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.
My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue.
James 1:2–3
It may not sound easy to find joy in persevering. That is because it is not easy. The very definition of perseverance shows that it is something difficult. As Christians, we have a fantastic example of how to persevere in the midst of trials. Jesus faced trials of persecution, disbelief, and death itself.
When you are faced with a trial, what steps do you take to persevere? Do you pray? Do you keep the goal in mind? Do you keep trying? When you do these things, you can overcome many difficulties and challenges. Know that the One who faced so many trials gives us joy. He is the way back to God!
Encourage families to talk about how they complete difficult tasks. Perhaps they break them into steps or try different things. If possible, have families show their children how to do a difficult task.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet the children as they arrive. Have them sit in a circle for the first activity.
Let’s do something fun! For this activity, you will need to listen carefully to be sure you follow all of the directions. There are many steps. Listen carefully and do the actions with me to help you remember each step.
As you say each step below, do the action with the students.
Be sure you do not skip any of the steps. If you do, you will need to start over again. If you fall down, you will also need to start over again.
Tell the children to start. If the children have trouble remembering the next step, show them what to do. The purpose of the activity is to encourage perseverance. So, if children fall or miss a step, offer encouragement as you tell them to begin again. Allow them to play for 5 minutes.
That game was not easy! If you did not quit and persevered through the game, you won!
We have talked about perseverance. Can someone tell me what perseverance is?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
When you persevere, you try again or do not quit even when something is difficult. It is not easy to have perseverance, especially when we experience a difficult situation. It is possible to persevere through challenges. Today, we will talk about how we can do this.
Divide the class into 2 equal groups. Separate the groups so there is a little space between them. Have the children sit in their groups.
Some of you may remember Moses from the Bible. He was the leader of God’s people—the Israelites. He led the people for many years and helped them through many difficult situations.
The Bible tells the true story of the time when God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. This would not be easy, though. The Egyptian king, called Pharaoh, did not like the Israelites. In fact, the Egyptians treated the Israelites very badly. That is when God spoke to Moses. He told Moses to ask Pharaoh to help free His people.
How would you feel if God asked you to talk to an important person like a king or a president?
Allow 2–3 children to respond. Possible answers include: scared, proud, or that they would not want to do it.
The Bible does not say exactly how Moses felt. But we do know that Moses did not think he was good at speaking. Moses told God he did not think Pharaoh would listen if he delivered God’s message to him. God told Moses he could go to Pharaoh with his brother, Aaron.
Optional: If possible, share the image from The Action Bible.
Moses and Aaron talked to Pharaoh, just as God had asked Moses to do. Listen to what they said:
Later on, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh.They said, “The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘Let my people go. Then they will be able to hold a feast to honor me in the desert.’”
Exodus 5:1
Through Moses and Aaron, God told Pharaoh to let His people go. When I point to this half of the class, you will stand up and shout, “Let my people go.”
Point to the first group. They will stand up and shout, “Let my people go!”
Getting Pharaoh to let God’s people go was not easy. Pharaoh said, “No!” When I point to this half of the class, you will stand up and shout, “No!”
Point to the second group. They will stand up and shout, “No!”
Not only did Pharaoh say he would not let the people go, he punished the Israelites by making them work more and treating them even worse. Listen to what happened when Moses found out about how Pharaoh treated the Israelites.
Moses returned to talk to the Lord. He said to him, “Why, Lord? Why have you brought trouble on these people? Is this why you sent me? I went to Pharaoh to speak to him in your name. Ever since then, he has brought nothing but trouble on these people. And you haven’t saved your people at all.”
Exodus 5:22–23
Did Moses struggle to persevere? Why do you think this?
Yes. Moses told God He brought trouble on them. He asked why God sent him since He had not yet saved God’s people.
God had promised to free His people. And God always does what He promises! He sent Moses to talk again with Pharaoh. Moses practiced perseverance and continued to do what was good and right. God continued to help His people as well.
Moses said:
Point to the first half of the class. They will shout, “Let my people go!”
