Teaching

All Your Heart: Discuss obedience and trust in God.

Elijah needed to trust God every day and depend on Him for all of his needs. God sent ravens to bring him food every morning and evening—yet ravens were considered to be unclean by Jewish law. (See Deuteronomy 14:1–14.) By doing this, God was preparing Elijah to be fed by a widow who was a Gentile. Jewish law considered Gentiles, or non-Jewish people, to be unclean. Elijah could not depend on his own beliefs and understanding; he had to fully trust God.  

Elijah also trusted and obeyed God by traveling to Zarephath, which was dangerous for him. Zarephath was ruled by the father of Queen Jezebel—and Jezebel wanted to kill Elijah! The people who lived in Zarephath were Gentiles who worshiped Baal. They could have told Jezebel or her father that Elijah was there. Elijah probably would not have chosen to go there if he had been depending on his own understanding! Instead, Elijah chose to trust God with all his heart, and obey Him. 

Choose two volunteers—preferably taller children. Have them stand on either side of you, about 2 feet away.

Our SuperVerse, Proverbs 3:5, says:

Other Bible versions say we should not LEAN on our own understanding. 

Let’s pretend that [first child’s name] represents my human thinking and understanding, and [second child’s name] represents God. Every day, I have to make choices. Stand on one foot and lean sideways on the first volunteer’s shoulder. I can lean or depend on my human understanding and wisdom. Switch feet and lean sideways on the shoulder of the “God” volunteer. Or, I can choose to lean or depend on God.

By leaning on “God” I am depending on Him—trusting His wisdom and not my own. Volunteers can return to their seats.       

Elijah also demonstrated his trust in God when he declared that the widow’s oil and flour would never run out until God sent rain. Indeed, God performed a miracle in the midst of a terrible famine, and her containers of flour and oil never ran out.

And when the widow’s son suddenly died, Elijah trusted God and prayed for her son. God heard his prayer and raised the boy back to life. Through Elijah’s obedience, God performed miracles and demonstrated that He is the One True God.     

Have you ever heard the expression, “I’m all in”? That means you are totally committed to something or someone. Elijah was “all in” with God because he trusted Him with his whole heart.

Stand beside the “God” box. For us to be “all in” with God, we want to trust and obey Him at all times. Hold up each “All In” Card, have the class read it aloud together, then put it in the box after you discuss it.  

1. What are some ways we can trust and obey God at home? Obey our parents, be kind to our sisters and brothers, pray, read the Bible.

2. How can we trust and obey God at school? Obey the teachers, share God’s Word, stand up for kids being bullied, eat lunch with children who have no one to eat with.

3. Name some ways we can trust and obey God at church. Welcome visitors and sit with them, help with church events, pray, worship God.

4. What if we are with friends who pressure us to do something we shouldn’t—how can we trust and obey God? Do the right thing even if people laugh, pressure and mock us.

5. When we are alone and no one is looking—can we do something God doesn’t want us to do, even if we think no one will ever know? No.         What should we do instead? Pray, ask God for help, share our problem with a parent or trusted adult.

6. Where are some other places we trust and obey God? In the neighborhood, at soccer practice, everywhere!     

Pull all six cards out of the box, hold them up, then put four back in. Is this what it means to be “all in” with God? No!

Put one more card back in the box. How about now? No!

Place the remaining card in the box. Are we “all in” with God now? Yes! 

No matter where we are or what we are doing, we are to trust and obey God. God doesn’t expect us to do this on our own. When we accept Jesus into our hearts, God places His Spirit in us to strengthen and help us to trust and obey Him. He gives us the desire and the power to obey—even when it’s hard!