Parents, 

this week at the Well your student(s) studied the discipline of loving, cherishing and following God even when it hurts as we looked to the life of Job. I hope that as the week continues that you will find moments of conversation with your student(s) surrounding these things that we have studied. 

One commentator said it like this: 

"...the fundamental reason for Job's suffering was to silence the blasphemous accusations of Satan and prove that a man would honor God even though he had lost everything. It was a battle "in the heavenlies" (Eph. 6:12), but Job did not know it. Job's life was a battlefield where the forces of God and Satan were engaged in a spiritual struggle to decide the question, "Is Jehovah God worthy of man's worship?"

The beginning moments in the book of Job are intense. And that word doesn't even do it justice. Job was a faithful man before God and although he was not perfect, he had aligned himself with the will of God. He walked with God. Job also had great wealth, a large family and was a name in his community. Its hard for us to imagine the pain of what would soon take place. 

As the spiritual battle began to take place, Job began to lose the very things that we hold extremely dear. His wealth was gone in a blink of an eye. His children were gone before he could utter out another "I love you." His world was turned upside down. If that wasn't enough, Satan set out to attack Job himself with much confidence that if nothing else this would break him. 

Its amazing to look at the discipline that we see in the life of Job. How Job remained faithful in these painful moments. One of Job's immediate responses as we see it: 

"The LORD gives, and the LORD takes away. Praise the name of Yahweh."

This week we hope that the students see the importance of loving, cherishing and following God even when it hurts or they lose everything. While this may be extreme, the best place your child will ever be is the place of upmost love and devotion to Christ. It may not always seem to be the safest alternative nor will it always be the easiest, but we can rest assured that there is no better place to be than in a posture of worship before our God. 

"Protect me, God, for I take refuge in You. I said to Yahweh, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good besides You.” -Psalm 16:1-2

"God, You are my God; I eagerly seek You. I thirst for You; my body faints for You in a land that is dry, desolate, and without water. So I gaze on You in the sanctuary to see Your strength and Your glory. My lips will glorify You because Your faithful love is better than life. So I will praise You as long as I live; Your name, I will lift up my hands. You satisfy me as with rich food; my mouth will praise You with joyful lips." -Psalm 63:1-5

As you journey this week consider the following conversation points:

  • What causes you to doubt the goodness of God in your life? 
  • What is something you are thankful to God for?
  • Why is God worthy of our worship? 
  • How can we remain faithful to God even when things seem to be falling apart? 

The above questions are there to help engage your students regarding this weeks lesson. Remember, your journey with Christ and the experiences you can share will sometimes mean more to them than any question you could present. Share with them how the Lord has met you in the place of pain and even allow the Lord to search out your heart for areas of unresolved hurt. 

I love you each and I am thankful for you and your family. 

As we journey,

-R