Scripture: Ezra
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn learn/review the story of Ezra
- Students will learn that sometimes people will try to stop us when we are trying to follow God’s plan.
- Students will learn that no matter what, we need to continue doing what God wants us to do.
- Students will hear a missionary explain how doing God’s work was difficult at times.
Guiding Question: Why is it important to follow God’s plan even when it is difficult?
Materials: The materials will depend on what the missionary is able to bring in.
Procedure: Have students watch the play about Ezra. Explain that what they watched actually took 18 years to happen and that it must have been difficult and discouraging for Ezra and his friends that God’s plan to rebuild the temple was taking so long. They may have felt like giving up, but they never did. Explain that it is so important to remember to never give up when we are doing what God wants us to do. Tell the students that God will provide them strength to keep going even when others are trying to stop them.
Have a missionary bring in items from a place they have gone to share the Gospel. Let the missionary tell the students about some of the highs and lows of doing what God wants you to do. Have them share a time when they thought about quitting but trusted in God and were able to keep following His plan.
Additional Questions: How does God encourage us when we want to give up?
Supplemental Activity: Have students find encouraging Bible verses to remember when they are discouraged. Have the students make a list of verses to remember when they are sad, frustrated, scared, etc to keep with them so they can go back to God’s word when they need encouragement.