Keep Going…
Run a relay race with a twist.
Divide into two teams and make two lines. Mark a starting point and a turn-around line. Each team must run to the turn-around line with a book balanced on the head and arms at one’s side. If the book falls off, the person must pick it up and put it back on the head before starting again. Tag the next person in line who will do the same. The first team to finish wins. (If teams are uneven, one person can run twice.) Cheer for the winning team. (Share a treat, if you like!)
What was the hardest part of the relay?
Did you ever feel frustrated? Why?
Did you ever feel like quitting?
What does it mean to be faithful? (to keep going when you feel like giving up; to do what’s right at all times; etc) Who is always faithful to help us? (God is always faithful.)
We can trust God to help us. We need to pray and ask Him for His help and strength and then trust Him to be faithful. We must not give up, because we have God on our side!
BIG Challenge
Make a sling similar to the one David might have used (with a strip of leather or cloth). Let kids try throwing a stone using the sling.
Ancient hand slings generally consisted of a single long strip of leather or woven wool, with a central “pocket” for the stone. The best method of releasing a stone from a sling is by an underhand motion.
Act out the story (leave the stone out when acting out the story) of David and Goliath. Depending on the number of people in your family, choose a Narrator and David and Goliath. If you have more people, you could choose David’s brothers, King Saul, and members of the army.
Read the story from 1 Samuel 17 or from a Children’s Bible Storybook and ask the characters to act out what you read.
God was faithful to help David when he faced a hard situation. God can be trusted to help us in hard situations.
Rock Solid Faith
Find three rocks and write each of the following truths on one. Decorate the rocks if you like. Hide them for others to find and build their faith.
• God is with me!
• God is for me!
• God will help me!
Talk about what each means – at dinner or maybe choose one and talk about it at bedtime (a time when kids are usually eager to stay awake and talk).
- God is with me! (Read Psalm 27:1)
How would you feel if you were walking late at night and met up with some robbers? (scared)
How would you feel if you were walking late at night and met up with some robbers, but you were surrounded by 10 strong policemen? (not afraid)
What’s the difference? (who is with you)
We can be brave because God is with us! He has promised to never leave us. (Hebrews 13:5b)
- God is for me! (Read Psalm 124:1-5)
The psalmist could not even imagine what it would be like if God was not on his side. God is all powerful. No one or nothing is greater than Him. David had courage because God was on His side. This means that we can have great confidence no matter what we face, because God is for us!
- God will help me! (Read Psalm 121:1,2)
Where did this writer, probably David, say his help came from? (from the Lord, from the creator, etc.)
David knew that he could call out to God for help no matter where he was, and he could count on God to help him. It pleases God when we rely on Him for help. We can cry out to God for help. It does not have to be a long prayer, it can simply be one word to Him, “Help!” God promises that He will help us.
These three BIG truths can give us courage!