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, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources 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.
I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. …Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles … Your path led through the sea, your way through the mighty waters, though your footprints were not seen.
Psalm 77:1, 13–14a, 19
The writer of this psalm is desperately seeking God—yet God is quiet. The psalmist cries out and wonders if God has abandoned him. But then he remembers that God is always faithful. He remembers how God guided His people out of Egypt to safety—God made a path for His people through the Red Sea, even though His footprints were unseen.
Have you ever cried out for God but felt you could not hear His voice? Think about the last difficult situation God brought you through, and consider God’s faithfulness. Remember how He led you through the seas of confusion and uncertainty. He is as powerful today as when He parted the Red Sea. The God who works wonders has made a path for you, even when you cannot see His footprints. Spend a few minutes thanking God for His guidance in every difficulty you face.
Encourage your students to ask their family members, “Where do you go for advice when you have to make a difficult decision?”They can then share that God will guide us in making wise decisions if we ask for His help.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet your teens warmly as they arrive. Ask them to share anything that has changed in their friendships based on what they learned last week. After about 5 minutes, begin today’s class.
Ask the students to line up in 2 teams at 1 end of your teaching space. Tell the students that the teams will be doing a Bible memorization race. They will need to pay attention to the verse that you will read as they will have to remember it during the race.
Read Deuteronomy 30:19 aloud 3 times. (The verse is listed below for you.) The first student in each team will run to the other end of the teaching space, say the first word of the verse, and race back his team. The next student will hop to the other end of the space, say the first and second words of the verse, and hop back to her team. The third student will skip to the end of the space, say the first 3 words of the verse, and skip back to his team. Continue to repeat the cycle of running, hopping, and skipping. Each student will add 1 more word of the Bible verse. The last student will add the Bible reference.
Teammates can help the students remember the next word in the verse. If nobody on the team remembers, the teacher can tell the student what word comes next. The first team to finish the verse completely, including the Bible reference, wins. You may need to repeat the verse or divide the verse into 2-word sections depending on the size of your class.
I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life.
Deuteronomy 30:19
Remember when we learned to study the Bible? We asked some questions to understand what we read. These questions are:
This verse was part of a message for the Israelites just before they entered the land God had promised to them. The land was filled with strong and powerful enemies who hated God’s people. The Israelites would face many difficulties and fight fierce battles to conquer the land God had given to them.
God could have promised that conquering and living in the Promised Land would be easy. He could have promised to always give His people easy answers to their problems. But He did not. Instead, He gave them encouragement and guidance as they faced their difficulties. These experiences helped the Israelites to grow strong in their faith. They learned to rely on God.
Students may answer that God wanted them to trust Him and to obey Him or that He wanted them to know that they could not succeed without Him.
Guide the students to understand that the Israelites learned to obey and to make wise decisions because they relied on God.
Just like God gave the Israelites guidance to help them to make wise decisions, He can help those who believe in Him to follow His ways. The Bible is filled with advice to help us to make good decisions. Let’s listen to a verse about this.
Ask a student to read Philippians 4:8 aloud from the Bible.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
Philippians 4:8
Guide the teens to understand that these things are godly and reflect His wisdom in their lives.
God also gives us guidance through other people. When we seek advice from people we trust, they can often help us to make better decisions.
Ask a student to read Proverbs 11:14 aloud from the Bible.
For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.
Proverbs 11:14
Allow the students to share their thoughts. Guide them to understand that others, especially followers of Christ, can share godly wisdom with us and help us to do the things God wants us to do.
We can also understand God’s guidance through our own knowledge and experiences. We should always consider the information we gather thoroughly and use the knowledge we have been given to make wise decisions.
Ask a student to read Proverbs 14:15 aloud from the Bible.
For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers.
Proverbs 14:15
Guide the teens to understand that God gave them reasoning brains to help them make wise decisions.
