This lesson teaches children that even when people around us do wrong, we can trust God, who forgives and loves us. It suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
When everything around us feels wrong, we can look to God, because He forgives us and keeps His promises. He always loves His people, even when they make mistakes.
Memory Verse
Micah 7:7
But as for me, I will look to the LORD. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.
(WEB)
Hold your hands together in front of your chest like you are praying, then slowly lift them up toward the ceiling as you say the words. Let the motion remind you that we look up to God when we feel sad or afraid.
The Story: Micah 7 for Kids
The prophet Micah was very sad. He looked around his land and saw that the good people were gone. It was like a farmer who goes to the vineyard looking for grapes to eat and finds nothing but empty vines. People everywhere were doing wrong things, and they were hurting each other on purpose.
Even families were fighting. Children did not respect their parents, and friends could not be trusted. Micah knew this was not how God wanted His people to live. He felt the weight of all the sadness around him.
But Micah did not give up. He said, “As for me, I will look to the LORD. I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.” Micah chose to trust God instead of the people around him who were making bad choices.
Micah knew that God would bring His people into the light again. He also knew that God forgives. Micah said God does not stay angry forever, because He loves to show kindness. God would one day take all the sins of His people and throw them into the deepest part of the sea, where they could never be found again.
Read It Together
Micah 7:18-19
18 Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, and passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn’t retain his anger forever, because he delights in loving kindness. 19 He will again have compassion on us. He will tread our iniquities under foot; and you will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
(WEB)
Point out that God forgives and does not keep His anger forever. Ask the children to notice that God delights in kindness and throws our sins into the sea. Explain that this shows how much God wants to forgive us.
Micah 7:8
Don’t rejoice against me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.
(WEB)
Show the children that even when Micah fell down, he got back up. Explain that God is a light for us when we feel like we are sitting in the dark. Ask them what kinds of dark times they have seen.
Micah 7:14
Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the middle of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
(WEB)
Talk about how God takes care of His people like a shepherd takes care of his sheep. Point out that the flock was safe in good pasture land. Ask the children how God has taken care of them this week.
Talk About It
- What did Micah do when the people around him were making bad choices?
- How does it feel when someone we trust lets us down, and what can we do then?
- What does it mean that God throws our sins into the sea?
- How can we look to God when we feel sad or afraid?
- What is one way we can show kindness to someone this week, like God shows kindness to us?
Activity Ideas
Light in the Dark Drawing
You will need paper, crayons, and a dark sheet of construction paper or a dark towel. Have each child draw a small light, like a candle or a sun, on a piece of paper and then cover the page with dark crayon. Explain that God is the light we can see even when our world feels dark.
Shepherd and Sheep Game
Choose one child to be the shepherd and the rest to be sheep. The shepherd stands in one corner of the room while the sheep wander around. When the shepherd calls, “Come home,” the sheep run back to safety. Talk about how God calls us back to Him when we wander.
Take-Home Forgiveness Stones
Give each child a smooth stone and a marker. Ask them to write one thing they are sorry for on the stone. Then go to a pond, lake, or bathtub and let them drop the stones into the water. Remind them that God throws our sins away and does not keep them forever.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Micah 7 shows a prophet who grieves over a corrupt society, yet chooses to trust God’s faithfulness. The chapter moves from despair to confident hope in God’s forgiveness and covenant love. Adults can see that God’s character, not human behavior, is the anchor of our hope.
Avoid overstating to children that God will always fix everything right away or that bad things will never happen to them. The text shows God’s forgiveness and faithfulness, but it does not promise an easy life. Keep the focus on God’s love and patience.
A Prayer to Close
Father, thank You that You hear us when we call to You. Help us look to You when things feel hard or sad. Thank You for forgiving our sins and loving us every day. Help us be kind to others, the way You are kind to us. Amen.
