Key Thought: The character of God lies at the center of the great controversy and behind most questions of human suffering..

God and Human Suffering- October 22, 2016

1. Have a volunteer read Job 12:7-10.

Image © Lars Justinen Goodsalt.com

a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. How does nature show or prove that there is a God?
c. Personal Application : What things in nature speak to you about the power and goodness of God? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your relatives states: “I thought the earth evolved through millions of years of mutative adaptations of life in the survival of the fittest. How does God fit in the evolutionary theory?” How would you respond to your relatives?

2. Have a volunteer read Matthew 6:33,34.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. Why do people worry so much about things that haven’t happened yet, might or might not happen, and worry about the future?
c. Personal Application : Why is it important for us to dwell on the cross to remind us of God’s love and concern for us in our days of trial? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your friends states, “I don’t know what to do. My daughter died in a car accident and my husband just found out he has cancer. It seems like everything is going wrong. If there is such a thing as God, He hates us.” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Job 6:4-8.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What is your favorite image of God in the Bible?
c. Personal Application: Have you ever asked God why something happened to you? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your neighbors states, “I know God doesn’t bring evil on people, but He does allow it to happen. So I don’t understand why an innocent person can be killed by a freak accident, or even by a demon-possessed criminal.” How would you respond to your neighbor?

4. Have a volunteer read Job 10:15-19.

a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. Is self-searching to figure out why bad things are happening a good idea? Why or why not?
c. Personal Application : Have you ever been so distressed that you wished to die? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing  virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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