The power of God when it does not rain
key words
biblical reference
1 Kings 17:1-6
lesson objective
To help the children learn about God’s power to take care of Elijah.
memory verse
“Great is our Lord and mighty in power” (Psalm 147:5a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Three incidents in chapter 17 describe the power of God. The problem they have in common is death. This lesson focuses on the first two incidents. God provided what Elijah needed in different ways. He combined ordinary and extraordinary ways to save him from death. For Elijah, these events within his ministry served as a period of preparation.
Elijah’s disposition changes from being passive to active. In the first story, he only obeys, and God acts. In the second, he tells what God will do, remains under his protection, and is a witness of the Lord’s power.
Why would God send the crows to bring food to Elijah? These animals are distinguished by their lack of cleanliness, perhaps the food would have been unhealthy for him, or most likely they would have eaten it.
In this we also see that God is in control of everything, and ordered the crows to take the bread and the meat to his servant.
In contrast to the meat that the crows brought him, God used a very natural resource to give Elijah water. He told him to drink from a stream. Later, since there was a tremendous drought, the stream dried up. But the same thing that caused the drought, arranged everything for Elijah to have a house and a table. God sent Elijah to Zarephath of Sidon, to a widow’s house. Again, God provided what the prophet needed in a unique and different way. He multiplied the widow’s food while she looked after Elijah. Oil and flour for making bread are ordinary items; but that they were inexhaustible was extraordinary.
Many children are not aware of how their daily needs are met. For them, it is very natural when they have food at their table and have somewhere to live. Sometimes they are more concerned about the style of clothes, than the warmth and protection that their clothes give them.
Some children do not take into account the provision that God gives them.
Help your preschoolers recognize that God is the Lord, the giver of life, who created the world and everything in it. Many people see the provisions of God in ordinary ways and sometimes in miraculous ways.
Use this lesson to help your children understand that the hand of God provides everything they need, as he chooses: in ordinary ways or in extraordinary ways.
introduce the lesson
Play-Doh crows
For this activity, you will need Play-Doh or molding clay that is black, gray, and yellow. Cover tables with plastic or recycled paper. Allow your children to make crow figures with the indicated material.
If they do not know what a crow is, show them a picture. While working, tell them that crows are part of today’s Bible story. God used these animals to feed one of his servants.
teach the lesson
The following activities will help prepare children to experience and review the Bible story.
A special visitor
Ask a member of your congregation to represent Elijah and help you tell the Bible story based on 1 Kings 17:1-6. Ask him to read 1 Kings 17:1-6 before the session to be prepared to tell the story. He can wear a robe or sheet as a costume.
Tell the children that today they will receive a very special visitor who will tell them the Bible story. Ask them to listen very carefully and if they have questions, do so at the end of the story.
When they are ready for the Bible story time, invite the visitor to come, and give him the time necessary for his participation.
Food and water for Elijah
Long ago, a king lived in Israel who did not obey God. His name was Ahab. He and his wife had done very bad things. They made the people stop worshiping God, to worship false idols from other countries. They built many temples in honor of those idols. God was very angry with them.
Elijah was a man who loved God and obeyed his commands. Often God would give this prophet a message to be passed on to King Ahab. However, the king never listened to it. Then the Lord decided to punish them and the people for their disobedience and misbehavior. “It will not rain for a long time in this country,” God told Elijah. That meant that neither rivers nor lakes would have water. As a consequence, animals and people would be very thirsty. God can make it rain, or not rain, because He is powerful.
Elijah went to King Ahab and said, “God has said that not a single drop of rain will fall on this earth for a long time.” The king was angry. The Lord led Elijah to live by the side of a river. He told him that he could drink water from there and that he would send crows to feed him.
Every day the crows brought food to Elijah, and he could drink water from the stream. God took care of this prophet and used his power to feed and protect him.
connect the lesson
God feeds Elijah
Pass out Student Activity Sheet #41-A and #41-B. Help the children cut out carefully the figures in Student Activity Sheet #41-B and stick them on the corresponding scene in Student Activity Sheet #41-A. While doing this activity help them remember how God used his power to take care of the prophet Elijah.
Tell the children to trace the Word of Faith (Power) of this unit. Read along with your children the written text, and change the drawings by the words indicated.
Encourage the children to take home the activity sheets to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
On a white cardboard or a large piece of paper, write in large letters the memory verse. Provide materials for your children to write the memory verse on the poster, and using colors, pens, or markers, colored papers, glue, etc., and decorate it to their liking. (Be ready to help if your children cannot write well yet.) When they are finished, repeat the verse together and place the poster in a place where everyone can see it.
wrap-up
Pray
Take time to pray with your children. Thank God for using his power to care for your children, and intercede for the requests they brought to the class. Lead the children in saying: “God, thank you for your provision of our needs.”
Encourage
Remind the children that no matter what happens God has the power to help them and their friends. Encourage them to share God’s goodness with others, especially their families and friends.
Invite
Encourage the group to come back for the next session to learn more about God’s infinite power.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™