Praising God Always - October 24, 2021

Bible Study “Praising God Always”

Share:  Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.

 

For the past few weeks we’ve learned about Job’s suffering and have walked with Job as he continued to praise God despite of the hardships he faced. Sometimes Job felt let down by God, but he always returned to praise.  Now, we also come to the end of Job’s trials. Job has two choices in front of him: to curse God for all of the pain in his life or to praise God for staying with him through his trials and seeing him safely to the other side. Which would you choose?

Make a list of times when you felt like praising God.  Were any of these suggestions times of hardship or trouble?  Why would you or would you not feel like praising God after something really bad happened.

 

Opening Prayer:  Thank you, God, for staying with us in good times and bad. Thank you for understanding and forgiving us when we sometimes get mad at you. Help us to remember how much you love us, always. Amen.   

 

Please open your Bibles to Job 42: 1-6, 10-17 and read or read the scriptures below. 

Job 42: 1-6, 10-17  

42 Then Job replied to the Lord:

2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”

10 After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver[a] and a gold ring.

12 The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. 15 Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers.

16 After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. 17 And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

Reflection Questions for Verses 1-6:

  • What does it sound like Job is saying to God?
  • What do you think God said to Job before “Job answered the Lord.”
  • Can you think of a time when you felt you needed to apologize to God?

Reflection Questions for Verses 10-17:

  • What did God do for Job?
  • Why did God bless Job so much?
  • Did anything in this story surprise you.
  • How do you think Job felt at the end of his life.

Reflection Questions to Put the Story Together

  • How do you think the beginning and the end of this story work together?
  • How would you feel if you were Job?
  • What does this story teach us?

 

Click here for the young learner’s lesson

 

Videos (Click on the words or url)

Overview: Job - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQwnH8th_fs

JOB REPENTS Bible Study Job 42 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9My4AAD4jY

 

Activities:

Sometimes when we are having a hard time it can be difficult to remember that God is with us. Job needed God to remind him that God was there and that God loved him before Job was able to raise his hands in praise.

Today for our activity, gather card making supplies (construction paper, markers, scissors, glue, glitter, stickers, etc…) you will make cards for some of the elderly and homebound from our church to remind them that God loves them and is with them.   Please see the list below of Salem members that are on the prayer list.   Pick one or two and create a beautiful card and send it to them.

Do you know what it feels like to feel lonely?  The definition of loneliness is the state of being alone and feeling sad about it. Your loneliness might lead you to sit at home listening to depressing songs, or it could inspire you to go out and meet people. ... It's a feeling of sadness or even anxiety that occurs when you want company.   Make a list of things that you can do to help people who are feeling lonely.

Activity Questions:

    • What would you want someone to say to you if you were home or in the hospital sick?
    • What do you think Job would say to someone who was feeling alone or scared?

Salem’s Prayer List:

John Fedde-home hospice
Barry Wilson-knee surgery on Thursday
Aleasha Hilgenkamp Dryden-covid (niece to Tami Kremlacek)
Joseph White-health challenges (friend of Verna Kimball)
Lynne Barnhart-injured in a fall and has health challenges
Lorna Knudsen-health challenges
Carolyn Singer-(friend of Brandon)-health challenges
Tom Sawyer-(son-in-law to Leo Spes)-surgery
Leon Deunk (pronounced deenk) (brother-in-law to Rosie Parde)-health challenges
Megan Reece-(friend to Lori Smith)-had leg amputated now has infection
DeAun Lucas-health challenges
Brian Lunn-(brother to Nancy Bartunek)-bladder cancer

Dan Dunn-(Lori Dunn's husband)-health challenges
Alaska Larson-(great grandson to Milton Emry)-having eye problems

Jane Snodgrass-(sister-in-law to Ray Snodgrass)-health challenges
Jo Sanders-(sister to Bob Flittie)-kidney cancer

Email Verna at slutheran6386@msn.com to get there address.

Word Search:  https://thewordsearch.com/puzzle/2902287/praising-god-always/

                                                                    

Prayer:  For the closing prayer today, you will each share out loud the name of the person you made a card for today. 

Thank you God for always staying with us, in good times and bad. Today we pray especially for (insert names of people) help them to know you are with them always. Amen.