Daily Lesson for Thursday 11th of June 2026

Have you ever wished you could see Jesus when you feel discouraged? Picture yourself in this dream.

“I seemed to be sitting in abject despair, with my face in my hands, reflecting like this: If Jesus were upon earth, I would go to Him, throw myself at His feet, and tell Him all my sufferings. He would not turn away from me, He would have mercy upon me, and I should love and serve Him always. Just then the door opened, and a person of beautiful form and countenance entered. He looked upon me pityingly and said: ‘Do you wish to see Jesus? He is here and you can see Him if you desire to do so. Take everything you possess and follow me.’

Image © Pacific Press at Goodsalt.com

“I heard this with unspeakable joy, and gladly gathered up all my little possessions, every treasured trinket, and followed my guide. He led me to a steep and apparently frail stairway. As I commenced to ascend the steps, he cautioned me to keep my eyes fixed upward, lest I should grow dizzy and fall. Many others who were climbing up the steep ascent fell before gaining the top.

“Finally we reached the last step and stood before the door. Here my guide directed me to leave all the things that I had brought with me. I cheerfully laid them down; he then opened the door and bade me enter. In a moment I stood before Jesus. There was no mistaking that beautiful countenance. Such a radiant expression of benevolence and majesty could belong to no other. As His gaze rested upon me, I knew at once that He was acquainted with every circumstance of my life and all my inner thoughts and feelings.

“I tried to shield myself from His gaze, feeling unable to endure His searching eyes, but He drew near with a smile, and, laying His hand upon my head, said: ‘Fear not.’ The sound of His sweet voice thrilled my heart with a happiness it had never before experienced. I was too joyful to utter a word, but, overcome with ineffable happiness, sank prostrate at His feet. While I was lying helpless there, scenes of beauty and glory passed before me, and I seemed to have reached the safety and peace of heaven. At length my strength returned, and I arose. The loving eyes of Jesus were still upon me, and His smile filled my soul with gladness. His presence filled me with holy reverence and an inexpres­sible love. . . .

“This dream gave me hope . . . [and] faith. . . . And the beauty and simplicity of trusting in God began to dawn upon my benighted soul.”—Ellen G. White, Early Writings, Pages 79–81.

Amid life’s setbacks, we need to focus on Jesus and what He reveals about God’s love for us.

<–Wednesday Friday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-11-see-jesus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-11-see-jesus

[Editor’s Note: We are delighted to welcome Robert Nohr and Dee Piekarek as a new contributors to our Teacher Aids resources. You can check their bio at the bottom of this post.]

1. What problems have you seen in people for whom everything has always gone right or easy?

   

   Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels

2. How would your walk with God be different if you had never experienced a setback or hardship?
     
3. Can you share a concrete fruit of character or spiritual growth that came to you through either a failure, a loss, or hardship?
     
4. Which example in the lesson’s list of Biblical “setbacks” can you most relate to? And why? (Job, woman with 38 yr illness, Disciples right after Jesus’ crucifixion, disciples in the boat during the storm who question if Jesus cares—-or another Biblical example). Or: What setback in life has been your most painful?
     
5. What is your first emotional reaction when something important to you is threatened (health, finances, relationship, goal, etc)? What is your first spiritual reaction? Has your spiritual reaction changed over time and experience?
     
6. Is it wrong to feel fear, anxiety, sadness, or anger when something dear in life to us is threatened, lost, or changed in ways we did not want? Why or why not?
     
7. What do you think Jesus’ first “word” to us is, when we suffer? On what do you base your answer?
     
8. What is the difference between grieving a loss and failing to have enough  faith?
     
9. How does the cross of Christ specifically change the meaning of suffering, compared to every other religion or philosophy?
     
10. What does Jesus mean by “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” Jn 12:24
      
11. Paul sums up the great truth of Christian faith in 2 Cor 12:9 when, after praying for relief from suffering, he tells us how Christ responded to the prayer: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” In what ways is this “message” extremely different from what “the world” tells us today about hardships? About suffering? About power?
      
