Waiting Patiently

Scripture: 1 Samuel 21-23

Learning Objectives: 

  • Students will learn even though it was God’s Plan for him to be king, he had to wait many years and go through tough times before he became king.
  • Students will learn even though God has plans for us we may still have periods of waiting and tough times.
  • Students will learn God was still with David during those tough times and blessed him, just like God will be with Christians during our tough times.
  • Students will create a box of prayers and scripture that will encourage them as they wait and have patience in certain situations.

Guiding Question: How can students learn to trust God and wait for Him to answer prayers?

Materials: Small cardboard gift boxes with lids, slips of paper to write prayers and scripture on

Procedure: Review the story of David on the Run from the scriptures above. Remind the students that David had to leave quickly to get to a new safe place and was not able to take much with him. He had to trust that God would provide for him and God always did. Ask students how David might have felt after being anointed the next king, fighting Goliath and the Philistines and now has to run for his life and live in hiding with his men. He had faith God would take care of him. Sometimes God makes us wait. Waiting is when people like Sarah get in trouble because they want God to hurry up and do something. They become impatient and make poor choices in an attempt to “help” God. God’s timing is perfect.

Give each student a small cardboard gift box with a lid. Have them label it “Open when God asks me to wait” and decorate it with Bible stories or symbols that remind them of God and His wisdom. Inside they should put written out Bible verses like Isaiah 40:31, Habakkuk 2:3, Psalm 27:14, Galatians 6:9, 2 Peter 3:8, Acts 1:7. They may also want to include prayers they want to pray or a list of Bible stories that will help them remember to wait on God.

Additional Questions: How can students reflect on how God answers prayers?

Supplemental Activity: Have the students create a prayer journal for a month. Each week, the students can reflect on their prayers and how God shows His faithfulness.

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