This lesson teaches children that God sees every person, even when they feel alone or unnoticed. It works well for ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, the verses, and the activity.
Big Idea
God sees me. He knows where I am, what I feel, and what I need, even when nobody else does.
Memory Verse
Genesis 16:13
She called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees,” for she said, “Have I even stayed alive after seeing him?”
(WEB)
Have children cup both hands over their eyes, then open them wide and point up to the sky on the words “God sees.” Repeat it together three times, getting a little quieter each time, so the words stick.
The Story: Genesis 16 for Kids
Abram and his wife Sarai had lived in the land of Canaan for many years, but they had no children. Sarai was sad about this, and she had an idea. She had a servant named Hagar, who was from Egypt. Sarai asked Abram to have a child with Hagar, and Abram listened to his wife.
Hagar had a baby on the way, and that made her proud. She started to look down on Sarai, who was her mistress. Sarai was hurt and upset. She went to Abram and said, “This is your fault!” Abram told Sarai to do what she thought was right with Hagar. So Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that Hagar ran away into the desert.
Hagar was alone and scared, sitting by a spring of water in the wilderness. Then an angel of the LORD found her there. The angel asked her where she had come from and where she was going. Hagar told the truth: she was running away from her mistress.
The angel told Hagar to go back and be humble under Sarai. The angel also made a promise. God would give Hagar so many descendants that they could not be counted. Hagar would have a son, and she should name him Ishmael, because the LORD had heard her trouble.
Hagar was amazed. She called the LORD by a new name that meant “the God who sees me.” She said, “Have I really seen God and stayed alive?” The place by the spring was named Beer Lahai Roi, which means “well of the Living One who sees me.” Later, Hagar had her son, and Abram named him Ishmael.
Read It Together
Genesis 16:7
The LORD’s angel found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur.
(WEB)
Point out that Hagar was alone in the wilderness, far from home. Ask the children where Hagar was when the angel found her, and remind them that God knew exactly where she was.
Genesis 16:11
The LORD’s angel said to her, “Behold, you are with child, and will bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction.
(WEB)
Show that God heard Hagar’s trouble. Help the children notice that the name Ishmael means “God hears,” and ask them to tell about a time they felt like someone was listening to them.
Talk About It
- When have you felt alone, like nobody was paying attention to you?
- Why do you think Hagar was scared when she ran away into the desert?
- What does it feel like to know that God sees everything you do?
- How did Hagar’s feelings change after the angel talked to her?
- Who is someone you could help this week so they feel seen and cared for?
Activity Ideas
Draw the Well of the One Who Sees
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a spring of water in a dry desert with a single eye or a smiling face up in the sky. Let them write or dictate the words “God sees me” along the top. Explain that Hagar named that place this, and invite them to tell you what their drawing shows.
Eyes Up Hide and Seek
You will need a blindfold or a scarf and a room with a few hiding spots. Pick one child to be the seeker while the others quietly hide. The seeker looks around and calls “God sees you!” whenever they spot someone. Afterward, talk about how being seen by someone who loves you feels safe, and how God always sees us.
Take-Home Eye Card
You will need an index card, a marker, and a sticker or crayon. Have each child draw a large eye on one side of the card and write “God sees me” on the other side. Encourage them to put the card somewhere they will see it at bedtime, such as on a nightstand, and to say the memory verse together with a parent before sleep.
Teacher Notes
This passage shows that God cares about people others overlook, including Hagar, an Egyptian servant who was mistreated and driven into the wilderness. The LORD meets her there, speaks to her by name in her own situation, and gives her a promise and a new name for him. For adults, the chapter also shows the cost of trying to force God’s promises through human plans, which led to conflict and pain for everyone involved.
Be careful not to overstate what the story says about Ishmael’s future or about the wider history between peoples. Keep the focus on what the text clearly teaches children: God sees, God hears, and God does not overlook anyone.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you that you see us wherever we are, even when we feel alone. Help us remember that you hear us when we are scared or sad. Please help us to see others the way you see them, and to care for them too. Amen.
