Word Game

Jesus and John the Baptist were miracle births in the Bible. As Gabriel said to Mary: Nothing is impossible with God! Did you know that there were many other humanly impossible births in the Bible? Yes, God answered the prayers of parents who could not have babies.

Optional question for Grades 1–3: Can you name any of them?

See list below for answers.

In this game, you will work together as a class to reveal the names of babies, parents, or other important characters for each impossible birth that God made possible! Be sure to guess carefully before all of the rattles disappear! Are you ready for the challenge?

Draw blank lines corresponding to the number of letters in a word. For example, draw five blank lines for Isaac.

Place or draw the same number of baby rattles under the word. One will be taken away for each incorrect letter that is guessed. You may use more baby rattles for younger children if desired.

Going in order around the room, allow one child at a time to guess one letter on their turn.

If the letter that was guessed is in the word, write it into the blank/s where it occurs in the word or phrase.

If the letter is not in the word, take down or erase one baby rattle, then write the incorrect letter below the other rattles for children to reference.

Continue until the word is completed or all the rattles are gone.

Players may only try to guess the word on their turn. An incorrect word guess erases two rattles!

Do not allow children to shout words on others’ turns.

Put additional rattles on the board for each new word.

After all the words are used for one Bible story, use the information below to briefly discuss the miraculous births.

Play until all children have taken a turn or all words have been guessed.

Options:

• Change the difficulty level by increasing or decreasing the number of rattles.
• Fill in a few key letters for longer words to make it easier for younger children.
• To save time, you may choose to put all the names for each Bible story on the board at the same time.

1. Isaac, Abraham, Sarah

God had promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations. He and his wife, Sarah, were much too old to have children. In fact, Sarah laughed at the idea of having children in their old age. Yet when Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100 years old, their son Isaac was born. See Genesis 17:17. God miraculously did what seemed impossible to people! Isaac was a gentle man of peace. God’s promise to Abraham continued through Isaac.

Optional: Genesis 18:11:

Abraham and Sarah were both very old by this time, and Sarah was long past the age of having children.

Genesis 21:1–3:

The Lord kept His word and did for Sarah exactly what He had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac.

2. Joseph, Rachel, Jacob

Jacob had two wives, Rachel and Leah. Leah had several children, but Rachel was unable to have any. Leah, taunted and made fun of Rachel for not being able to have a baby. God answered Rachel’s prayer and Joseph was born. Joseph eventually became second in command to Pharaoh in Egypt and saved Israel’s people during a long famine.

Optional: Genesis 30:22–23:

Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said.

3. Samuel, Hannah, Elkanah

Hannah desperately wanted to have a child. When she and her husband, Elkanah, went to the Tabernacle, she prayed for a baby. She promised to give the baby back to God if He would answer her prayer. God remembered Hannah and gave her a baby boy named Samuel. Hannah kept her promise and dedicated Samuel to the Lord. Samuel faithfully and powerfully served God as a judge and prophet all his life!

Optional: 1 Samuel 1:2:

Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

1 Samuel 1:6–7:

So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.

1 Samuel 1:20:

And in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

4. Samson, Manoah

Samson’s mother’s name is not mentioned in Scripture. However, we know she couldn’t have a child and God blessed her. What was impossible became possible with Him! God gave specific instructions for raising Samson. He was dedicated to God and fought the Philistines!

Optional: Judges 13:2–5:

In those days a man named Manoah from the tribe of Dan lived in the town of Zorah. His wife was unable to become pregnant, and they had no children. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife and said, “Even though you have been unable to have children, you will soon become pregnant and give birth to a son. So be careful; you must not drink wine or any other alcoholic drink nor eat any forbidden food. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and his hair must never be cut. For he will be dedicated to God as a Nazirite from birth. He will begin to rescue Israel from the Philistines.”

If time permits, play the game with names from today’s story: John the Baptist, Elizabeth, Zechariah; Jesus, Mary, Joseph; Gabriel; Holy Spirit.

Conclusion: You played the game very well! Remember, all things are possible with God! The children who were born in these stories went on to do mighty things for God!