Baby Love – May 18th/19th
Bible Story: Baby Love (Hannah prays for a baby) • 1 Samuel 1:6-2:1
Bottom Line: When you think you can’t wait, tell God about it.
Memory Verse: “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27:14, NIrV
Life App: Patience—waiting until later for what you want now.
Basic Truth: I can trust God no matter what.
Activity
Scribble-Handedly (application activity)
What You Need: index cards, pencils
What You Do:
`Give each of the kids a pencil and an index card. Challenge them to write their initials on the
card. The catch is that they can only use one hand to hold the card and write on it. And the card
can’t touch anything except that one hand, so they can’t push the card up against a heavy
object to hold it in place.
Allow a few minutes for everyone to attempt this difficult task and then invite kids to show their
scribbled cards to one another. Ask them to share their strategies. Was anyone tempted to lose
their cool and give up? Did they wish they could have some help? Brainstorm ways this activity
could be made easier. When they suggest pairing up with someone else or using a second
hand, let them try out their ideas.
[Apply] As a group, talk about some stressful stuff kids face at school or at home such
as difficult teachers or classes, bullying, pressure to act or dress a certain way, fear of
failure or being embarrassed. How does having God’s help make it easier to go through
those things without losing your cool? What might “going it alone” look like in those
situations? What would trusting God look like in those situations?
[Personalize] Share something you’re waiting for God to do in an age-appropriate
situation that’s difficult for you. Share why you would never want to leave God out of this
situation and go it alone. How and where do you talk to Him about this situation? Be as
specific as possible so kids can picture it in their minds.
What You Say:
“How incredibly doable this task became when you had help. Some things just weren’t meant to
be done without help. When you face a time of waiting, don’t go it alone. It’ll be like trying to
write your initials with one hand and no help—awkward and messy. Instead, [Impress] when
you think you can't wait, tell God about it. Remember Hannah? She understood that God
was the one who could help her wait. The same goes for us. We can talk to God when we’re
starting to lose our patience. God doesn’t expect us to go it alone. He’s there for us anytime,
anywhere. Before you blow it, turn to God for the power to play it cool.”
FOR LEADERS ONLY
GOD VIEW: the connection between PATIENCE and God’s character,
as shown through God’s big story
From the very beginning, God has shown patience with people. All the way back in the garden,
when Adam and Eve first chose their own way instead of God’s, God started His plan to give all
of us a chance to come back to Him. And time and again, God is patient with us when we make
daily choices that separate us from Him. He waits for us to turn back to Him.
As a fruit of the Spirit, patience is foundational in the way that we reflect God’s character. When
we show patience, we are less likely to hurt our relationships with others. We are more likely to
trust that God has something better for us in the future.
Patience is waiting until later for what you want now. Waiting isn’t always easy. When
having patience seems too difficult, the Lord will give us strength to wait. At its core, patience is
fueled by faith. We trust that what we’re waiting for is best for us.
But patience is more than just waiting. It’s also about our attitude while we wait. A patient
person can wait with joy even when the situation might be stressful or anxious. A patient person
avoids searching or settling for a quick fix. A patient person will remember that we generally
prefer to be around someone who can wait well.
For God, it seems as though patience is all about relationships with people. Even after we
sinned, He still pursued us. He has waited time after time for people to repent and work to make
things right. And it’s something He still does for us today.
This month, let’s think about how:
(1) God has been patient with us since the very beginning. He waits patiently for us to come to back
Him.
(2) The Bible challenges us to reflect patience in our lives with how we respond to circumstances that
are out of our control.
(3) As we demonstrate patience, we begin to look more like Jesus. People around us will feel they
can trust us to treat them gracefully while we’re waiting.
This week, we’re discovering:
In this week’s Bible story, Hannah wants to become a mother but is waiting for a baby (1
Samuel 1:9-2:1). Her prayers to God are so emotional that even strangers notice. But even
through the sadness of her prayers, God gives her the strength to wait until the time is right.
Our Bottom Line is: when you think you can’t wait, tell God about it. God wants us to talk to
Him when we’re facing a difficult time. We can always talk to God about how we feel, especially
our feelings about needing to wait.
The monthly memory verse is, “Wait for the Lord. Be strong and don’t lose hope. Wait for
the Lord.” Psalm 27:14, NIrV Sometimes it feels too hard to be strong while we wait, but it’s
always safe to tell God about those feelings. He will give us the strength to stand up and keep
going no matter how long we wait.