Conversation Starters: Difficult Circumstances
Posted by Karah
A STUDY IN THE PSALMS
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE: We can often feel overwhelmed and let our circumstances get us down. Some of the most confusing times of our lives can be when we don’t know what to do. In the Bible, we read the words of the psalmist, who also experienced a down time, but his words give us encouragement by pointing to the God who is above our circumstances.
Psalm 42:1-3, 6-8; 43:3-5
Preschool
Matthew 2:1-12
LIFE POINT: After Jesus was born, wise men came to Jerusalem. “Where is the special baby that was born? We saw a star that rose after He was born,” they said. “We have come to worship Him. He is God’s Son.” The king heard about the men who were looking for a special baby. The king asked the priests to find out where this happened. The priests
studied the Bible and said, “The baby was born in Bethlehem.” The king told the wise men, “Go to Bethlehem to find the child. When you find Him, tell me where He is. I want to worship Him also.” The wise men left Jerusalem. As they traveled to Bethlehem, they saw
the star they had followed. It was shining over the place where Jesus was. They were very happy! They went into the house and saw Jesus with His mother, Mary. They worshiped Jesus. The wise men gave Jesus special gifts–gold, frankincense, and myrrh. God warned the wise men in a dream to not return to the king. So they returned home a different way.
LIVE IT OUT: Use your time driving in the car to play worship music and sing. Encourage your child to sing along, too.
Kids
Matthew 2:1-12
LIFE POINT: During the reign of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. “Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw a star that rose after He was born,” they said. “We have come to worship Him. ” King Herod was upset. He was the king! Herod’s advisers told him about Micah’s prophecy that t Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. King Herod sent the men to Bethlehem. “When you find this child,
come tell me so that I can worship Him, too.” The star led the men into Bethlehem and stopped above the very place where Jesus and His family stayed. The wise men saw Jesus with Mary. They fell to their knees and worshiped Jesus. They presented Him with gifts: treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. After being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, the wise men returned to their own country by another route.
LIVE IT OUT: Help your child find the following verses in the Bible: John 16:33, Psalm 27:14, Psalm 37:7, and Hosea 12:6. Discuss how these verses speak about God’s
encouragement.
Students
Psalm 42:1-3, 6-8; 43:3-5
THE POINT: You can trust God when you don’t know what to do. Talk to your student about a time in your life when you had to trust that God was above your circumstances.
What did you learn about God’s character during this time? Discuss the following quote:
“Don’t trust to hold God’s hand; let Him hold yours. Let Him do the holding, and you the trusting.”1 —Hammer William Webb-Peploe
LIVE IT OUT: Your student has been encouraged to do one or both Live It Out activities. Here are some suggested ways to help your student:
If your student plans to complete Written Word:
• Encourage your student to look to Scripture when feeling discouraged.
• Suggest Scriptures to your student that you find encouraging.
If your student plans to complete Forward Thinking:
• Help your student find creative ways to encourage others this week.
• Pray for your student to be an encouragement to the people around him or her.
1. SearchQuotes.com, [cited 2 May 2014]. Available from the Internet: http://www.searchquotes.com.
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