LESSON 7: GOD SURROUNDS ELISHA WITH ANGELS
Dig In to the Bible
Read: 2 Kings 6:8-23
In This Passage: God gives Elisha the battle plans for Israel’s enemies, the Arameans. Finally, the king of Aram is fed up with losing and sends an army to surround Elisha and his servant. But Elisha sees a more powerful army of God’s angels, not visible to most. God opens Elisha’s servant’s eyes to see the angel army, too.
Bible Point: God is always with us.
Summary Verse: “No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
Dig Deeper
You’ll Be Teaching: God is always with us. Kids are very concrete thinkers, and even though younger kids are likely to believe whatever you tell them, older kids may sometimes wrestle with believing in a God they can’t see. This Bible story is a powerful example of how God surrounds us—whether or not we can see him.
Think About: Look around you right now. What evidence do you see that God is with you?
Dig In to Prayer
Ask God to make his presence known in your ministry this week.
Quick Tip
Kids, like all of us, want to be seen and known, so take time to do that! Find out about the sports they play and any big games they have coming up. Listen to their worries and family woes. Ask follow-up questions in future weeks to show you were listening and want to know more.
LESSON 7: Opening Music Videos!
Lesson 7: Step # 2
Core Bible Discovery
Supplies: Bibles * Paper *Markers or crayons
Lesson 7: Step #3 Talk about it with your family!
Bonus FUN!
Craft Activity!
Eyes of Elisha
Supplies
card stock
scissors
glow-in-the-dark duct tape
transparent tape
washable markers
permanent markers
stickers
Tip
Because glow-in-the-dark duct tape is more expensive than regular duct tape, we suggest the teachers hold on to it and tear 4- to 5-inch pieces as kids need them, 1 piece per child.
Make Glowing Eyes
Show kids the sample craft you made. Then dim the lights and show kids how the eyes glow in the dark. Turn the lights back up, and give each child a piece of card stock. Hold on to the duct tape and permanent markers, but set out the remaining supplies to share, and have kids follow the directions below to make glowing eyes.
Cut a piece of card stock in half. (This is already done for preschoolers.)
Draw a set of eye shapes in the middle, and cut them out. (This is already done for preschoolers.)
Decorate around the eye shapes with fun images that remind you of God, such as the fiery horses and chariots from today’s Bible story. Also include the point: God is always with us. Preschoolers can also use stickers.
Roll your card stock into a tube, and take note of what part of the card stock will show behind the eyes.
Get a piece of glow-in-the-dark duct tape from your leader, and stick it to that part of the card stock. (Older kids can help younger kids align their duct tape.)
Use transparent tape to hold the tube in place.
Use a permanent marker to make pupils on the duct tape, in the center of your eye shapes. (For preschoolers, don’t set out the permanent markers. Instead, hand one out at a time and monitor them.)
When everyone has completed the craft, let kids charge the tape in the light for a minute. Then dim the lights and have kids check out their crafts.
Talk About It
• Tell about a time it was too dark for you to see where you were going. Share your own story first, such as stubbing your toe on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night.
• Sometimes people describe difficult situations as “dark times.” How can we see God even in dark times?
God is always with us. He’s with us in the bright and sunny parts of life and in the dark times, too. Elisha’s servant was scared because being surrounded by enemies seemed like a dark time. But God opened his eyes, and then he could see God’s army all around him! Your Eyes of Elisha craft will help you remember to look for God—whether it’s bright or dark.
HIGH-ENERGY GAME TIME!!
Batter Up!
Supplies
balloons (1 for every 2 kids)
upbeat music (optional)
music player (optional)
Easy Prep
Inflate the balloons.
Tips
Expect some bumping as pairs navigate to keep their balloons afloat.
If you used the Music Video block, consider repeating the songs from today’s lesson during the game.
Cross the Room While Keeping Balloons in the Air
Say: Today we’re exploring how God is always with us. Let’s see what a quick game of Batter Up! can help us discover about having someone always with us!
Have kids form pairs with kids of a similar height, and give each pair a balloon.
Have pairs stand against one wall, side by side in a shoulder-to-shoulder lineup facing the opposite wall.
Tell partners to link elbows, leaving each partner with one hand free.
Pairs will propel their balloons to the far wall by batting balloons up and ahead of themselves. Partners in each pair must alternate hitting their balloon.
If a balloon falls to the floor, its owners will pick it up and put it back in play as quickly as possible.
If you’d like, play music as kids play.
Send kids across the room several times, switching up partners.
Talk About It
Ask: • How did it feel to be linked to someone during this game?
• If you had to be linked to one other person for the next week, who would you pick? Why that person?
• God is always with us. Why do you think God wants to be linked to us?
• Why might you want to be linked to God?
Say: You might have been more successful at this game on your own. Maybe you felt like being linked to someone held you back. But one thing’s for sure: God being linked to us is always a good thing for us! God is always with us, helping us like he helped Elisha.