12. The example of Job shows us that sometimes our approach to others’ suffering is not helpful and can even selfishly reflect our need to make their situation less distressing for us. What is the potential flaw in approaching others who are suffering and telling them “God is just building your character?” or “God’s will is perfect so don’t question?” What is a guaranteed successful way to mediate God’s presence to them instead?

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/11-setbacks-discussion-starters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=11-setbacks-discussion-starters

Are we living examples of the memory verses – Romans 5:3-5? Join the Hit the Mark panel as they discuss Sabbath School Lesson 11 – Setbacks. It’s the fastest hour of the week! Sign up for our weekly keyword handouts HERE 

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/setbacks-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=setbacks-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school

Daily Lesson for Wednesday 10th of June 2026

It had been an intense few weeks for the two disciples as they replayed in their minds some of the events and conversations they had experienced. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the clearing of the temple. The Passover in the upper room. Jesus’ prayers in Gethsemane. Judas’s ugly betrayal. The trial, the mocking, the beating. Jesus’ bruised body hanging on a cross and His final words before He breathed His last as the afternoon sky turned black. The loud rip of the temple curtain. The open graves of the righteous. Gently taking Jesus’ body off the cross and laying Him in the tomb before Sabbath. And then the confusion, discouragement, and questions in the disciples’ minds. How had they gotten it so wrong?

Jesus’ followers were disappointed, discouraged, and confused. This was the greatest setback of their lives. What they didn’t see was that this was merely a moment in the greatest story of all time. As two of them walked on the road to Emmaus, Jesus appeared and walked with them.

Image © Lifeway Collection at Goodsalt.com

Once their eyes were opened, the two followers rushed to Jerusalem to share the things that had happened to them on the road (Luke 24:33-35). As Jesus came and stood in their midst, they were terrified. Notice His questions to them: “ ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?’ ” (Luke 24:38, NKJV).

This is also Jesus’ message for us today. Too often, we forget that He walks beside us in our valleys. Too often we don’t recognize Him. Too often we forget that there’s much more to the story. Too often we feel troubled and allow doubts to arise in our hearts, forgetting that Jesus holds our lives securely in His hands. And too often we think we know better than Jesus does about what’s really happening in our lives (Luke 24:18).

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-11-the-road-to-emmaus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-11-the-road-to-emmaus

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 9th of June 2026

When we think of setbacks in the Bible, Job is perhaps the person who first comes to mind. Not only did he lose all his wealth (Job 1:14-17), but he also lost his children (Job 1:18-19) and his health (Job 2:7). His wife then tried to convince him to curse God and die (Job 2:9).

After some time, three friends came to sit with Job. They were so shocked at his appearance that they sat with him, speechless, for seven days (Job 2:13). Eventually, when they spoke, they tried to offer human reasons for why such misfortune had come to Job, but in doing so, they unintentionally increased his suffering. Three friends blamed him, saying he must have some hidden sin in his life to repent of (Job 8:1-22; Job 11:1-20; Job 15:1-35), even saying, “ ‘Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God’ ” (Job 18:21, NKJV).

Image © Providence Collection from GoodSalt.com

No matter the tragic events that surrounded him, and the fact that he didn’t understand them, Job remained faithful. He held fast. He didn’t blame God or curse Him. Instead, when tempted to blame God, he declared: “ ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord’ ” (Job 1:21, NKJV).

We, too, live in the middle of this same battle. Satan afflicts us with pain, suffering, loss, and hardship as part of his plan to distort our picture of a loving God. In such times, we can respond in one of two ways: blame and reject God, or cling to Him with all our might. Although the battle rages around us, we must remember that, in light of eternity, our momentary troubles are but temporary trials (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). There is so much more to the picture than what we see here and now, and one of the great challenges for a believer is to trust God even in the darkest times. God has, in many ways, revealed to us the reality of His love. We must cling to this crucial truth—that of God’s love—even when we might not sense it at the moment.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/26b-11-job/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=26b-11-job