Date: May 11, 2025
God’s Hand in Meeting Others’ Needs
The Point: God blesses as we serve others.
Get Into the Study
Share the following as you discuss Question 1:
President Trump and First Lady Melania hosted the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on April 21, with an estimated 30 thousand people in attendance. Activities included the namesake egg roll relay race, a coloring station, hopscotch, and reading nook.
Both the president and first lady enjoyed spending time with the children in attendance, with President Trump joining in at the coloring station and the first lady reading “Bunny with a Big Heart.” The children’s activities focused on Melania’s “Be Best” campaign, which highlights the importance of children’s social, emotional, and physical health.
Just as sharing these activities with the attending children was a fun experience for President Trump and First Lady Melania, we should also find joy when we give to others. 2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us that God loves a cheerful giver, and the joy of joining in God’s kingdom work should make blessing those around us a fun experience for us.
Get Into the Study (Option from Adult Leader Guide)
In advance, play a video clip of someone enjoying giving to others. Then ask Question #1.
Study the Bible
Read the following after discussing Question 3:
In early April, Pastor Josh Sullivan was kidnapped at gunpoint while preaching a sermon at Fellowship Baptist Church, where he serves as a missionary in Africa. Though the thirty people attending the church service had their phones stolen, no one else was injured or taken captive. Fellowship Baptist Church was threatened in 2024 and the kidnappers referred to Sullivan by name. Another pastor serving in the Gqeberha area was concerned that Sullivan was targeted for his faith, but said the kidnapping was likely financially motivated.
Five days after the kidnapping, Sullivan was rescued after a “high intensity shootout” and was “miraculously unharmed.” The South African Police Service reported that the shootout happened at a safehouse in the area, with the suspects waiting in a car on the premises. The suspects attempted to flee and opened fire, and the officers responded with “tactical precision.” Three suspects were fatally wounded, and Sullivan was found unharmed in the vehicle.
It was an unexpected blessing that Sullivan was unharmed during his ordeal. While not all blessings are quite as dramatic or require such intense circumstances, God blesses believers in unexpected ways often. We should keep our eyes opened and our hearts softened to see how God may bless us or those around us in unexpected ways.
EXTRA was written by Emily Duncan, a Southern California native currently living in West Georgia with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. God saved her from Wicca when she was sixteen, and she now serves alongside her youth pastor husband as a girls’ leader at New Hope First Baptist Church in Dallas, GA. Emily spends most of her time tangled in yarn while crocheting or reading outside in the hammock.
Additional Questions
Ice Breaker
- Who do you know who serves others sacrificially? / When have you seen someone serve others sacrificially?
- How can believers find ways to serve others?
- When has giving to someone been a joyful experience for you?
- When has giving to someone been a fun experience for you?
2 Kings 4:8-10
- Where do we have an opportunity to be a blessing to others in our church or community?
- What do you appreciate about this Shunammite woman?
- What is your initial reaction to this woman’s unprovoked generosity?
- How can believers develop a godly sensitivity to the needs of others?
- What can distract believers from being a blessing to others?
2 Kings 4:11-17
- How has God used someone to bless you in an unusual way?
- How have you been blessed as a result of meeting another’s needs?
- When has God given you an unexpected blessing?
- How was the Shunammite woman blessed with more than the birth of a child?
- When have you seen someone blessed in a surprising way?
2 Kings 4:32-37
- What is difficult about trusting the power of God to handle our biggest needs and fears?
- What are some of the ways God’s power might show itself in our lives through God’s people?
- When have you trusted God to act despite impossible circumstances?
- How would you describe a person who trusts in God’s power?
- Who do you know that models a lifestyle of trusting in God’s power?
- What are some obstacles to trusting in God’s power in our lives?
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This was a very difficult lesson to have on Mother’s Day. We have several women in our class who lost children or never had children and Mother’s Day is already hard for them. To have a lesson about SERVICE that really is about the miracle of reviving the child, is not very sensitive.
I understand the message of the lesson, but the timing as not great.
Throughout the Bible sensitivity has been used to deliver messages of Gods Glory. This has never been dependent on any of my choices, but those of the will and way of our Father. To encourage each other to follow in our Fathers footsteps, leading or working for others to follow also. Always doing our best to bear the fruits, Galatians 5:22 – -gentleness kindness meekness love peace joy long suffering goodness and faith. God always provides a way, when we ask and follow with all of our hearts, minds and souls!
Why do you use examples with the current president in your Bible Meets Life to prepare our minds and hearts for studying God’s Word and giving Him our entire attention? While we might respect the office of presidency, this man isn’t a very good example of someone who lives by the Bible’s precepts, and he is a very divisive personality. Whether you agree with his policies or your writers align with his ideology, Bible Study with people outside of this political paradigm will not be as open to the Love of Jesus and His words when teachers use this material to begin a lesson.