I HAVE QUESTIONS WEEK 1-HURT

Do you remember how imaginative you were when you were little? From creating imaginary people, to pretending to be a superhero, princess, or astronaut, kids have great imaginations. Maybe that's why kids are so good at asking questions.

INSTRUCTIONS: As a teaching tool, play a short clip from a video like this one (3:20-4:00) of Robert Downey Jr. answering interview questions from kids. For more information on how to legally use copyrighted material for educational purposes, read this!

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As brilliant as our brains are, they can get a little confused or stuck when we're facing a challenge (like "Don't smash that egg!") or a hard question (like, "Am I about to get drenched in egg yolk?") Of course, there are other, more serious questions too. Sometimes our big questions inspire our imaginations and make us wonder about their answers. But other times the questions leave us feeling stuck or confused.

POLL | Have You Ever . . .

INSTRUCTIONS: For each of the following questions, ask students to raise their hands if they can relate. If you'd like, as a few students to tell you more after they respond to each question.

Have you ever felt stuck on an exam question?

You know that feeling. You read the words to the question over and over again, but your mind is blank. You have no idea how to respond.

Have you ever felt that way about big problems in the world?

Maybe you can see an issue in the world, but you can't make sense of it and don't know how to respond to it. Maybe it's a problem like . . .

World hunger. People without accessible clean water. Violence or war. Natural disasters. People without medical access for treatable illnesses. Homelessness. Addictions.

Has a problem in the world ever left you asking questions about God?

Especially when we see hurt, pain, and suffering in the world around us, we might start to wonder why God hasn't done anything about it.

Some of you have had this question, but you've stifled it because you thought you weren't allowed to ask. But you are! Some of you haven't thought about it before, and that's okay — but this is your invitation to engage your imagination. The world is full of a lot of hurt, so it makes sense to wonder,

"When people are hurting, where is God?"

SO WHAT? Why does it matter to God and to us?

STORY | Talk about a time you wondered where God was.

Throughout human history, there has been so much pain and suffering. We've seen the Holocaust, slavery, the World Wars, sex trafficking, pandemics, and so much more. It's impossible to live in this world without encountering tragedies like these.

If you see all these tragedies without ever wondering where God is, you might not be paying attention. If you're not curious about the question because you think you know the answer, you might want to think again. And if your brain sometimes gets stuck on this question, don't worry. Mine does too.

INSTRUCTIONS: Tell a story from your own life (or ask a volunteer or student to tell a story) about a time a tragedy in the world made you wonder why God allowed it, or where God was. Focus on a tragedy that impacts a large group of people — not just you.

9/11 pic

On a September morning in 2001, I overslept and missed my class at Vol State Community College.

Oh well…

So I turned on my old box tv, and on every channel there was reports of passenger planes flying into the Twin Towers in New York City.

Later on in the day- more planes in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon in Washington D.C.

Thousands were killed in a premeditated attack on the people of the United States of America.

I was scared to go to the YMCA in Nashville..

What if someone attacked there next?

And I wondered, as many did, why these terrorists chose to kill so many people in cold blood.

And why would God even allow something so horrible to even happen...

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SCRIPTURE | Esther 4:11-16

In the Old Testament of the Bible, there's a story about a young woman named Esther. You may have heard her story told before as a story of bravery and sacrifice, and that's true! But there's another layer of the story I want us to look for today. As I tell you this story, I want you to wonder about the question, "Where is God?"

Our story begins when Esther, a young girl, was chosen to become Queen of Persia. Esther was a Jew, but most people didn't know that. The king of Persia certainly didn't when he chose her to be his wife. One of the king's key advisors was a man named Haman. Haman was a racist political leader plotting a mass execution of every Jew in the kingdom. Pretty scary. But what's even scarier is that he got the king to agree to it. Esther's cousin Mordecai learned about the plan and knew he had to act. He urged Esther to speak with the king, stop the execution, and rescue the Jewish people. Here's what you need to know about Esther talking to the king. This wasn't a typical conversation with between husband and wife. No one (not even Queen Esther) was allowed to speak to the king without his permission or invitation. Going straight to the king without his permission could have resulted in Esther's death, followed by the death of her people.

SCRIPTURE | Esther 7:1-10

Once Esther decided to act, here's what she did:

She approached the king carefully, inviting him to a big banquet where she would make her request. At the feast, instead of making her request, she invited the king to a second feast and promised she'd make her request then. The next day, the king went to Esther's second banquet, ready to hear her request. She invited Haman too.

INSTRUCTIONS: Read Esther 7:1-10

Esther 7:1–10 NIV

So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet, and as they were drinking wine on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be granted.” Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?” Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. The king got up in a rage, left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate, stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life. Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?” As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.” The king said, “Impale him on it!” So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.

Okay, that was pretty intense. But do you see what happened here? Haman was punished. Justice was served. Esther, Mordecai, and their people were saved.

QUESTION | "Where was God?"

Remember that question I told you to wonder about? Now that you've heard the story, what do you think...Where was God?

INSTRUCTIONS: Give a few students a chance to respond. Affirm their thoughts before continuing.