But Pharaoh said:
Point to the second half of the class. They will shout, “No!”
So God sent a plague. A “plague” is a very bad thing that happens to many people at once. God made the river smell bad and killed all the fish in it.
One week later, Moses went back to Pharaoh. He said:
Point to the first half of the class. They will shout, “Let my people go!”
But Pharaoh said:
Point to the second half of the class. They will shout, “No!”
So God sent 8 more plagues. Each time, Moses asked Pharaoh to let his people go. Each time, Pharaoh said, “No.”
Point back and forth between the 2 groups of children until they have said, “Let my people go!” and “No” 8 times.
Still Moses persevered and did what God told him. He tried to help the Israelites. He continued to trust that God would do what He promised and set His people free. Finally, God sent 1 final plague.
Finally, Moses’ perseverance was rewarded. Pharaoh told Moses and the Israelites to leave Egypt forever. The Israelites marched out of Egypt like a mighty army. Moses had practiced perseverance to help the Israelites, and God had done what He had promised. God’s people were free!
Lead the children in cheering.
What did Moses do that was difficult?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
Talking to Pharaoh was difficult for Moses. Remember, he told God he did not speak well and that Pharaoh would not listen to him. He may have been afraid. But Moses continued to talk to Pharaoh. He kept trying to get Pharaoh to say, “Yes.”
We can also learn to practice perseverance in doing good and helping others. The Bible tells us about this:
My brothers and sisters, you will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be tested. You know that when this happens it will produce in you the strength to continue.
James 1:2–3
When things are difficult, it is not easy to find joy. This verse teaches us that persevering through difficult situations can make us stronger and more joyful. God may not bring plagues on those who mistreat us or do other miracles to change our situations. But when we follow God and practice perseverance by doing what He asks us to, we can see the amazing ways He protects and cares for us.
When you must persevere through a task or situation, the following ideas can help you:
Let’s play a game to help us practice persevering.
Divide the children into 2 equal teams. Have the teams line up so that there is 1 line for each team. Have the children spread out as much as possible. Place 3 balls at 1 end of each line and place a bucket just out of reach from the children at the opposite end of the line.
For our game, you must work with your team to complete a task. Your team will pass a ball from 1 end of your line to the bucket on the other end. You cannot move from where you are standing, and your feet must remain on the ground. The team with the most balls in the bucket at the end of the game, wins. Ready? Go!
Observe the 2 teams. If you see a child move from his or her place, gently remind him he must stay in place. If either team runs out of balls it can reach, you may allow the person at the end of the line opposite from the bucket to get a ball from the ground and return to his place in line. Allow the children to play for 5–7 minutes. Announce which team has the most balls in the bucket. Also tell the children what you saw each team doing to complete the challenge.
You all worked hard to persevere through the game! Let’s talk about how you persevered. Raise your hand if you knew the goal.
What was the goal?
The goal was to pass the balls from 1 end of the line to the other without moving out of place.
You had to pass the balls across the space. Raise your hand if you found it difficult to keep trying.
What were some different ways you tried passing the balls?
Allow 2–3 children to respond.
You could have thrown the balls. You might have tried to stretch your arms as far as they could go. You may have even rolled the balls from person to person. Raise your hand if you had hope that your team could win the game.
What might have happened if you lost hope in your team?
My team might have lost the game.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, give the children crayons. Allow about 3 minutes for them to do the activity on their pages.
Remember, knowing the goal, trying, and having hope all help you to persevere through a difficult task or situation. Our memory verse reminds us to persevere.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
We want you to be very strong, in keeping with his glorious power. We want you to be patient. We pray that you will never give up.
Colossians 1:11
Repeat the verse and motion with the children 3 times.
God has promised that He has good things planned for us, even when we do not see them or when we wonder if they will ever happen. If we practice perseverance in doing good and we do not give up, we will finally see the good things He has planned.
End class by saying a blessing, based on James 1:2–3, over the children.
Blessing: May you know the joy that comes from persevering through difficult situations. May you know that God is there to help you.
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.
