God Answers Job from the Whirlwind Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “Who did all that? God did!”
Job lived in the land of Uz. He honored God and stayed away from evil. But then very sad things happened. Job lost almost everything he had. He got very sick, with sores all over his body.
Job was very, very sad. He sat on the ground. His friends came and talked with him for a long, long time. Job wanted to know why all this had happened. He wanted to ask God.
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind. A whirlwind is a strong wind that spins round and round. Can you spin your finger round and round? Whoosh!
God said, “Brace yourself like a man, for I will question you.” Brace yourself means get ready! Then God asked Job big questions. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” God made the whole world. Job wasn’t there.
God said that when he made the world, “the morning stars sang together.” “All the sons of God shouted for joy.” The sons of God are God’s angels. Who did all that? God did!
“Who shut up the sea with doors?” God told the big waves, “You may come here, but no further.” Splash – and stop!
“Have you commanded the morning?” God wakes up the morning every day. He tells the sun when to come up.
“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow?” God keeps the snow and the hail. “Does the rain have a father?” God sends the rain, so the tender grass can grow. Who did all that? God did!
“Can you send out lightnings, that they may go? Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?” Can you imagine the lightning saying, “Here we are!”? Only God can send the lightning. “Who can count the clouds?” God can!
“Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades?” The Pleiades are stars, shining together in a little group. Can you twinkle your fingers like stars? Who did all that? God did!
“Can you hunt the prey for the lioness?” God feeds the lions. He feeds the baby ravens when they cry to him.
God knows when the mountain goats have their babies. He set the wild donkey free to run. He gives the horse its strength. The horse jumps like a grasshopper and snorts, “Aha!”
He makes the hawk fly far away to the south. He makes the eagle fly high and build its nest on the cliff. Who did all that? God did!
So many questions! Job could not answer even one. Job listened. Then he said, “Behold, I am of small account. I lay my hand on my mouth.” That means: I am very small, and I will be quiet now. Can you put your hand on your mouth, like Job?
Then Job said to the LORD, “I know that you can do all things.” And he said, “I had heard of you, but now my eye sees you.”
God is great, and he cares for all that he has made. Who did all that? God did!
3. Talk together (3 min)
- Which of God’s questions do you like best?
- What do you think Job felt when God spoke to him out of the wind?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Draw one thing God made that he asked Job about: the sea, the snow, the stars, a lion or an eagle.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“I know that you can do all things” — Job 42:2 (I know → tap your head; you → point up; all things → spread your arms wide)
Dear God, you made the sea, the snow and the stars. Thank you that you care for me too. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God is bigger than our questions
Memory verse: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be restrained.” — Job 42:2 · WEB
The Bible story
When sad days leave Job full of questions, God answers from a swirling whirlwind with wonders so big and so kind that his worries melt into wonder.
Talk about it
- Who was the man who loved God at the start of the story? — Job
- What happened to Job before God spoke? — He lost so much he loved
- What was Job's heart full of? — Big questions
- Who tried to help Job with words but could not? — His friends
- How did God come to answer Job? — Out of a whirlwind
- God asked Job, "Where were you when I made the...?" — earth
Where is Jesus in this story?
God answered Job from a mighty storm, and one day Jesus stood up in a little boat and told a roaring storm to be still. Jesus is God come close to us - not a far-off voice, but a Friend who steps right into our troubles. Just as God gave Job new joy, Jesus came to wipe away our tears and give us a hope that lasts forever. When we have questions, we can always bring them to Jesus, who loves us and will never leave us.
What God wants to tell us
When Job could not understand his sad days, God did not hand him a long list of answers - He showed Job His own great and gentle heart. God made the stars, feeds the baby birds, and holds the whole world in His hands, and He was holding Job too. We may not always know why hard things happen, but we can always know Who is with us. God is bigger than every question, and His love never lets us go.
Prayer
Thank You, God, that You are so big and so strong, and still so kind to me. When I feel sad or have lots of questions, help me to trust Your loving heart. Thank You that You made the stars and take care of the little birds - and that You take care of me too. I am so glad You never leave me. Amen.
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