Scripture: Psalm 3
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn about 32 of the Psalms were written by people crying out to God in bad times.
- Students will learn it is okay for us to tell God when we are sad and scared and ask him to help us.
- Students will learn God understands when we don’t understand why bad things are happening in our lives and wants to comfort us.
- Students will learn how to use songs for comfort.
Guiding Question: How can students use songs to turn to God for help?
Materials: Hymns from LNWhymns.com, Bibles
Procedure: Teach the message of asking for God’s help from the scripture above. Tell students that the best thing they can do when they are sad or scared is to reach out to God and pray for help. Explain that God is always there to comfort us when we are upset. Remind students that they may not always understand why bad things are happening but it is important to remember that God knows all things and will comfort them and bring good out of all bad situations. Ask the students: What is lamenting? Jesus weeping is an example of lamenting. Often laments were sung (the Psalms were originally songs) The parts of a lament in Bible times were asking God for help, lamenting the problem, confessing sin, repeating their trust in God to respond to the problem/their lament. The following are Psalms to which we have modern tunes. You can find the music at LNWhymns.com – Psalms 11, 120, 125, 126, 13, 16, 22, 28, 31, 39, 5, 61, 62, 73, 77, 42. Teach students one or more of the hymns. Help them learn it well enough that they can sing it independently when they are sad.
Additional Questions: How can students use worship and prayer for comfort?
Supplemental Activity: Have students create a plan for how to turn to God when they are sad and need help. A plan could include creating a box with slips of paper with their favorite Bible verses, a prayer book, lyrics of a hymn to sing, etc.