Loving God as a Family Lesson Five

Loving God as a Family

God is Our Strength



Read: 1 Samuel 17:1-50; Philippians 4:13

Questions for Discussion:
Why did David fight Goliath?
What did other people think when David said he would fight?
Why was David so courageous?
What things are hard for you to do?
How can we be like David and rely on God for strength?

As a family gather five round smooth stones for each member in the family. Take a few minutes and have each member of the family write in permanent marker on each one of the stones one thing that they need God’s strength to help them to face. Help younger children with this portion of the activity.

Key thought: Have you ever faced a problem that seemed too big for you? Just like David, we have all faced something that seems too big to go against. David trusted God to help him. God helped David be strong, and we can ask God for strength like that too!

Pray as a family for God to grant each person strength as they face these things. Then, place the stones around the house as reminders that God grants us strength for all of these things.



Activities


Preschool:

Tell your child the story of The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. If you don’t know the story, check it out from the library. Replace the words, “I think I can, I think I can” with “Rely on God, rely on God.” Remind your child that they can rely on God for strength.

Using sidewalk chalk, trace around your child as they lay on the pavement with their arms bent as though they were flexing. Using another color of chalk, outline them again, this time drawing exaggerated muscles in their arms. As you color the outline in with your child, explain that, although other people may see them as small, with God they have strength beyond what their physical bodies contain. With God they can be strong, like the second outline, even if other people only see the way the first outline looks. Remind them that we can rely on God’s strength.


Lower Elementary:

Read the story of David and Goliath. Then lead your family in a reenactment of the story. Assign someone to be all of the main characters depending on the number of people in your family. After you act out the story, discuss what it means to rely on God for our strength.


Let your child play in the sprinkler or paddling pool until considerably wet. Then have them quickly lay down on their back on the pavement and get back up again. Show them how they can use sidewalk chalk to quickly trace around the wet print that they left on the sidewalk before it dries. Let the child cool off in the water again and make a second wet print on the sidewalk next to the first. This time, as they trace their outline encourage them to use their imagination to draw a stronger looking outline. This may mean taller, thicker, with more muscles or anything else they can think of. Then label the first outline “Without God’s strength” and the second outline, “With God’s strength in me.” Then talk about how with God’s strength we can do things that others might think are impossible for us.

Upper Elementary:

Give family members two canned goods items (1 liter water bottles filled, light weights stones or even books could also work). Challenge each person to hold the cans, one in each hand, up with their arms straight out from their bodies for a minute. At the end of the minute discuss why they were able, or unable to do this. Then do it again, only this time form pairs, one to hold the cans up, and the other person to help them hold their arms up with a boost under the biceps. See how long they are able to hold the cans up this way. Discuss how it was different with another person helping and supporting you. In the same way, we may not have the strength to do something on our own, but with God’s strength we can do anything.

Organize a family movie night to watch “The Incredibles.” After the movie, discuss how the main characters all had strengths that other people could not always see just by looking at them. Discuss how God can give each of us strength to face difficult situations. And how, when we are relying on God’s strength, others might not be able to see how strong we are just by looking at us.


Teens:

Organize a Family Feats of Mini Strength Tournament. Compete in a variety of competitions like the following: Mini tug-o-war: Get a rope about 3 feet long and make markings with tape on the table for tug-o-war. The catch is that participants may only use one hand to pull the rope and may only grip the rope using their thumb and index finger. Mini Javelin Toss: Use a straw and two fingers to recreate the life sized event. Mini Shot-put: Use a marble and flip it with your thumb. Mini Hockey: Use a smooth table top and push a checker disc as the puck around using only straws in your mouths. Thumb wrestling: enough said. Relay race: move a coin on the top of your hand, from your thumb to your pinkie and back again. Or any activities that you think your family would like. After the awards have been handed out, discuss how we rely on God’s strength.