During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide and Student Page, can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
Before class, set the pitcher and container at the front of your teaching space. Be sure there is enough space for the children to sit where they can see the materials.
“Am I only a God who is nearby?” announces the Lord. “Am I not a God who is also far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I can’t see them?” announces the Lord. “Don’t I fill heaven and earth?” announces the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:23–24
God sees all of us all the time without exception. When we think about this in our human understanding, it can make us feel very small and vulnerable. However, when we put this into the perspective that God is with us at all times, protecting and guiding us, this can be very comforting.
What does it mean for you to know that God is with you at all times? Do you ever feel His presence with you? Close your eyes and seek the presence of God with you. As you open your eyes, know that even when you cannot see or feel God’s presence with you, He is there. Even when you feel as though He is far away, He is standing right beside you. He will never leave you. Trust God to be present with you each and every day.
Encourage families to play hide-and-seek with their children. Have the children hide and adults or older children look for them. If possible, have families talk about God seeing them everywhere they go.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the children as they come to class. Ask them to sit close to the pitcher and container. Stand by the pitcher of water and container. Check to be sure all of the children can still see the pitcher and container.
The last time we met, we talked about what God knows. God knows everything that is happening! Not only that, He knows everything before it happens! Today, we will talk about the presence of God. Let’s begin with a question.
Where is God?
Allow 1–2 children to respond. Most will likely point up or they will say He is in heaven.
To help us answer this question, we will use this pitcher and some water. Who would like to help me with our activity?
Choose 2 children to come help you. Hold up the container and show the class the inside of it.
Let’s imagine this container represents the world. If we were to look for our class in the world, we would be too tiny to see.
Let’s find out how much of the world God fills with His presence.
Ask the 2 volunteers to hold the container as you pour water into it. Stop when the container has just a little water in it. If you are not using a clear container, show the children how much water is inside.
If we are tiny specks and God is bigger and more powerful than anything on earth, He would have to be in many more parts of the world than we are, right? What if I were to tell you that this only shows a little speck of where God is at all times? Do you want to see all of the places God is in the world? Let’s see what that would look like.
Ask the 2 volunteers to hold the container as you pour water into it. Fill the container to the brim. If a little water spills out, that is okay. If you are not using a clear container, allow the children to stand so they can see inside the container.
God is everywhere at all times! There is never a place or a time when He is not there! His presence is with us always. That is amazing! Let’s learn more about God’s presence.
Listen carefully to what the Bible says about where God is at all times.
If possible, read these verses directly from your Bible.
“Am I only a God who is nearby?” announces the Lord. “Am I not a God who is also far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I can’t see them?” announces the Lord. “Don’t I fill heaven and earth?” announces the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:23–24
Where is God?
Answers may include: He is everywhere. He is near and far away. He fills the earth.
God is everywhere on earth and in heaven at all times! We knew this from our activity at the beginning of class. Let’s talk about where He is outside of the earth for a moment. To help us understand this, let’s listen carefully to this verse from the Bible:
You are the one and only Lord. You made the heavens. You made even the highest heavens. You created all the stars in the sky. You created the earth and everything on it. And you made the oceans and everything in them. You give life to everything. Every living being in heaven worships you.
Nehemiah 9:6
When we think about everything God created, we often think about what is here on earth. This verse reminds us that God created everything. This includes all of the stars, planets, and all the space in the entire universe! The universe is what we call all of God’s creation, including what we see in the night sky.
Although they look small to us, the stars in the sky are huge! The smallest star in the sky is still larger than our planet. In fact, you could fit more than 1,000 earths into the smallest star. Many stars are even bigger than that! They are the size of our sun or larger.
How many earths do you think could fit inside our sun?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
It may not seem like it from here because the sun is so far away from us, but our sun is huge! It is about the size of 1.3 million earths!
Tonight when you look at all of the stars in the sky, think about the fact that we can only see a small number of stars compared with all of the stars in the universe. God created the whole universe! God is amazing! He is also everywhere in the universe at all times, which is how He is able to be with all of us at all times. Listen again to these verses from the Bible:
“Am I only a God who is nearby?” announces the Lord. “Am I not a God who is also far away? Who can hide in secret places so that I can’t see them?” announces the Lord. “Don’t I fill heaven and earth?” announces the Lord.
Jeremiah 23:23–24
God is everywhere at all times. There is nowhere we can go where He is not. This is something only God can do.
To help us remember God is everywhere, let’s play a game! I will choose 1 child to hide somewhere in our space. Then the rest of us will search for him until someone finds him. Who would like to hide?
Choose 1 child to be the hider. Have the rest of the children gather together in 1 area of the space and close their eyes. Ask the hider to find a place to hide as you count to 10. When you reach the number 10, have all of the children open their eyes and search for the hider. Once someone finds the hider, gather the children in a circle in the middle of your space.
Although it took us a little while to find the hider, there is nowhere we can go to hide from God! God is everywhere, and He knows everything. Even though God is everywhere, He loves us so much that He is with each of us at all times watching over us. The Bible says:
You are all around me, behind me and in front of me. You hold me safe in your hand.
Psalm 139:5
God is with us right here, right now. He is everywhere we look. Sometimes we may not feel as if He is with us. When we hurt or when everything around us seems scary, it can be difficult to believe God is with us. And when bad things happen, we may wonder if God notices. The Bible reminds us not to be afraid and to know that God is always here with us.
Let’s do something fun to help us remember God is always with each of us. Think of a place where you go each day. God is there right now because He is everywhere at all times.
Allow 30 seconds for the children to think of somewhere God is. Pick up the ball and show it to the class.
In a moment, we will pass this ball around the circle by rolling it from 1 child to another. When you have the ball, you will say a place where you go each day where God is with you. Remember, God is with you everywhere at all times, so you can name any place you go!
Give the ball to 1 child and ask him to name a place where God is. Allow the children to roll the ball from child to child, naming places where God is. When everyone has had a turn, or after about 5 minutes, thank the children for their ideas and pick up the ball.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, give the children crayons and allow 2–3 minutes for them to draw places where God is.
God is everywhere at all times! There is nowhere any of us can go where God cannot see us! Let’s take a moment to thank God for being with us everywhere we go.
Pause for 15–20 seconds to lead the children in a prayer thanking God for being with them where they are and everywhere they go.
Our memory verse today reminds us of how amazing God is.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord God. “I am the God who is, and who was, and who will come. I am the Mighty One.”
Revelation 1:8
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End—Look up at the sky. Extend 1 arm out to that side as you say, “Alpha,” and extend the other arm to the other side as you say, “Omega.”
End class by saying this blessing, based on Psalm 139:5, over the children.
Blessing: May you know that God is everywhere at all times. May you be comforted knowing He holds you safely in the palm of His hand.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
