AGE GROUP: elementary (ages 6-11)
TIME REQUIRED: 45 minutes
This is lesson 25 of 42 in our study on the Attributes of God called “Can you tell me what God is like?” Visit the series index to view all the lessons and get more ideas for using this curriculum in your children’s ministry.
LESSON 25: GOD IS OMNIPRESENT
- Key Verse: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” Psalm 139:7
- Teaching Passage: God is Everywhere- Psalm 139
- Supporting Texts: Psalm 94:11, Psalm 139, Proverbs 15:3
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Bibles, previous attribute of God posters, a large piece of paper with the words GOD IS OMNIPRESENT written on it, key verse (Psalm 139:7) printed on a piece of paper, blank paper and markers or colored pencils for each child in the group, 12 small pieces of paper to review the attributes
LESSON OUTLINE:
REVIEW PREVIOUS LESSONS:
Ask one of the kids in the group to remind you what you’re learning this year. Remind them that each week we’ll be looking into the Bible to answer the question… “Can you tell me what God is like?” and will be learning one of the many truths about God that we see in His Word.
Ask if anyone can remember the truths we’ve learned so far. As a quick review, choose 6 of the attributes and write them on a small piece of paper each and write those 6 definitions on small pieces of paper. Place them all face down and take turns turning over 2 at a time looking for a match. if they’re not a match, for each attribute turned up, say the definition and for each definition say the attribute. Try to use some from the beginning of the series and some more recent attributes for the warm up review.
- God is Almighty= He has absolute power or is all powerful
- God is the Alpha and Omega= He is the beginning and the end, the first and the last
- God is Awesome = He inspires awe and amazement
- God is Compassionate = He shows a deep concern for His people & a desire to meet their needs
- God is the Deliverer = He is the rescuer or savior
- God is Exalted = He is noble, elevated and lifted up
- God is Faithful = He is reliable, trustworthy, true to His Word & keeps His promises
- God Forgives = He grants pardon and cancels the debt of sin
- God is Glorious = He is full of glory (praise, honor & distinction)
- God is Good = morally excellent, virtuous or righteous
- God is Gracious = merciful, benevolent, kind & compassionate
- God Guides His People= He leads, accompanies, assists and gives direction/ guidance
- God Heals = make healthy & whole & free from ailments
- God is Holy = He is sinless, perfect and set apart
- God is our Hope = He is the One in whom our expectations are centered
- Jesus is Immanuel = God with Us
- God is Judge = He is the One who rules over and passes judgement on others
- God is Just = He is the One who is fair and does what is right
- God is King of kings & Lord of lords = He is The One who rules the rulers
- Jesus is the Lamb without blemish = He is the perfect sacrifice for sin
- God is Love = God has tender and caring affection for His people
- God is Majestic = God is stately, kingly, grand & raised up
- God is Merciful = God is full of compassion, pity, and undeserved grace & love for another
- God is Omnipotent = He is almighty or infinite in power
TEACH- GOD IS OMNIPRESENT:
Start out by asking the kids where they are right now. Hopefully they’ll say they’re in their classroom, at church, or they’ll name your city or maybe someone will say that they’re on earth. Ask if they could be somewhere else right now at the same time as being here. Start with obvious ones. Can you be here and on the moon? Then, move in closer and ask – Can you be here and be in the next room? Or, can you be at the front of the room and the back of the room?
Then, ask where God is. Some kids will probably say heaven, which needs to be acknowledged as a correct answer. Some might say that God is in their heart, to which you should acknowledge that if they have repented of their sin and turned to Jesus for forgiveness that in a sense God is living in and through you. (You might want to read John 14:16-20 and point out that if you are a follower of Jesus and have turned to Him for forgiveness that you are in Him and He is in God). But then ask something like, so God is only in your heart? (that’s not fair.)
Tell the kids that the Bible tells us that God is everywhere all the time. He is not limited by time and space. God is everywhere all of the time. Go on to explain that even though God is everywhere all the time that sometimes in the Bible we read about Him entering time and space: God was in the burning bush, God was in the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, God was in the cloud that settled on the temple. But, He was also everywhere else at the same time.
Tell the kids that there is one chapter in the Bible that really helps us to understand that God is everywhere by asking a simple question. Where can I go from God’s presence? And that chapter is Psalm 139.
Read through Psalm 139 and have kids point out the truths that this one Psalm teaches us about God and the fact that He is omnipresent (or everywhere all the time). Some of the truths to discuss are:
- God knows His people- He has to be present where we are to know us.
- God knows what we’re doing- sitting, standing, going out. Ask if any of them know exactly what their grandmother is doing right now? No, because we are not there with her.
- God knows our thoughts and our words before we speak. He knows our thoughts because He is with us.
- We can’t go anywhere to get away from God because He is everywhere.
- God is in the heavens, in the depths, on the other side of the sea, in the dark, in the light. God is everywhere!
- God was there before we were born and was making us inside our moms.
DEFINE AND REMEMBER:
To help the kids remember this truth about God, take a few minutes to define the attribute.
OMNIPRESENT = EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME
EXPLAIN: The Bible tells us that God is OMNIPRESENT, He is everywhere all the time. Read and discuss these verse to further your discussion – Proverbs 15:3 and Jeremiah 23:23-24. Talk about what these verses tell us about who God is and where God is.
Since motions & actions help kids remember, choose an action for OMNIPRESENT. A good motion might be to make a big circle around your body with your hand.
MEMORY VERSE:
SAY: “This morning we’re talking about the truth that God is Omnipresent (or everywhere all the time). Our memory verse for the week is…
“Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” Psalm 139:7. The answer is no where. There is no where we can go where God isn’t there. This should give us comfort when we feel scared or alone to remember that God is always there.”
Read the memory verse (Psalm 139:7) a few times together and each time you finish the verse yell… NOWHERE! GOD IS EVERYWHERE!
CROSS CONNECTION:
Remind the kids that this morning we talked about the truth that God is everywhere, which is an amazing truth to remember. Ask them again where they could do to hide from God and remind them that we can’t go anywhere to get away from God. Then, say something like, ‘although we’re always in God’s presence now because God is everywhere, there is still something that separates us from God. Sin is like a veil keeping us from being completely in God’s presence because He is only and He cannot have sin in His presence. The only way we can remove the veil, or get rid of the sin that separates us from God is to understand that we are sinners and that we need to be forgiven of our sin and believe that Jesus died to pay the price for our sin.’ Remind the group of the week when we talked about God’s holiness and how because God is holy He is completely separated from sin. But, because of His great love for His people, the Bible tells us that Jesus took on our sin and died in our place to pay for our sin so that we could be brought back into a right relationship with God and enjoy His presence forever!
REVIEW:
Give each child a blank piece of paper provide markers or colored pencils. Encourage them to write the word OMNIPRESENT somewhere on the paper and then write or draw something to help them remember this attribute of God. They could write the definition for OMNIPRESENT or the memory verse or they could draw something to help them remember that God is everywhere. After a few minutes, bring the group back together and give kids time to share what they have drawn or written.
PRAYER:
Pray that the kids in the group would come to know God more and more each week through this study and that they would remember that all of us are sinners who need to be saved and that they would turn to this good God for salvation. Thank God for always being with us and never leaving us alone. Thank His especially that through Jesus we can be in His presence forever.
Great lesson! Can’t wait to continue our series of truths about God!
Looks great. Will definately use it.
Wiw its really lesson resources and its easy to teach.
Its applicable and convenient.
Thank you very much and may the Lord bless you