In this lesson children learn that God was with Elijah in his loneliest moment, and that God often speaks gently rather than through loud, frightening things. Children ages 5 to 11 will enjoy this story, and the lesson takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God is with us even when we feel alone, and He often speaks to us in a quiet, gentle way that we can hear when we stop and listen.
Memory Verse
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
(WEB)
Have children put one hand over their heart and the other hand flat in front of their mouth, then slowly lower both hands while saying the verse together. Doing it slowly teaches them what being still feels like.
The Story: 1 Kings 19 for Kids
Elijah had just won a big contest on Mount Carmel, where he showed that the LORD is the true God. But Queen Jezebel was angry. She sent a message to Elijah saying she would kill him by the next day. Elijah was scared, so he ran away into the wilderness.
Elijah walked a whole day into the desert. He sat down under a small juniper tree and told God, “I have had enough. Please take my life. I am no better than my fathers.” Then he fell asleep, tired and sad. An angel of the LORD touched him and said, “Get up and eat!” Elijah saw bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water beside him. He ate and drank and went back to sleep.
The angel came a second time and said, “Get up and eat, because the journey is too long for you.” So Elijah ate and drank again. That food gave him strength to walk for forty days and forty nights until he reached Mount Horeb, the mountain of God. He went into a cave to rest.
God asked Elijah, “What are you doing here?” Elijah said he had been faithful, but the people had broken God’s promise and he felt all alone. God told him to stand on the mountain, because God was about to pass by. First came a huge, strong wind that broke rocks apart. But God was not in the wind. Next came an earthquake, and God was not in the earthquake either. Then came a fire, and God was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a gentle, quiet whisper. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out to stand at the mouth of the cave. God asked him the same question again, and Elijah told God how he felt once more.
God was not finished with Elijah. He gave him new work to do, and he told Elijah that seven thousand people in Israel had not bowed down to the false god Baal. Elijah found a young man named Elisha plowing a field with oxen. Elijah placed his cloak on Elisha, which was a sign that Elisha would follow him. Elisha asked to say goodbye to his parents first. Then he killed his oxen, cooked them, and fed the people, and he went after Elijah to serve him.
Read It Together
1 Kings 19:11-12
11 He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” Behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake. 12 After the earthquake a fire passed; but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a still small voice.
(WEB)
Point out that God was not in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire. Ask children to notice that God came in a quiet whisper, and explain that God can speak to us in quiet ways too.
1 Kings 19:5-6
5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat!” 6 He looked, and behold, there was at his head a cake baked on the coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.
(WEB)
Show children how God cared for Elijah when he was tired and hungry, sending an angel with food and water. Explain that God takes care of our needs even when we feel too sad to ask.
1 Kings 19:19-21
19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over to him, and put his mantle on him. 20 Elisha left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me please kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” He said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?” 21 He returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and killed them, and boiled their meat with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and served him.
(WEB)
Point out that Elisha left his oxen and followed Elijah right away. Ask children what it looks like to follow Jesus when it means we have to leave something behind.
Talk About It
- When have you felt scared or alone, and what did you do to feel better?
- Why do you think God did not speak to Elijah in the wind, the earthquake, or the fire?
- How can we get quiet enough to hear God talking to us?
- What did Elijah need most when he was tired under the tree, and how did God meet that need?
- What is one thing you could give up to follow God the way Elisha did?
Activity Ideas
Quiet Whisper Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a bowl of water with a few drops of food coloring. Ask each child to draw a big wind, an earthquake, and a fire on one paper, then draw a small, simple picture of a quiet whisper on another paper. Talk about how the whisper is the picture of God’s gentle voice.
Still Statue Game
You will need a timer or a clock with a second hand. Play music and have children move around like the wind, shake like an earthquake, and wave their arms like fire. When the music stops, they freeze and listen. Ask them what they heard in the quiet, and tell them that God’s voice is often found in stillness.
Take-Home Cloak Reminder
You will need a small piece of fabric or an old scarf and a marker. Have each child write the words “God is with me” on the fabric and take it home. Encourage them to wrap it around a stuffed animal or their own shoulders during quiet time that week, and to remember that God is near even when they feel alone.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this passage shows that God is faithful to His people even when His servant is discouraged and wants to give up. God meets Elijah with food, rest, and a fresh call, and He reveals Himself not in dramatic displays of power but in a gentle, quiet voice. Adults can take comfort that God still speaks in ways that require us to slow down and listen.
Be careful not to suggest to children that God never speaks through loud or dramatic events, since the Bible records many such moments. The point is that God was not in those things in this particular story, and that He is also present in quiet moments. Avoid teaching that children must feel a special feeling to hear God.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you that you are with us when we feel scared or alone. Help us be still and listen for your gentle voice. Thank you for feeding and caring for us the way you cared for Elijah. We trust you, and we want to follow you every day. Amen.
