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.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:3
God gave Noah a big task—build a very large boat in a very dry land. We can imagine that persevering in this difficult task was not easy for Noah. But Noah did not quit. He persevered in the plan God had given him.
Think about a goal you have. How can you make plans that will help you succeed? Or set a new goal and make a plan for reaching it. Spend time now committing your goal and your plan to God. Ask God to help you place His will above your desires. Allow Him to align your goal and plan with His will for your life. As you persevere in His plans, God will do amazing things in your life, just as He did for Noah and his family.
Let the families know that their children will learn that having a plan helps them persevere. Encourage families to talk about setting goals. They can tell each other about goals they have and what they are doing to reach those goals.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Greet your children warmly by name as they arrive. Ask them to share if someone helped them persevere this week or how they helped someone else.
Divide children into groups of 4–5. Remind them that perseverance is trying hard to do something even if it is difficult. Have each group discuss the following question:
If children cannot think of anyone, give them some ideas. For example, tell them about a local or country leader who overcame difficult things in order to help people. Or tell them about a well-known athlete or musician who worked hard to become great at what she does.
Optional Supplies:
Give each group one or more newspapers, news magazines, or printed news stories. Have the children look through them for stories about people who persevered for good causes. Be sure the publications do not include articles or advertisements that are inappropriate for children.
End of Option
Have each group share 1 example of someone in the news or history who showed perseverance. Be prepared to share your own example as well.
It can be easy to persevere for a day or even a week, but often we need to persevere for a much longer time than that. Most of the people we just talked about had to persevere for a long time to make a difference in their situations. Most of them set goals and knew what they were working for. They made plans and persevered to accomplish them. Today you will hear about a man in the Bible who was given a plan and persevered to accomplish it.
Optional: If you are using The Action Bible, let your children read the story on pages 30–34 on their own. Then ask the questions below.
This is a Bible story about an old man who showed perseverance. Noah loved God. But the people around him did not. They were corrupt and violent. God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people. The earth is filled with violence because of them. I will destroy them and the earth. So make an ark, a boat of cypress wood. I will bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all living things. Everything on earth will die. But I will make a promise to you, and you and your wife and your sons and their wives will enter the ark. You will bring into the ark 2 of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.”
God gave Noah specific instructions for building the ark. He told Noah it was to be 140 meters long, 23 meters wide, and 14 meters high. It was to have 3 decks and a door on its side. That is a big boat!
If possible, compare the ark to a building or landmark in your area that is similar in size. For example share that the ark was taller than a 3-story building and longer than a professional football field.
We can imagine that Noah and his sons worked very hard for a very long time in order to build such a big boat. Day after day they persevered. God had given Noah a plan, and he never stopped working on it until it was complete. Noah did everything God told him. Some days he may have wondered why he was doing this—building a boat on dry land.
God gave Noah a plan, and Noah persevered in it. Having a plan can help us continue when we are tempted to quit. Having a plan can help us persevere.
Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. (In the early years after God created the earth, people lived a long time.) Noah and his family entered the ark to escape the water. Animals came to Noah and entered the ark. Rain began to fall, and the springs under
the oceans burst open. Rain fell for 40 days and nights. All the evil people on the earth died. Noah and his family lived because he had persevered and built the ark just as God had commanded him.
Listen to some situations that might happen in real life.
Daudi and Hanif
Monique and Suzan
Divide the children into pairs.
Hanif and Suzan set goals and had plans for reaching their goals. They knew what they needed to do in order to reach their goals. Having a plan helped them persevere.
When you have a goal and a plan for reaching it, it is easier to work hard and stay focused when things get difficult. Think about something that you want to accomplish next month, next year, and in 5 years. This can be something you want to do such as doing well on an exam, learning to stop lying, or something else. Share your goals with your partner.
Help each other decide what will you need to do now in order to accomplish your goals. You may need to study hard in math class. You may need to practice thinking positively.
Optional Supplies:
Give paper and pencils to the children. The children will write their goals on the paper along with what they need to do in order to accomplish those goals. Encourage the children keep their paper in a safe place and look at them often, to help them remember to work on accomplishing their goals.
If you are using Student Pages, have children write their goals and plans in the spaces provided.
End of Option
Call on a few volunteers to share their goals and plans with the class. Then read Proverbs 16:3 from your Bible if possible. It is also printed here.
Show the memory verse poster if you are using it.
Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.
Proverbs 16:3
Turn to your partner and tell him in your own words what you think this verse means.
Give the children time to share with their partners. Then allow a few to share their ideas with the class.
It is important to have goals and plans. They help us to persevere. God loves you and invites you to share everything in your life with Him, including your goals and plans. God always knows what is best for you. So when you set a goal, give it to God. Ask Him to do what is best in your life! When your plans line up with God’s will for your life, God will do amazing things, just as He did for Noah and his family.
Read Proverbs 16:3 several more times out loud. Have children join you as you say it. Continue until all the children have the verse memorized.
Divide children into new groups of 3–5. Explain that each group will create motions or an original song for Proverbs 16:3. If they choose to create a song, they can use a familiar tune or create their own. Give children about 5 minutes to work. If time allows, have groups take turns sharing their songs or motions with the class. If time is limited, have all the groups do their motions and songs at the same time.
God cares about you. He wants what is best for you. Think about the goal you set earlier and your plan for reaching it. Commit them to the Lord in prayer. Ask Him to help you persevere.
Close by praying this blessing based on Proverbs 16:3 over the children:
Blessing: May the same God who gave Noah a plan and helped him persevere help your plans succeed as you commit them to Him.
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.