God created you with purpose and reason. You should use the knowledge and wisdom you have received from God to help you make wise decisions. His guidance always leads to life—to peace, joy, and other positive things, even if you are walking through something really difficult.
God also guides us through prayer. We can talk to Him and share our concerns and worries. We can ask Him to guide us.
Ask a student to read Philippians 4:6–7 aloud from the Bible.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6–7
If possible, show the students the images from The Action Bible.
Prayer is an important way that God guides those who believe in Him. When we trust in Him and ask for His help in prayer, He helps us to understand what He wants us to do. He guides us to make decisions that will allow us to experience peace and joy in our lives. He leads us to choose life over death and blessings over curses. Listen again to what God said to the Israelites.
Ask a student to read Deuteronomy 30:19–20 aloud from the Bible.
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers. .
Deuteronomy 30:19–20
Help your teens understand that to “hold fast” to God means we stay near to Him in all situations. We can trust Him, pray to Him, and be assured that He is with us always.
God knew that His people would face difficult situations. He wanted them rely on Him during those hard times. God promised to guide His people. He wanted them to choose to follow Him.
God promises the same to all those who have accepted Christ as their Saviour. He does not promise to give you easy answers or that you will not experience pain. But He does promise He will be with you always if you choose to trust in and follow Him. He promises to love you and guide you.
Have teens divide into groups of 4.
We will discuss a difficult, real-life situation. As you discuss your responses with your group, ask:
Read the situation below out loud. Give groups about 2 minutes to discuss their responses. Then give the small groups a chance to share briefly with the whole group. Together discuss whether each response sounds like something God might guide the person to do through His Word, the wisdom of others, and their own knowledge and experience.
Benson spent most of his life on the streets. He stole, sold things he found, and begged for money. One time, some drunken men beat him and left him hurt and bleeding. Benson met some Christian people who took him away from the streets. Now he lives in a children’s home. He goes to school and church, and he learns about God’s love. But Benson misses the freedom he had on the streets. He misses being in charge of his own life. Benson is thinking about running away.
Students may answer that he can look for wisdom in the Bible, ask for advice from others he trusts, and use the knowledge and experience God gave him to make a wise decision.
Guide the teens to understand that Benson desires freedom, but his desires may cause him to make an unwise choice. At the children’s home, he has food, shelter, and safety. He is cared for and learns about God. He goes to school so he will have an education and can get a job. He did not have any of those things on the streets. God has provided for him, so he should stay at the children’s home.
Have teens spread out in your space and hold their hands out in front of them.
Close your eyes and think of a difficult situation you are facing right now.
Give the students 1 minute to think of a situation.
Now think of 10 words that describe how this situation makes you feel. As you think of each word, curl 1 finger inward, until your fingers form a fist.
Pause to allow the students to think of the 10 words.
Hold your fist tightly to express how you feel about your situation. If you would like God to guide you in this situation, ask Him to reveal His guidance to you. As you pray, you can slowly uncurl your fingers, one by one, until your hands are open again. If you are not ready to share your problems with God, think of how you can make a wise decision. As you do, you can slowly open your fists. But remember this—even if you have never asked for His help before, God will give you His guidance in your situation if you trust in Him.
As the students begin to uncurl their fingers, read this encouragement from Psalm 9:9–10 aloud from the Bible.
Show the Memory Verse poster, if you are using it.
The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
Psalm 9:9–10
Optional: Pass out the prayer journals and give the teens 3–4 minutes to write in them. They can write their difficult situations and answer the questions from the discussion. They can also write Psalm 9:9–10 in their journals. After 4–5 minutes, collect the journals.
If any of the students do not have prayer journals, show them how to fold 2 –3 pieces of paper in half, like a book, and staple them together.
If you are using the Student Pages, your students can write their thoughts on the pages.
Close by saying a blessing over your students based on Psalm 9:9–10.
Blessing: May the Lord be your stronghold in times of trouble. May you put your trust in Him more and more each day, for the Lord does not forsake those who seek Him.
Lead the teens 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.
