet the God who did sees and cares for each one of us.
What do you see that tells you God is big?
How has God demonstrated how big His love is for us?
What do you do that tells you we are small?
How did Job feel about all of the bad things that happened to him?
What was Job willing to take from God?
How can we take the good and bad from God?
How did Job show that He knew God was bigger than him?
What are some things you may think you know better than God?
Practical Application at Home
In life there are bad things that happen to us or difficult times we have faced that we didn’t understand. Although in the moment it is painful and we do not have an explanation for why they happened, God has a plan for all of it. He may not bring the pain, but he can redeem our situation for good. We may take a few months or years, but we can often learn a valuable lesson or just see how it all worked out. Ultimately God wants us to draw closer to Him and trust Him more.
Think about a difficult lesson you learned from life or from your parents that did’t seem fair or right at the time. Think about how that situation worked out in the end and if it was for your good. Did you learn something? Did it prepare you for something else? Were you able to bless someone else from your experience? Did you gain a closer relationship with God or other family members?
Write your experiences down including the difficulty as well as what was gained. Keep this index card in your bible in the book of Job as a reminder of how God has a bigger plan for you than what you can see.
Additional Resources
Outings to Reinforce Lesson
Enjoy the cool weather and take a nature walk. As your family hikes, count your blessings. Talk about the blessings God has given your family as well as the blessings God created in nature. How can You show gratitude for your blessings?