Invite your child into a time of worship, you might sing familiar songs of praise or use your own CD, album, or media player. A number of worship songs are available through online sources like Youtube and can be played through your computer, tablet, or mobile device. The following songs might be familiar and correspond with this weeks lesson:

• You Are Good – Bethel Music Kids, Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=433rOj7777k
• Deep Cries Out – Bethel Music Kids, Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gFwpOjF-5o
• Jesus Love Me Remix – Preschool Worship, Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUePulhSqkQ
• Goliath – The Donut Man, Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7d5DFY0QIk

Materials: Small toy, 2 colors of paper, marker, scissors (optional)

Preparation: Write Psalm 32:7a on a piece of poster board.

Write the words of Psalm 32:7a on separate pieces of paper. Make two sets using different colors of paper, if possible. If you don’t have two colors of paper, cut your paper into two shapes, circles and squares. Write one set of words on square pieces of paper and one set on circle pieces of paper. Hide the words around the room.

Before sharing with your child, hide a small toy somewhere in the room.  Make the toy hard to find.

Explanation: Say,  I have hidden ______________ (describe the toy) somewhere in this room.  Let’s see if you can find it.  Give child several minutes to find the hidden toy. If they cannot locate it, give them clues until it is found. (Remind the child not to pick up any pieces of paper with words written on them. They will be used later.)

Say:  You had to work very hard to find the toy because it was in a great hiding place.  Sometimes the Bible compares God to something we can see to help us understand Him.  Today’s Bible verse compares God to a hiding place.  Let’s read Psalm 32:7a together. Read the Bible verse with the children. 

How is God like a hiding place? Allow children to answer. Yes, he protects us from trouble. Your toy was safe as long as it was in its hiding place.  You can trust God to protect you.

Memorization Activity: Divide your family into two teams. Assign each team a color or shape of paper. Explain that you have hidden the words of Psalm 32:7a around the house. Each team should find all of the words in their color or shape. Once they have found all of their words, they should put the verse in the correct order. 

Materials: Bible, paper, markers or crayons

Preparation: Read and study 1 Samuel 17. Draw pictures to use as visual aids as you tell the story.

Presentation: Show the pictures you drew as you tell the story.

Say: One day, David, a young boy, was watching over his father’s sheep when he received a message to go to his house. “David,” said his father, “your brothers, who are with the king of the Israelites, King Saul, are getting ready to fight against the Philistines. I want you to take them food. See how they are doing, and come back to tell me.”

When he arrived at the Israelite camp, David quickly went looking for his brothers. While talking to them he heard a loud voice yelling and insulting the God of Israel. David looked across the valley and saw a Philistine giant challenging the people of God.  

“Instead of all of us fighting a battle with each other, choose one man and have him come fight me. If he kills me, the Philistines will be your servants; but if I kill him, you Israelites will become our servants,” this giant declared.

“Who is this man that dares insult our God?” asked David.

“He is Goliath, a Philistine giant.  Everyone is afraid to fight him.” answered a soldier.

“I will fight him,” answered David courageously.

King Saul quickly heard about this young man in the Israelite camp willing to fight the giant. The king called David to his tent. When Saul saw David, he said, “David, you are just a boy. You can’t fight that giant.”

“With God’s help, I have killed lions and bears to protect my sheep.  God protected me from being harmed by those wild animals.  In the same way, I know God will protect me from this giant and help me defeat him.”

“Go,” said King Saul. “I know the Lord will be with you.”

David walked across the valley toward the Philistines’ camp. On the way, he stopped by a stream and picked up five smooth stones. He placed them in his satchel and took out his sling. He continued toward the giant, Goliath, and the Philistine army.

The giant was surprised to see David approaching him. In a loud voice, he said, “You are just a boy.  Does Israel think that I am dog and they sent you, a little stick, to fight me?”

David was not scared to hear the words of the giant. He yelled back to the giant, “You come against me with sword, and spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty. He will help me win this battle.”

Slowly the giant moved toward David. David quickly took a stone out of his bag and ran towards Goliath. He put the stone in the sling and shot it at Goliath. The stone hit the giant on the forehead, and he fell to the ground.

Say: Goliath chose to trust in his weapons to protect him, but David chose to trust God for protection.

Materials: Paper, crayons, copy of the umbrella picture at the end of the lesson

Preparation: Draw a picture of an umbrella in the middle of a piece of paper or download here.

Presentation: Say,  We can trust God to protect us just like David trusted God. David needed protection from a giant. From what types of things do you need protection? Allow child to answer. He should mention things such as storms, fear of the dark, dangerous people, sickness, etc.  Let’s make a picture to remind us that we can trust God to protect us from all of those things.  Give child a prepared sheet of paper. Instruct her to write “God” on the umbrella, reminding her that the umbrella is a symbol of protection. She can draw a picture of herself under the umbrella. 

Say:  Just like an umbrella can protect you from sun and rain, you can trust God to protect you!

Materials: Umbrellas or a large piece of cloth for children to stand under

Preparation: Gather with your child under some type of covering.  This could be umbrellas, several paper shields, or a large piece of cloth.

Presentation: Say, As we stand under this ________________, we are reminded that God can protect us.  Let’s say a prayer asking God to help us trust in Him for protection.  Say a prayer for your child, praying for anything specific that they mentioned during the lesson.