In this lesson, children learn one simple truth from Lamentations 3: even when life feels dark and hard, God’s love and faithfulness are new every morning. This lesson is for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
When things feel sad or scary, we can remember that God is still good, and His love starts fresh every single day.
Memory Verse
Lamentations 3:22-23
22 It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassion doesn’t fail. 23 They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness.
(WEB)
Have the children stretch their arms wide, then bring them slowly back to their hearts as they say “Morning by morning.” Then have them open their hands like a sunrise, lifting them up high each time they say “new every morning.”
The Story: Lamentations 3 for Kids
A man wrote this poem a long time ago. His name is not written in the chapter, but he was very sad. Bad things had happened to him and to his people. He felt like God had turned against him. He lived in dark places, and it felt like the lights had gone out.
He told God how hard things were. He said, “My strength is gone, and I have lost hope.” His bones felt weak, and his heart felt heavy like a stone. Every day he felt the bitter taste of sadness, like swallowing something sour.
But then the man stopped and remembered. He said to himself, “I will think about this again, and that gives me hope.” He remembered that God’s kind love had not run out. God’s love had not come to an end. Even in the dark, God was still there.
The man decided to wait quietly for God to help him. He said, “The Lord is my portion. So I will hope in Him.” He knew that God is good to people who wait for Him and look for Him. Waiting can be hard, but it is worth doing.
At the end of his poem, the man called out to God for help from the bottom of a dark pit. He said, “You heard my voice. Do not hide Your ear from my crying.” And God came close to him. God told him, “Do not be afraid.”
Read It Together
Lamentations 3:24-26
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul. “Therefore I will hope in him.” 25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. 26 It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
(WEB)
Point out the words “the Lord is my portion” and ask children what they think it means to have God as their own. Show that the man chose to hope in God even when he felt sad, and that waiting quietly for God is a good thing to do.
Lamentations 3:31-33
31 For the Lord will not cast off forever. 32 For though he causes grief, yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. 33 For he does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men.
(WEB)
Explain that God does not enjoy seeing His children hurt. Even when sad things happen, God still has compassion and does not give up on the people He loves. Help children hear that God’s love is bigger than any hard day.
Lamentations 3:55-57
55 I called on your name, the LORD, out of the lowest dungeon. 56 You heard my voice: “Don’t hide your ear from my sighing, and my cry.” 57 You came near in the day that I called on you. You said, “Don’t be afraid.”
(WEB)
Let children notice that the man called to God from a dark, lonely place, and God heard him. Ask them to name a time they felt scared and talked to God, and remind them that God listens to every cry.
Talk About It
- What is something that made you feel sad or scared this week?
- How did the man in the story feel when he was in the dark place?
- What did the man remember that gave him hope?
- What does it mean that God’s love is “new every morning”?
- What is one way you can wait for God and trust Him when things are hard?
Activity Ideas
Sunrise Painting
You will need paper, crayons or paint in yellow, orange, pink, and blue, and a sheet of black paper for the night sky. Have each child draw a small sunrise at the bottom of the paper with the warm colors, then add a few rays of light spreading up. As they draw, talk about how God’s love comes new every morning, just like the sun.
Morning Sunrise Stretch
Start with children crouched low on the floor, pretending it is dark and quiet. Slowly have them rise up, stretching their arms higher and higher as you read the memory verse together. Each time you say “new every morning,” have everyone reach up and wiggle their fingers like rays of sunshine. This helps children feel the change from dark to light.
Morning Blessing Card
Give each child an index card, a pencil, and a small sticker or drawing tool. Ask them to write or draw one thing God gives them new each morning, such as a warm breakfast, a friend, or a bright day. Encourage them to place the card by their bed or on the kitchen table so their family can see it. This reminds the whole family that God’s faithfulness begins fresh every day.
Teacher Notes
Lamentations is a book of sorrowful poems written after Jerusalem was destroyed, and chapter 3 is unusual because it moves from deep pain to hope. For adults, the chapter shows that it is honest and right to bring our sadness and complaints to God, and that remembering His faithfulness can anchor the heart even while suffering continues. The hope here is rooted in God’s character, not in a quick fix.
When teaching children, avoid promising that God will always remove their pain right away or that bad things will never happen to them. The poem itself is honest that the man suffered and waited. Instead, emphasize that God is faithful and near, and that He hears their prayers even when the answer takes time.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You that You are good, and that Your love is new every morning. When we feel sad or scared, help us remember that You are with us. Help us wait for You and trust You each day. Amen.
