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.
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Sometimes it can feel as though having courage is simply more than we can manage. We do not know where to turn or what to do. We think if we can generate enough strength, wisdom, physical or mental ability, or calm our raging emotions, we would have courage. Yet depending on our own strength always leads us to see that we are not capable on our own.
This is where our incredibly powerful God steps in! God does not expect us to have courage on our own. It is His supernatural power within us that can strengthen us to do what we need to do. It is His wisdom, His strength, His peace that will give us what is needed in the moment to face whatever pain or difficulty we must walk through. So when we need courage, let us run to Him!
Encourage the families of your children to talk together about a time when someone needed courage to do a hard thing. For example, someone may have needed courage to tell the truth or courage to confront someone who was corrupt.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Welcome your students. Ask if anyone remembers her courage song from last week. Allow 2 children to share the song they remember.
When we face scary or difficult things in life, we need courage. Watch as I show you something powerful that can overcome fear.
Place the candle where the children can see it. Light the candle and remind them to always be careful around fire. Talk with the children about how fire can be scary when it is out of control.
When fire has too much fuel, it can get out of control very quickly. Fear can be like fire. It may start small because there is a situation in which we need to be careful. However, if we feed the fear, it can blaze up out of control. When fear is out of control, we are unable to escape from it.
Safely put out the flame.
God is stronger than any fear, difficulty, or pain we have. He can put out the fear burning in our hearts. But we also need courage to trust Him and do what He shows us to do. For example, if you are dealing with a painful situation and ask Him to give you courage, He can give you strength to go through the pain.
Share a time when you had the courage to do something, even when it was scary. Be sure to add details and include how you were feeling. Be sure to highlight how you saw God involved in your story.
Today we will learn more about how to have courage.
Optional: If possible, share the images from The Action Bible. If you are using The Action Bible, let the children read the story on pages 476–479 so they will be better able to respond during the storytelling.
Today’s Bible story comes from the book of Daniel in the Bible. As I tell this story today everyone will act out part of it, so listen for my directions.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, ordered a giant gold statue to be built. He had a big celebration and commanded all the people to bow down and worship the golden idol.
If anyone did not bow down, that person would be thrown into a blazing hot furnace. Everyone obeyed except 3 young Hebrew men. These young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were Daniel’s friends.
Place a chair in front of the class as the statue. Pick 3 children to be the young friends. They can be boys or girls. They should stand in front of the chair “statue,” cross their arms, and gesture that they will not worship the idol.
“We worship only the One True God,” they said. “He is able to save us from the blazing fire. But even if He does not, we still will not worship your golden idol.” They had courage to honour God even though the consequences were frightening. The king was very angry at their response. He told his servants to make the fire 7 times hotter than normal.
Have all the other children form a large circle. They will be the flames of the fire. They will hold hands and sway back and forth.
The king’s men grabbed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and threw them into the middle of that hot fire.
Pick 2 children to “throw” the 3 friends into the centre of the circle. The children forming the circle will continue to act as the fire. The 3 students will walk around inside the circle.
The fire did not burn the men up! The king saw them walking around in the flames. He also saw another person walking in the fire with them. The king knew that God must be protecting them. He called to them, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” So the 3 young men stepped out of the fire.
Have the 3 children come out from the circle.
Everyone crowded around and saw that the fire had not hurt the young men. Not even 1 hair on their heads was burnt. Their clothes were not burned. They did not even smell like smoke!
Have the children breathe deeply through their noses.
Then the king said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel to rescue His servants who trusted in Him. They disobeyed the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.”
Clap for all the children helping you with the story. Then have the children form groups of 3–4 to answer the following questions.
Describe a time when you had to be brave by saying no to something that was wrong.
What is the hardest part about doing the right thing when you are not sure everything will turn out okay?
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego had the courage to do what was right. They were not sure what the result would be. They were willing to serve God even if they were burned to death. Now that is real courage! When you are in a “fiery furnace,” remember God is with you, giving you the courage to do what is right.
If you are using the Memory Verse Poster, show it to the students.
Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
1 Corinthians 16:13
Listen as I read some situations to you. Think about how each person could show courage and what might happen if he does. There may be more than one answer, so we will let several of you answer after each situation.
Situation 1
Situation 2
Situation 3
Now I want you to think quietly to yourself. Is there a situation in your life where you need courage? Is there something that is causing you pain? Is there something that is scary? Is there something that is difficult? For example, maybe you need to forgive someone. Or maybe you need courage to try something new.
Pause for a moment for the children to think.
Once you have a situation in mind, think about what it would look like for you to have courage in that situation. If you want to ask God to help you have courage, listen as I pray.
God, thank You for giving us courage for every situation in our lives. You are stronger than any fear, pain, or difficulty. Give us strength and courage this week.
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, the children can do this exercise on their pages.
Close class by speaking this blessing based on 1 Corinthians 16:13.
Blessing: May you be on your guard so that you can stand firm in the faith. May God help you to be courageous and strong.
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.
