Jump!
Do you know what it means to have faith in someone? (to believe that the person will do what he or she says they will do)
Let’s practice what it means to have faith. (For example: Stand at the bottom of the stairs and ask your child to jump into your arms from a few steps up or stand in the pool and ask him/her to jump into your arms, etc.) Ask your child to jump to you, assuring them that you will catch him/her.
Why did you jump? (I knew you would catch me.) You had faith in me, trusting that I would catch you because I told you I would.
To have faith in God means that we believe in Him and what He has said. Where do we learn about what God says? (Bible) We must study God’s Word, the Bible, to know who God is and what He tells us. We must believe every word in the Bible is true and obey God’s instructions. The Bible is like a special pair of glasses that help us know the difference in God’s truth and what the world wants us to believe.
Have a Seat!
Items Needed: two chairs (one very sturdy and one broken or wobbly)
Show both chairs (if you don’t have a broken chair, ask children to imagine one) and ask:
Which chair would you like to sit in? Why?
Which chair is most like our faith in God? Remember having faith in God means we believe He will do what He says He will do.
Some people think our faith in God is like sitting in the broken chair. We try it (believe in Him) and hope it holds us. But God is like a sturdy chair – completely reliable. Millions of people have believed in God throughout history and proved that He is true and trustworthy. (Ask a child to sit in the chair.)
Would it be hard to sit for awhile if you wouldn’t put your whole weight on the chair? (Ask a child to hover just above the chair as if they are afraid to put their weight on it.) We show our faith in God by completely trusting Him to care for us. It is more than believing with our minds; it means being willing to pray to Him and trust Him to do what is right.
Connect the Dots
Items Needed:
- Dot-to-dot page (Make a simple one by thinking of a simple design and drawing an outline of dots.)
- Writing utensils
Ask the children to complete the dot-to-dot page.
Did you know what picture was on our dot-to-dot page when you started? (probably not)
You were able to complete the picture by drawing from one dot to the next. In our lives, we can’t always understand why certain things happen, but God knows more than we do. Even though we can’t see God, we can have faith that He is with us and will do what He says He will do. We must follow His instructions in the Bible, pray daily, and do the next right thing. We can have faith that He will work things out for our good. God sees the big picture and we can trust Him to do what’s right.