This lesson teaches children that God hears us when we cry out to him, and that he can bring us back when we have wandered away. It suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including a short story, a few verses and one simple activity.
Big Idea
God is our Shepherd. When we are sad, scared or far from him, we can ask him to turn us back and make us strong again.
Memory Verse
Psalm 80:3
Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
(WEB)
Hold both hands out in front of you, palms up, like you are asking for help. Then slowly turn your hands over and back again, showing how God turns us toward him. Say the verse together three times while you move your hands.
The Story: Psalm 80 for Kids
Long ago, the people of Israel had a song they sang when they were in trouble. The singer called God their Shepherd, the one who leads his people the way a shepherd leads his sheep. The singer knew God was enthroned above the cherubim, the holy winged creatures in the Temple, so God was powerful and close at the same time.
The people had been through very hard times. They had cried so many tears that it felt like they were eating and drinking sadness. Their neighbors laughed at them, and their enemies made fun of their misfortune. It felt as if God was angry, and the people felt very alone.
The singer remembered a happy story. God had brought a vine out of Egypt, like a farmer bringing a young plant to a new field. God cleared the ground, and the vine grew deep roots. Soon its branches covered the mountains and reached all the way to the sea and the River.
But then the walls around the vine were broken down. Passersby pulled off its fruit, and wild boars and animals came in to eat it. The people felt like their beautiful vine was being destroyed. The singer asked God, “Please turn back to us. Look down from heaven and see what has happened.”
The singer made a promise too. “If you revive us, we will not turn away from you again, and we will call on your name.” Then the song ends with the same prayer it began with: turn us again, and make your face shine on us so we can be saved.
Read It Together
Psalm 80:1-2
1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine out. 2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might! Come to save us!
(WEB)
Point out that the singer begins by calling God a Shepherd who leads like a flock. Ask the children what a shepherd does each day to take care of his sheep.
Psalm 80:8-9
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out the nations, and planted it. 9 You cleared the ground for it. It took deep root, and filled the land.
(WEB)
Show the children how the picture of a vine growing in a cleared field reminds us that God planted his people and gave them a place to grow. Ask them what a plant needs to grow strong.
Psalm 80:18-19
18 So we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call on your name. 19 Turn us again, the LORD God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
(WEB)
Point out the promise in verse 18, that the people will not turn away and will call on God’s name. Explain that the repeated prayer in verse 19 shows God is always ready to turn us back to himself.
Talk About It
- What is one thing that makes you feel sad or scared, and what could you tell God about it?
- How does it feel to know that God is like a shepherd who takes care of you every day?
- Why do you think the singer kept asking God to turn them back again and again?
- What are some ways we can show God that we want to stay close to him?
- When someone is far from God, how can we help them come back to him?
Activity Ideas
Paper Vine Drawing
You will need a large sheet of paper, crayons or markers, and some green tissue paper if you have it. Draw a long brown vine across the paper with a few branches reaching out. Let each child glue torn green tissue paper on the branches as leaves. As they work, talk about how God planted and cared for his people like a vine.
Shepherd and Sheep Game
Choose one child to be the shepherd and have the others be sheep. The shepherd stands at the front and calls “Come back to me!” while the sheep wander off around the room. When the sheep hear the shepherd’s voice, they walk back to him. Play a few rounds and remind the children that God always calls us home.
Turn Me Around Card
You will need an index card or folded piece of paper and a marker for each child. Have each child write “Turn me again, God” on one side and draw a small smiling face on the other. Let them take it home and turn it over each time they feel sad, as a reminder to pray and ask God to make his face shine on them.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Psalm 80 is a prayer for a community in trouble. The people feel that God has turned away, yet they keep returning to him with honest cries and a deep trust that he can restore them. The repeated line “turn us again” reminds us that our hope rests on God’s faithfulness and his desire to bring us back.
When teaching children, avoid implying that God punishes children for every hardship or that hard times always mean we have done something wrong. Keep the focus on God as a loving Shepherd who hears our prayers and gently brings us back to himself.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, you are our Shepherd and you take care of us every day. When we feel sad or far from you, help us remember to call out to you. Turn us back to you and make your face shine on us. Help us stay close to you always. Amen.
