This lesson teaches children that God is always fair and never forgets people who trust Him, even when hard things happen. It is designed for ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach, including the memory verse, story, and activity.
Big Idea
God is always fair and good, and He never forgets the people who trust Him. Even when life feels hard, we can keep trusting God because He always does what is right.
Memory Verse
Job 8:20
“Behold, God will not cast away a blameless man, neither will he uphold the evildoers.
(WEB)
Teach the children to hold both hands up in front of their chests, then slowly open them wide like a book. As you say the verse together, let the children move their hands in a gentle, steady rhythm, the way a good friend would hold them.
The Story: Job 8 for Kids
Job was a good man who loved God, but he had lost his children, his animals, and his health. His three friends came to visit him, and one of them, a man named Bildad, decided to speak up. Bildad believed that God always punishes people for doing wrong and always blesses people for doing right. He thought Job must have done something bad to cause all of his trouble.
Bildad spoke to Job with a loud voice and a serious face. He said that if Job would seek God and ask Him for help with a sincere heart, God would make things better for him. Bildad told Job that if he was pure and honest, God would wake up and take care of him, and his life would grow and become strong again.
Bildad also told a story about a plant that grows near water. He said a plant without water dries up and falls apart, and a person who forgets God is like that plant. When the sun is hot and the ground is dry, the plant withers fast. Bildad wanted Job to understand that people who turn away from God will not stand strong for very long.
Bildad was not completely right about everything, but he did speak one true thing. He said God will not throw away a person who is good, and God will not hold up people who do wrong. God is always fair. That is the truth we can hold onto, even when we do not understand why hard things happen.
Later in the story, God Himself speaks to Job and his friends. Job keeps trusting God even when he does not understand what is going on, and God takes care of him in the end. The children can remember that God sees every person and knows what is true.
Read It Together
Job 8:3
Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?
(WEB)
Point out that Bildad asks a question about whether God is ever unfair. Help the children see that the answer is no, because God always does what is right and fair. Ask them to say together, “God is always fair.”
Job 8:5-6
5 If you want to seek God diligently, make your supplication to the Almighty. 6 If you were pure and upright, surely now he would awaken for you, and make the habitation of your righteousness prosperous.
(WEB)
Show the children that Bildad tells Job to ask God for help and to be honest and good. Explain that prayer means talking to God, and that God listens to people who come to Him with a sincere heart.
Job 8:13-14
13 So are the paths of all who forget God. The hope of the godless man shall perish, 14 Whose confidence shall break apart, Whose trust is a spider’s web.
(WEB)
Use this passage to talk about how a plant without water dries up. Explain that when we forget God, we lose the strength that comes from knowing Him, and that is why trusting God every day matters.
Talk About It
- What do you think it means to be fair, and how does God show that He is fair?
- When something hard happens to you, what is one thing you can do to remember that God is still with you?
- Why do you think it is important to talk to God when we feel sad or worried?
- How is a plant that gets water like a person who keeps trusting God?
- What is one way you can show someone that God is good and fair this week?
Activity Ideas
Draw a Thriving Plant
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a small cup of water. Ask each child to draw a plant with big green leaves and roots going down into the soil. While they draw, talk about how a plant needs water to grow strong, just as we need God to help us grow in faith. Let the children color their plant bright green and write the words “God is fair” somewhere on the page.
Fair and Faithful Freeze Game
You will need an open space where children can move freely. Call out action words like “hop,” “spin,” or “stretch,” and let the children move while you count. When you shout “God is fair,” everyone freezes and holds their pose for three seconds. This game helps children remember that God is with them through every movement of their day.
Take-Home Prayer Card
You will need index cards, a pencil, and a small envelope for each child. Write the memory verse on one side of each card and let the children decorate the other side with stickers or drawings. Encourage them to read the card to a parent or sibling at home that evening. This gives families a simple way to talk about God’s fairness during the week.
Teacher Notes
In this chapter, Bildad represents a common view that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. The larger story of Job shows that this view is incomplete, because God’s ways are bigger than our simple explanations. For adults, the passage invites honest reflection on how we speak to people who are suffering and how we trust God when we do not understand His plan.
Avoid telling children that anyone who is sick or struggling must have done something wrong. Children may already carry worries about their own mistakes or about family hardships, so keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and love rather than on blame.
A Prayer to Close
Father, thank You that You are always fair and good to us. Help us to trust You when things feel hard, and help us remember that You see us and never forget us. Help us to talk to You every day and grow strong in our faith. Amen.
