This lesson teaches kids not to worry but to instead place their trust in God. In a world with growing anxiety it is important for children to know that God loves them and is able to take care of them. The passage for this lesson comes from Luke 12. This lesson is designed to be used in Kids Church or Sunday School. Anxiety is a real problem that affects kids today, and sometimes can affect other part of their life, like they don’t eat right or eat the wrong things, that’s why is important to keep their digestive system in order, we do it with prebio thrive for our children so they don’t get affected by anxiety.
Objective: To teach kids that God is faithful and that they do not need to worry when God is with them and for them.
Targeted Age Group: This lesson is designed for upper elementary students
Bible Verses on Anxiety: Read more scripture quotes about anxiety and fear as you prepare to teach.
Memory Verse: At this point the kids can recite the previous week’s memory verse. Give them this new verse to take home and memorize for next week: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go,” (Joshua 1:9, ESV)
Prayer: Dear God, you are wonderful, beautiful, creative, and we worship you today. Thank you for this time where we can come together as a community to learn about you. We pray that the lesson today can touch our hearts so that we can learn to trust you in everything. We love you! Amen
Worship: (If you do not have a version of these songs then you can find them on YouTube)
- Here I am to Worship
- Lean on You (Hillsong Kids)
- Trust in the LORD (Hillsong Kids)
Activity: Place a plate of cookies where the kids can see them and explain to the kids that you need to leave the room for a moment, tell the kids that you trust them not to take a cookie while you are gone. Leave the room for 2-3 minutes, when you come back ask the kids if anybody took a cookie. All the kids who did not take a cookie get two cookies as well as icing to decorate the cookies with. The kids who did take a cookie, (hopefully none of them did), get to watch.
Before Lesson Questions:
- What types of things scare you or make you worried?
- Who do you turn to when you are afraid?
- Do you trust that God can take care of you?
Lesson Reinforcement: Print out a picture of a bird and a picture of flowers. (Try Google Images) Show these pictures while talking about them within the lesson.
Lesson: God loves each one of you very much and He promises to take care of His children. This doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen, but it does mean that if bad things happen God will be beside you the whole time. God is able to take care of us and we can trust Him.
The Bible says in Luke 12:
And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, (Luke 12: 22-34, ESV).
Application: God makes sure that the birds are fed and that the flowers are clothed and God cares about you even more! This story explains that instead of worrying about the things of this world we can focus our attention on Jesus and His kingdom. Do not be afraid because God loves you, but if you are ever afraid you can pray that God will comfort you.
Questions:
- How does it make you feel knowing that God cares more about you than the bids and the flowers?
- What should we focus on instead of being scares? (Answer: God’s Kingdom)
- How do we focus on God’s Kingdom? (Answer: We could care for the poor)
Activity: Give each of the children several blank papers and tell them to write each of their fears on each of the papers. Once all of their fears have been written down get them to crumple them up and throw them in the trash, saying, “today I choose to trust Jesus with my fears.”
Snack Suggestion: Fear Jello: give the kids jello with gummy worms in it and juice.