In this lesson, children learn that God loves His people with a forever love and promises to bring them home, comfort them, and make something new. This lesson is for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God loves His people forever, and He keeps His promises. He turns our sadness into joy and makes new things for us.
Memory Verse
Jeremiah 31:3
The LORD appeared of old to me, saying, “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love. Therefore I have drawn you with loving kindness.
(WEB)
Put one hand on your heart and then open both arms wide, as if you are hugging someone. Say the verse together while you do the motion. Repeat it three times, getting a little quieter each time, until everyone can say it with their eyes closed.
The Story: Jeremiah 31 for Kids
The people of Israel had been living far from their home for a long time. Some had been taken away as prisoners, and many were sad and afraid. They wondered if God had forgotten them. Jeremiah the prophet wanted them to know the truth about God, so God gave him a special message to share.
God said, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.” God had not forgotten anyone. He promised to gather His people back from faraway places, even those who were weak, slow, or in need of help. Some would walk beside streams of water on a straight path where they would not fall.
God told the people to stop crying and wiping away their tears. He said their hard work would be rewarded and that they would come home again. Their children would return to the land God had given them. The people had felt ashamed of their mistakes, but God still loved them very much and wanted them back.
Then God spoke about a new promise. He said, “I will make a new covenant with you. I will write my law in your hearts, and I will forgive your wrongdoing and remember your sin no more.” God’s people would not need to learn about Him only from others, because they would all know Him in their own hearts, from the youngest to the oldest.
The people would come back to Jerusalem singing and dancing. Their mourning would turn into joy, and God would comfort them. Their hearts would be like a garden full of water, and they would never be sad forever. God promised that the city would be rebuilt and would belong to Him for always.
Read It Together
Jeremiah 31:13
Then the virgin will rejoice in the dance; the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
(WEB)
Point out that God says He will turn their mourning into joy. Ask the children to show with their faces what mourning looks like, and then show what joy looks like. Explain that God is the one who changes sad times into happy ones.
Jeremiah 31:33-34
33 “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the LORD: I will put my law in their inward parts, and I will write it in their heart. I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 They will no longer each teach his neighbor, and every man teach his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD;’ for they will all know me, from their least to their greatest,” says the LORD: “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
(WEB)
Point out the new promise God makes to His people. Explain that God wants to write His ways in our hearts so we know Him personally. Remind children that God forgives us and does not hold our wrongs against us.
Jeremiah 31:20
Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he a darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I still earnestly remember him. therefore my heart yearns for him. I will surely have mercy on him,” says the LORD.
(WEB)
Point out that God says He still remembers His people with love, even when they had done wrong. Explain that God’s heart for His children is tender and kind. Let children share a time when they felt someone loved them even after they made a mistake.
Talk About It
- What do you think the people of Israel felt when they were far away from home?
- How does it make you feel to know that God never forgets His children?
- What is one thing God promised to do for His people in this chapter?
- Why do you think God wanted to write His law in people’s hearts?
- How can you remember that God turns sadness into joy in your own life?
Activity Ideas
Heart Drawing Craft
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and scissors. Have each child trace a heart on the paper and cut it out. Ask them to draw a picture of something that makes them happy inside the heart. Hang the hearts on a wall or a window to show that God writes His love on our hearts.
Mourning to Joy Movement Game
Gather the children in an open space. Call out “mourning” and have them slump down with sad faces and slow movements. Then call out “joy” and have them jump up, clap, and dance. Repeat several times, mixing up the words, and end by dancing together while singing a favorite worship song.
Family Heart Reminder Card
You will need an index card, a pen, and a few stickers or markers. Help your child write the words “God turns my sadness into joy” on the card and decorate it. Let them take it home to place on their bedside table or near the front door. Encourage them to read it aloud before bed or on the way out each morning.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Jeremiah 31 is a message of hope spoken to a people who felt abandoned and ashamed. God’s love is shown as steady and faithful, even when His people had turned away. The promise of a new covenant, with God’s law written on the heart, points forward to a deeper relationship with God that is based on His grace and forgiveness.
Be careful not to overstate the details of future events to children. The chapter speaks of a time of restoration and a new covenant, and children do not need a detailed timeline. Focus instead on the clear truths that God loves them, keeps His word, and brings joy out of sadness.
A Prayer to Close
Father, thank You for loving us with a love that never ends. Thank You for keeping Your promises and for turning our sadness into joy. Help us to remember that You write Your ways in our hearts. We want to know You and follow You every day. Amen.
