This is a practical lesson that uses 2 sticks to share with the children that God always keeps his promises and that they must do the right thing and not lose hope. The verses of the Bible that are used to reinforce the teaching are Romans 12:12 and Deuteronomy 6:18.
Lesson:
Show the 2 sticks and tell the children that you are going to make a promise. The promise is that you will put these two rulers about two feet apart and then jump on both of them. (Set up the rulers as described and jump over them.) Spread them a little further and promise again that you will jump over both in one jump. (Make sure you can keep that promise.)
Extend the rules enough to make it obvious that you can’t jump over both in one jump. This time, don’t promise to jump on them, but ask the children what they would think if you made that promise. Could they trust you to keep that promise? (Show that you cannot jump that far in one go.)
Request:
When I made the promise and the rulers were very close, he had no problem trusting me to keep the promise. When the rulers were too far apart, it would be foolish of me to make a promise to jump both in one jump. Even if he did, he wouldn’t trust me to keep that promise. It makes sense to only promise things that you know you can do. Even then, sometimes we don’t keep promises. However, when God makes a promise, you can count on it. You will never break a promise, because you can always do what you say you will.
One of his promises is that God is not against you; he is on your side! Sometimes he allows you to go through difficult situations to teach you to trust him more. It may not always make problems stop, but it can give you the power to overcome them. God says in Romans 12:12 that when problems arise, you and I should rejoice in hope; be patient in tribulation; and continue in prayer.
If you know Jesus as Savior, do the right thing; do not lose hope. God can empower you to do what is right, just as Deuteronomy 6:18 says. (Read the verse). When things seem hopeless, trust God and do the right thing. Follow these four steps.
First think: God is on my side! He wants to help me.
Second, say, “I will rejoice and be patient through this desperate situation.”
Next prayer: Ask God to help you trust him.
Finally obey: wait patiently for God to work things out.
God always keeps his promises, so you can depend on him to help you.