Don't feel bad if you missed this detail — a lot of people do. But I think this is one of the most interesting things about the book of Esther. In this entire book of the Bible, God is never mentioned. Not even once. So where was God when the Jewish people were hurting and in danger? It's a good question.

GOD WAS PRESENT. God is invisible. You've probably noticed. But just because we can't see God (in this book or in our lives) doesn't mean God isn't present. If you read between the lines, you can see God is there. God never left or forgot the Jewish people.

GOD WAS WORKING. All of the Bible reveals God is always on the side of the oppressed, working for justice and against oppression. In Esther's story, Haman was the oppressor and God's people, the Jews, were the oppressed. God was working to rescue them, but all of God's work took time.

GOD WAS WORKING THROUGH ESTHER. We see one moment in Esther's story where God is almost mentioned. When Mordecai tells Esther what she must do, she asks Mordecai and her people to pray for her. God answered by giving her guidance and strength. Esther and God heard the cries of the Jewish people and they both had enough! But Esther could never have done what she did on her own. We see God actively working through Esther by . . .

Placing her in a position of influence and authority, long before she ever needed it or understood why she had been chosen. Giving her courage in a frightening situation. Giving her creativity to solve a difficult problem. Rescuing her and her people when everything seemed hopeless. But isn't it interesting that God never tells Esther exactly what to do? As far as we know, God doesn't speak to Esther in any miraculous way or give her the plan. But Esther still knew what God would have her do. How? The answer is actually pretty simple because God's directions to us have always been clear: "When you see someone in need, help them."

SCRIPTURE | I John 3:17-18

Jesus said the same thing when He was on earth. A long time after Esther, here's what one of Jesus' disciples, John, wrote to his fellow Jesus-followers . . .

INSTRUCTIONS: Read I John 3:17-18

1 John 3:17–18 NIV

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

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So where is God when people are hurting? This was true in Esther's time and it's still true for us today:

God is present. God is working. God is calling you to get to work too.

NOW WHAT? What does God want us to do about it?

OBJECT LESSON | Heavy and Light

Think back to some of the big problems in the world we listed earlier. There's war, hunger, violence, lack of access to clean water or medicine, and so much more. There is so much hurt in the world that it can begin to feel heavy.

INSTRUCTIONS: For this object lesson, you'll need a dumbbell, a blindfold, and either a screen or large sheets of poster board. Ask a student to volunteer to be blindfolded. Give them a dumbbell to hold, blindfold them, and tell them to hold it out in front of them for as long as possible. As you continue to teach, give the rest of your students a few silent messages, either on your screen or by holding up large pieces of poster board. Tell them to keep their actions quiet and secretive as at least one student helps in the following ways:

Gets the student a chair and help them take a seat.

Help hold the dumbbell.

Encourage them.

Tell them they only need to hang on for 30 more seconds.

When we see all the hurt in the world around us, we might feel like this — unable to see God while everything that's wrong in the world starts to feel heavier and heavier. When you feel overwhelmed by all that's wrong, it's okay to ask tough questions, like where God is. But even when we can't see God working . . .

God answers prayers. God changes circumstances. God sends people to help. God gives peace and comfort. Sometimes it takes time, but when people are hurting, God is always present, always working, and always sending people to help. Often, those people are you and me.

VIDEO | A Clip from "Malak," by Preemptive Love

Let me show you just one story of billions where, at first, it seems like there's complete hopelessness. Can there be any good when a little girl lives in a war zone and loses both her parents? Where is God in a story like this one?

INSTRUCTIONS: As a teaching tool, play a short clip from a video like this one (0:00-0:30 and 2:50-3:35) of the story of a Syrian girl named Malak.

When there are people in need, this organization has made it their mission to be "the first in and the last to leave." This is how God works in difficult situations.

God is always the first one in, since God is always with us. God is always the last to leave, since God never gives up on us. And in between, God is looking for willing people (like Esther, like this organization, like you and me) to partner with in order to make wrong things right.

GETTING TO WORK

Although our world today is very different from Esther's, we have a lot in common. Both then and now, people are persecuted, hated, or needing help because of their . . .

Location on the planet. Religious beliefs. Culture. Skin color. Body shape. Nationality. Disability. Physical or mental health. And so much more. But we don't have to feel burdened, powerless, stuck, or confused. Like Esther, we can choose to do something with the resources God has given us in order to help people who are hurting. Like Esther, maybe you are alive right now, in the place you are, precisely for a time like this. When people are hurting, you could . . .

HELP LOCALLY: Find a need close to home and do something to help alleviate someone's hurt. Work together! Find out what our church is already doing! Discover a local organization or start something new!

HELP GLOBALLY: Find a need somewhere else in the world and join the fight. Advocate! Fundraise! Support an organization doing great work!

GET EDUCATED: Read a book on your own or with friends to help you learn more about the needs around you, what's being done, and how you can help. It's true there is a lot of hurt in the world, and all of that hurt can feel pretty heavy and confusing sometimes.

So when people are hurting, where is God?

God's still present. God's at work behind the scenes. And like Esther discovered, God might be inviting you to get to work too.

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