Patience
WELCOME TO WEEK 4
Does God love you more when you are good? Does he love you less when you do bad things? Can we change God’s love toward us by our good or bad deeds? This week we will see how David made some really big mistakes and even tried to cover them up, but then said sorry for all the things he did. We will see how God’s love did not change for David, and His love doesn’t change for us.
BIBLE STORY
What is your most memorable dream you’ve had while sleeping? Did it come true? We all have dreams every night but we often don’t remember them. Different people view dreams in different ways. Some people believe dreams tell the future. Others believe dreams help us deal with the issues or concerns we have in real life. Still other people believe dreams represent our deepest fears, concerns or problems. In the Bible there are several instances of people having dreams and asking for them to be interpreted. The men of God who did interpret those dreams never took credit for understanding the meaning of the dream but declared God the only one who could interpret dreams. Let’s think about other dreams from the Bible and see if you can remember how they were interpreted.
King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreamed of the statue made of different earthy materials that was struck at its’ feet by a stone not cut by human hands, that caused the statue to crumble. (Daniel 2)
King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of tree chopped down and stripped of all its leaves left as a stump in iron and bronze. (Daniel 4)
The cupbearers dream of 3 large grape vines that he used to give the king wine and the baker who had 3 baskets of bread that the birds ate off his head. (Genesis 40)
The Midianite soldier who dreamt of the loaf of barley bread rolling into camp and flattening a tent (Judges 7:13-14)
Were you able to remember all of those dream interpretations? If we were trying to guess what our own dreams meant we would probably get it wrong most of the time. When God sent those dreams to people as a warning, He gave his prophets the meanings. Joseph thought he knew the meaning of his dreams but when he was sold into slavery it probably seemed as though his life was going in the opposite direction. God does not always work according to the way we think He should work, but He has His own timing which is perfect. Let’s read or listen to the first part of Joseph’s story this week.
Read or listen tGenesis 37:1-28
Why did Joseph not get along with his brothers? (They knew he was their fathers favorite son)
What did Jacob make for Joseph? (A colorful coat)
What did Jacob send Joseph to do with his brothers? (Check on them to see how it was going in the fields)
What did the brothers plan to do when they saw Joseph coming? (Kill him and throw him in a cistern)
What did Reuben tell his brothers to do? (to throw him in the cistern but not to kill him. Rueben planned to rescue him)
Why did they decide to sell him instead? (To make money from him instead of touch him)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
Activity
Play a game of Hangman. Use the following words or phrases to have your child guess the phrase. (Words/phrases: Joseph, dreams, coat of colors, thrown in a cave, sold to slaver, Egypt) Sometimes we have to wait to find the answers, we didn’t figure out the puzzle right away but it took time. God didn’t answer the His promises to Joseph right away, but in the His perfect timing. We can trust that even when it seems the answers take a long time to happen, God keeps His promises.
Materials: sheet of paper, pencil, listed words or phrases above
Alternate
God created us to have dreams which help us sort and organize our thoughts and events from the day. Josephs dreams were more than just casual dreams, they were given to him by God. Those dreams helped Joseph know what God had in store for him one day. Watch this video to see why we dream. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYu966AONZI
Materials: device for listening to video
Independent activity:
Complete the following activity sheet, pencil
Materials: printed activity sheet
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Complete the Joseph coat of many colors mosaic craft. Look at the following website and print out the template and then follow the instructions for creating a mosaic looking Coat of Colors.
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
Read or listen to Psalm 138:4-8
When Joseph was in the pit, he may have doubted if what he dreamt was really true. When you read Psalm 138:4-8, its hard to imagine thinking those words while at the bottom of the pit. At the bottom of the pit, during a very difficult time, Joseph may have also remembered that God keeps his promises. He trusted that although things weren’t working out the way he though they would, God was able to still carry out His promises.
Is it easy or hard to trust God during difficult times?
Is it easy or hard to trust God when everything is going well?
How did Joseph show that he trusted God even though things looked bad?
How can we show patience for things that aren’t happening in the time we think they should happen?
What are some things we can do now while we wait for God?
Practical Application at Home
When we have difficult times it is often hard to see the promises God has made to us and believe He will keep them. We can trust that God’s words are true and they do not change. What God says He will do, He will do. Listen to the following doubts and try to think of a promise from the Bible that would help with defeat doubts.
I am not strong enough… (I can do all things through Christ)
I am all alone…. (I am with you always, even to the ends of the earth)
Only my life is hard… (In this world you will have trouble)
Ive been too bad for God to be with me…. (If I make my bed in the depths you are there)
I don’t know where I belong… (I will be your God, and you will be my people)
I am not loved… (I have loved you with an everlasting love)
I am not good at anything… (You are created for good works)
I have made too many mistakes… (you are forgiven)
Additional Resources
Outings to Reinforce Lesson
Donate to a local food shelter or toy drive this Christmas season. As a family, volunteer together or pick out toys you think another child your age might enjoy.