ELEMENTARY KIDS & FAMILIES date
4.4
It is in our most desperate moments as parents that we turn to God, somehow knowing that His power changes everything. Inspire (for parents) As a parent, there is nothing worse than feeling powerless to help your child. One night in the dead of winter, my nine-year-old Megan arrived at my bedside clutching her chest and gasping out the words, “Mom, I can’t breathe! My heart hurts really bad.” I sat up, suddenly wide awake, and switched on the light. It was obvious that she was in severe distress. I bundled her up and set out immediately for the emergency room.
to the hospital, and her problem turned out not to be life threatening, but the scare taught me an important lesson about where to place my trust. He invites us to lean into Him for our sake and for our child’s sake. Whether our child’s need is physical, emotional, or spiritual, God alone has the power to change everything. by Janet Lee
It was 2 a.m., and we were in the midst of a terrible ice storm. The 15-minute trip was taking three times longer than normal. At intervals along the way, she would grasp her chest in pain and visibly stop breathing. I was terrified and started looking for fire stations along the route. My mother’s als the Beggar) 3:1–10 (Peter He heart feared she would die before Scripture: Acts s Everything ’s Power Change I got her to the hospital. Main Point: God your family to signed to allow de is ce ur so re It is in our most desperate This your children d’s Word before Go in e tim ve moments as parents that we turn ha n is for parents Because God’s pla ren’s faith, attend church. to God, somehow knowing that rers of their child rtu nu l ua irit sp e to be th lly, your children His power changes everything. you grow spiritua as at th ow kn we I prayed, and prayed, and prayed, lly as well. will grow spiritua “God, please don’t let my little girl die.” She did not. We made it safely
Getting Started
Equip (for parents) In Acts 3, we hear about how God used Peter REM EMB “He p to heal the crippled beggar. Peter healed ER v r ers o the man at the gate called Beautiful, which E his p vided re encompassed the outer wall of the temple eopl dem e; p cove precinct. After the man was healed, “He nant he orda tion for jumped to his feet and began to walk … ined forev awe s e o with them into the temple courts, walking r m —ho his Psal e is h m ly a 111:9 and jumping, and praising God.” (Acts is na me.” nd 3:8–9) The temple in 1st century Jerusalem was divided into sections. Social status determined how far into the temple one could go. Solomon’s portico was known as the Court of the Gentiles. It was a section of the temple that most anyone was welcome in. It was the only section that the crippled man had ever been allowed to visit. A Jewish historian named Josephus described warning signs that plastered the walls of the Gentile court. One of these read, “No foreigner is to go beyond the balustrade and the plaza of the temple zone. Whoever is caught doing so will have himself to blame for his death, which will follow.” The crippled man may not have been able to read the inscription, but he probably knew he was not allowed past Solomon’s portico. He risked his life by entering the temple, but he also knew God’s power had changed everything in his life. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter emulated the work of his Savior by healing the lame. With God’s power, Peter restored this man’s dignity, his body, and his soul—just as Jesus had done during His earthly ministry. God gave the beggar a position of dignity as a child of God.
Support
(for parents & kids) Just for fun, gather your family together this week, take a blanket, and find a gate or a fence to sit by. While you are there, have your children close their eyes and imagine how it would feel to sit in a place for a long time and not be able to move. Tell them you are going to read about a man in The Big God Story who could not move his legs and had to sit by a gate and beg. Read the biblical account of Peter healing the crippled beggar in Acts 3:1–10. After you have finished reading, ask your children what kind of healing this man needed. Then discuss together what the man did once he was healed. Now have them get up and walk around. Ask them, “How do you think you would feel if you were walking now for the first time?” “Where is the first place you would go?” and “What would your response be to God?” Share with your children that what they just heard is a part of The Big God Story, and they will hear more about how God’s power changes everything at church this week.
© 2011 David C. Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.