When It Rains It Pours – February 26, 2024

Read: Job 1:13-22

The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised.
Job 1:21

When It Rains It Pours

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

There’s an old saying, “When it rains, it pours.” In other words, problems often seem to pile up one on top of the other. We all have times in our lives when everything seems to be going wrong.

When it rains, it pours.

But that’s not always true. When we get frustrated, we tend to see only the bad. We start looking for the next thing to go wrong. When it does, we get annoyed, throw up our arms and ask, “What else can go wrong?”

What we fail to see are all the things that are going right in our lives. We forget that we have air to breathe and food to eat. We look right past our homes and toys and iPhones. We forget about the family, friends, and forgiveness God gives us. We focus only on the negative and feel like everything in our lives is bad.

At other times, though, when it rains, it really does pour. In our reading for today, Job found himself in a hurricane of hurt and problems. All of his earthly possessions were either destroyed or stolen. His ten children were killed in a tragic accident. Later, he would be struck with painful sores all over his body.

Sometimes when it rains, it really does pour.

But God allows storms in our lives for our good. In the book of Job, we eventually find out that God was teaching Job an important lesson. God often has lessons for us to learn when we are going through hard times. He promises that even the worst pains and problems in our lives will end up working out for our good.

When it rains, it pours. Every day, in good times and bad, God floods our lives with countless blessings. Sometimes we just need to open our eyes to see. Stop focusing on what’s wrong in your life and recognize all that’s right.

See all the good things God rains down on you and then, like Job, you’ll be able to say with a smile, “When it rains, it pours.”

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, when pains and problems pour down in my life, help me to trust that you will always make it all work out for my good. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

• What is something hard that has happened in your life?
• Make a list of as many good things as you can that God has given you and does for you. What do you have more of, hard things or good things?

Questions for Elementary Age Children

• When bad things happen to you, what can you do to help keep you from becoming negative and frustrated?
• One of your friends from school is having a lot of problems. She asks you, “Why is this happening to me?” What would you say?

Questions for Middle School and Above

• One of the lessons Job learned from his struggles is that we shouldn’t expect that God is always going to tell us why bad things happen. Is it wrong to ask God why? (Explain your answer.)
• Agree or disagree. We shouldn’t be sad when problems come into our lives.