Ask
WELCOME TO WEEK 4
What things do you ask for on your birthday or at Christmas? Do you ask your mom or dad for water to drink or for a new favorite toy? Do you ask for the things you need or for the things you want? We all have wants, but we also have things that we need and God knows what they are. God wants to answer our prayers and provide for us. This week we will see how we can trust God will provide for us, even when it is in an unusual way!
BIBLE STORY
Listen to the following scenarios and decide if the character had a need or a want.
Sally goes shopping and sees the latest dress on sale in her size. She tells her mom she must have it, she needs it! Is this a need or a want?
Sam visits his friend and sees there is a new version of his favorite video game. He starts counting his money to see if he has enough to buy it. Is this a need or want?
Tray has a test coming in math class that requires him too have a ruler and calculator. He asks his mom if they can buy one at the store before the test. Is this a need or want?
Hal has a friend whose shoes have holes in them for most of this year at school. Hal asked his mom if they can buy new shoes for his friend. Is this a need or a want?
Carrie is on a hike and forgot to bring her water with her. She stops at a store on the way back looking for a place to buy water. Is this a need or a want?
We all have needs that God is able to supply. He answers our prayers for what we need, even when it is not the way we expected. We can trust God to provide for our needs. This week we will read a story about Elisha and the prophets during a time of famine. Elisha knew the men needed to eat and had his servants prepare a large stew to feed them, but what his servants found was not good to eat. God told them what to do in order to make the stew edible. God did not leave them to starve but provided a way for them to eat. God gave them a simple task to make the stew good to eat. Let’s read the story for this week to see what God told them to do in order for them to eat the stew during a time of famine.
Read or listen to the scripture II Kings 4:38-44
What was happening in Gilgal when Elisha returned? (A famine)
What did Elisha tell his servant to do for the prophets? (Put on a large pot of stew)
What did the servant gather from the fields? (Herbs, a wild vine, and gourds)
The servant served the food but what did the prophet say about the food? (There is death in the pot)
What did they put into the pot so they could eat it? (They added flour)
How many loaves of bread did they bring to Elisha? (20 loaves)
What did Elisha decide to do with the bread? (Share it with the people)
Was there enough food to feed everyone? (There was enough to eat with left overs)
BIBLE STORY ACTIVITY
Activity
All living things need to eat to survive. God provides for our needs and he also provides food for the animals as well. We all eat different things which keep balance in the food chain. Play this game of memory match. Match the animal with the type of food they eat!
Materials: memory game printed
Alternate
The bible has a lot to say about hunger. God knows that we want and need food to survive, but He also knows that we can not survive just on physical food. We need Him to be our food, to fill us up and satisfy our hunger. Read the following scriptures and fill in the blank with the missing word or words. God can provide for our needs and our wants. We can pray that our greatest need and want be for Him
Materials: printed paper, pencil
Independent activity:
Elisha’s servant filled the stew pot with things he found in the field. He must have thought all of those things were good to eat, but he was incorrect. The men cried out that there was death in the pot! Have you ever eaten a dinner and thought you would die? Some meals are tastier than others, but we can have fun creating new dishes and experimenting with new flavors. With the help of an adult, create your own recipe for soup. Gather the ingredients you currently have in your house and create a new soup and then taste it.
Materials: various food items from kitchen
ARTS & CAFTS
CRAFT 1
Make your own handcuffs. Watch this video describing the step by step instructions on how to create this craft.
Materials: handprint, construction paper, scissors
Craft 2
Coloring page
Materials: printed coloring sheet, crayons
FOLLOW-UP
Read or listen to Luke 11:1-9. There are other times in the Bible in which God provides food for people who are hungry. God wants to provide for our basic needs as well as other needs and wants we may have. God is not just watching us from afar unconcerned with our well-being, but He wants to be a father to us and provide for the things we need. Just as the friend in the story in Luke asked for the bread he needed, we too can ask God for the things we need. Jesus at the end of the scripture said to ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened for you. God wants us to call on Him, even though He already knows what we need, we can be in relationship with Him by asking for the things we need.
Did God know what Elisha and the prophets needed?
Does God know the things that you need?
How did God provide for Elisha and the prophets during their need for food?
How does God provide for you each day?
How can we ask God for what we need without just bringing him a long list each day?
Does God always answer every prayer request we make?
Did Elisha expect God to answer his prayer for food by adding flour to the pot?
How does God work in our lives in unexpected ways?
How can we be ready to listen and obey God even when His answer is not what we expected?
Practical Application at Home
We all have needs and wants that God wants to give us, but what He wants most of all is for us to need and want Him. It is okay to ask God for the things we want along with the things we need, but we should remember that we need God above all other things. Elisha and the prophets depended on God to provide the food they needed during the famine. God can provide for our needs but He also wants to provide for our wants as well. Not every answer from God is a yes, it may sometimes be a no or wait. Even if we do not get the answer we wanted, we can trust that God will provide what He knows is best for us.
Make a list of your needs and wants. List them in order of importance for you. Think of how God has already provided some of those things, and then pray that you will be open to how He will answer the rest.
Additional Resources
Outings to Reinforce Lesson
Enjoy the cool weather and take a nature walk. Observe the things God created and how they work together in His plan. What part do each of us play in God’s plan for us?