God will take care of my problems

1. Hook:  

• Ever thought you had such a big problem you couldn’t solve?  Maybe someone is giving you a hard time in school eg your classmate made fun of  you or your teacher said something that made you  sad or angry. Or maybe it’s something that happened at home.
• You feel that there is nothing you can do. You don’t even know what to do. 
• But do you know that there’s nothing too difficult for God. He knows the problem you have and He is with you. He loves you and He will take care of you. 

2. Story: (Based on Joshua 6) 

• God told Joshua  that He will give him and the Israelites the Promised Land. God promised that He will be with Joshua and Joshua will be succeed in taking over the land.
• The first city that Joshua was to conquer was Jericho. Now the king of Jericho and his people knew that the Israelites were coming to take over their city. So they made sure that the gates of the city were safely locked. No one was allowed to go out and no one was allowed to come in to the city.
• In those days, do you know what weapons they use to fight their enemies with? (Response) They didn’t have planes, bombs or tanks. They used spears, bows, arrows, spears to fight and shields to protect themselves. So people who wanted to protect themselves built high walls, with guards and gates at the door or the city, the only place where you could enter or get out of the city. Near the top of the walls, they have special platforms built for the soldiers stand and keep guard and if the soldiers see people coming to attack them, they could shoot them with arrows or throw big rocks on them.
• Was it tough to attack Jericho? Yes, but God knew that. He knew Joshua’s problem. God told Joshua what to do.
• God told Joshua? “I have given Jericho, its king and people to you. March around the city once with all your fighting men. Have seven priests carrying trumpets march in front with the ark. Do this for six days”.
• How many times round the city? One time. How many days? Six days.
• “Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times. Get the priests to blow the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will fall down and everyone of you will go straight in to Jericho.”
• What a funny thing to do. Wouldn’t all these big strong grown-up men look really silly walking around the city for six days? Wouldn’t the people in Jericho laugh at the funny sight?
• But Joshua and the people trusted God. Joshua told them, “Be very, very quiet. Don’t say a word. March silently!”
• Let’s try it out and see if we can do that too. (Get kids to stand up and march on the spot as quietly as they can) Very good. Now sit down quietly also. 
• So the seven priests with their seven trumpets, and all the fighting men, marched round and round the city, one round for six days. 1-2-3-4-5-6! Good!
• Then on the seventh day,  how many times were they supposed to go round the city? (Seven!) Right! 1-2-3-4-5-6-7!
• Once they completed the seventh round, the priests sounded the trumpet! Let’s sound the trumpet! (Get kids to put hands in front of their mouths and make sound like trumpets)
• Then Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!”  (Get kids to shout, “Shout!”) 
• When the trumpets sounded and the army shouted, do you know what happened next? The walls of the city came crumbling down! The great big thick, high wall just came down like a sandcastle in the sea! 
• And the Israelites ran in and conquered the city. The only ones who survived was Rahab and her family — all who were in her house, because she trusted God and hid the spies.
• God is so powerful that He is able to make the city walls of Jericho fall down.  So you see, no problem is too big for God. No matter how big your problem is, God is bigger than your problem. He is able to help you. No matter how difficult things are, Jesus is with you as He promised- He will always be with you and will never leave you. 

3. Activity suggestions: 

• Bedsheet wall 
• Get a bedsheet. Have some children stand holding the bedsheet in front of them, as though they are encompassed by a wall. Get the other children to march around them. Some can be fighting men. Some can be priests. At your cue, get the kids to say, “Shout!” Then the ones holding the bedsheet can drop the bedsheet and squat down.

• Blow down the Wall 
• Materials: Uno Stacko, low table
• Get kids to build a wall using Uno Stacko 
• Then each kid gets a chance to try to blow down the wall
• Those who succeed get a prize

• Memory Verse:  “For nothing is impossible with God.”  (Luke 1:37)
• Reinforcement: “God will take care of my problems.”