Fri May 23

Listen up, little ones

Especially for the littles in your household.

Listen for the word you.

Reading

Job 40:1–14—Will you correct God?

Optional Reading

Job 1-3

Keys for kids

Also for the littles. Young households might choose, after Keys for Kids, to go directly to praise and prayer.

Job faced a lot of hardship in his life.
He wanted to know why.
Instead, God told Job how in control He is.

Questions

(Some read the ?s before the notes/ ask them after.)

What hardship did Job face?
What did God reveal to Job instead of answering?
Why should we trust God, even in hard times?

Notes

God didn't reveal the reason for Job's trouble that we find in chapters 1-3. Job was living an ordinary, godly life. He was blessed by God with family and wealth. Satan began to attack him, with God’s permission. First his wealth, then his family—he lost everything. Then Satan attacked even his flesh, but Job didn’t curse God—he accepted adversity as well as good from God. Then Job began to struggle, he began to wrestle with his friends/counsellors, and he wanted to know why this happened. We want to know too. Even when our trouble is less than Job’s we want to know why—why do hard times happen? God, at the end of Job, doesn’t reveal the reason for Job’s trouble.

Instead, God revealed himself to Job. God’s answer was, in effect, I am in control. I, the Lord God understand and control it all. Not one bit of the universe (as Sproul states it – not one solitary molecule) is outside of God’s wise providence. Despite sin and its consequences, God wisely rules his world. And He calls Job to consider this world and to acknowledge God’s control. If God so controls all these animals, then certainly I can expect Him to take care of me!

Job got it! He understood (42.2). We too should say, in effect, I know, God, that You can do everything. You can answer my prayers as I ask them, or you can answer in ways beyond what I can even ask or think, or you can say No and let me continue in my hardship. I will trust you.

Swedish Method questions

See the Sunday reading for meaning of the symbols.

Praise

Psalm 104c, 84a

Prayer

Rejoice that you can trust God’s control.
Pray for the hearing of God’s word preached this Sunday.
Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.