Big Picture
WELCOME TO WEEK 3
Have you ever stood in the Grand Canyon? Have you ever climbed to the summit of a tall mountain? Have you been in the proximity of a tornado? All of these things can be bigger than life and we can see how small we are in comparison. This week Job asks God questions but gets questions in return to help Job see who God is.
BIBLE STORY
Start a small part of a picture. Draw a small portion of it and see if your child can guess what you are drawing. Let them finish drawing the remainder of the picture and see if it matches the picture you began.
Did your picture end the picture I began? Does our picture make sense together. Sometimes it’s hard to see what the big picture will be when we can only see a small portion at a time. Sometimes life is that way too. We don’t always see the big picture of what God has planned, butt God can always see the big picture. God knows exactly what everything looks like and what will happen. Job did not see the end of his suffering while he was living in the middle of it. He could only see his pain and all the things that were going wrong. But even though Job was unclear of why these things happened to him, He still trusted that God was in control. When God answered Job’s questions, he reminded Job that He was the one who put the universe in its place and He is the one who keeps it there. Job was a righteous man, but He can not begin to see and understand what God sees and understands. Let’s see how Job is answered by God.
Read or listen to Job 38:1-7, 34-41
Who was the Lord speaking to? (Job)
What question did God ask Job about the earth’s foundations? (Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations)
Who measured out the dimensions for the earth? (God)
When God speaks to the clouds what happens? (Their is a flood of water)
Who send the lightening bolts? (God)
Who do the lightning bolts respond to? (God)
When does God tip over the water jars of heaven? (When the dust becomes hard and clods stick together)
Who provides the food for the lioness and birds? (God)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
Activity
Play this trivia game. We all want to know God’s plans, but sometimes we have to wait to see what God has in store. Listen to these examples in the Bible and see if you can figure out the bigger picture, the plan God had. If you get it right, give yourself a point.
God told Abraham to leave his family and go to a new land. (He would go to Cana and be the father of many)
God told Moses to place his rod in the water (God parted the water for the Israelites to cross the Red Sea)
God told Noah to build a big ark (to save the animals and Noah’s family from the flood)
Jesus told Peter to cast his net to the other side of the boat (Peter caught so many fish his nets began to break)
Jesus asked for the boys small lunch (Her used the 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5,000 people)
Moses lifted the snake on a pole for the people to look at (they would be healed from their snake bites)
Materials:
Alternate
Listen to the story of the Elephant and the blind men. Each one of these men touched the elephant and thought they knew what the elephant was like, but they only knew a small portion of the elephant. We sometimes think we know the entire picture, but we are only seeing a part of a much bigger picture that God can see in full.
Materials:
Independent activity:
Create your own animal puzzle. Draw a picture of an animal on a large sheet of construction paper. Turn the page to the backside and draw puzzle pieces or have an adult help you. Cutout the puzzle and gives one piece to a friend of family member and see if the can guess what animal you drew based on one piece. Give them one piece at a time until they put the puzzle together or guess the animal. We might not always be able to see the full picture but God can see the big picture. God knows the beginning from the end and everything in between! We can trust that God’s plan is for our good in the big picture because he can see everything.
Materials: large sheet of paper, crayons or markers, scissors
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, scissors
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
What did Job want to know from God?
How did God answer Job’s question?
Do wee question God when bad things happen to us?
Does God answer our questions?
How does knowing God knows how everything will work out, make you feel?
How can we trust God has a plan?
When things don’t go the way we planned, how can we react?
Practical Application at Home
We all suffer pain and hardship at some point. Although it may seem as though it will last forever we can know that God sees the bigger picture and knows what’s to come. When we know God sees the big picture, we can also know the small part we see is not everything. We can not fathom all of the ways God can see an answer to our problems, answer we have not thought of. Job suffered and asked God for a reason for his suffering. God’s response was simply to tell Job that He created the world, put everything I its’ place including him! If God an hang the universe in place, surely He can handle my life.
Draw a picture of what you think God’s big picture includes (the earth? The universe? the galaxy?). Then remember, if He can handle managing the universe, yet knows the hairs on your head, He can also handle whatever problems or difficulties you may have.
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?