In this lesson, children learn that God sees every nation on earth and is still in control, even when people make big plans without him. This lesson is best for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God is watching over every country in the world, and he is never surprised by what people do. He is calm and in charge, and one day everyone will bring their gifts to him.
Memory Verse
Isaiah 18:4
For the LORD said to me, “I will be still, and I will see in my dwelling place, like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”
(WEB)
Have children sit very still with their hands folded in their laps, then slowly open their hands like they are letting sunshine in. Say the verse together while you open your hands, and ask them to keep still while they say the words about God being quiet and watching.
The Story: Isaiah 18 for Kids
Long ago, there was a faraway land beyond some big rivers in Africa. The people there were busy with their own plans. They sent messengers across the water in little boats made of reeds, and they told those messengers to go to a tall, strong nation and ask for help.
God sent a message through his prophet Isaiah. He told all the people of the earth to pay attention. When a flag went up on the hills, everyone should look. When a trumpet sounded, everyone should listen. God wanted the whole world to know what he was going to do.
God said, “I will be still, and I will watch from my home.” His watching was calm and quiet, like warm sunshine on a summer day or a soft cloud of morning dew. He was not worried or rushing around. He was simply paying close attention.
The story then talks about a harvest. Before the grapes were ready to pick, the gardener cut off the extra branches that were growing in the wrong places. The branches were left on the hills, and the birds and wild animals ate and rested there. God’s plans can look like pruning, but they always have a purpose.
At the end of the story, the good news comes. A time will come when a gift will be brought to the LORD of Armies at Mount Zion, the place where his name is honored. Even the faraway tall and strong nations will bring their gifts to him.
Read It Together
Isaiah 18:1-2
1 Ah, the land of the rustling of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; 2 that sends ambassadors by the sea, even in vessels of papyrus on the waters, saying, “Go, you swift messengers, to a nation tall and smooth, to a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that measures out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide!”
(WEB)
Point out that the messengers were traveling across the water to find help. Ask the children what they think it means that God sees all of these faraway lands, even the ones they have never visited.
Isaiah 18:3
All you inhabitants of the world, and you dwellers on the earth, when a banner is lifted up on the mountains, look! When the trumpet is blown, listen!
(WEB)
Show the children how a banner looks when it goes up high and how a trumpet sounds. Ask them what it would be like to hear a trumpet and know that something important is about to happen.
Isaiah 18:7
In that time, a present will be brought to the LORD of Armies from a people tall and smooth, even from a people awesome from their beginning onward, a nation that measures out and treads down, whose land the rivers divide, to the place of the name of the LORD of Armies, Mount Zion.
(WEB)
Point out that the story ends with a gift being brought to the LORD. Remind the children that God wants people from every nation to come and worship him together.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God wanted all the people of the earth to pay attention to his message?
- What did God say he would do while he was watching from his home?
- How is God’s quiet watching different from someone who is worried or in a hurry?
- Why do you think God cut off the extra branches in the story, and what good could come from that?
- How can you show God that you know he is in charge of everything, even the things you cannot see?
Activity Ideas
Paper Plate Map of the World
You will need a paper plate, crayons or markers, and a few pieces of colored paper. Let each child draw a simple map of the world on the plate, adding a few countries they know. Then have them glue small paper flags on different places and say a short thank you to God for every nation he watches over.
Watching Statue Game
Play a version of freeze tag where one child is the “watcher” and stands at the front of the room. When the watcher says “Be still,” everyone freezes like a statue. When the watcher says “Go,” the children move again. Explain that God is always watching, and he is always calm and steady.
Sunshine and Dew Jar
You will need a clear jar, a small cup of water, and a sunny windowsill. Let the children fill the jar with a little water and set it in the sun for an hour. Watch together as the water warms and tiny drops form on the glass. Talk about how God’s watching is like the gentle warmth and dew that fill the air.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God is sovereign over all the nations of the earth, not only over Israel. He sees what people plan and he is not threatened by it. Even when God’s work looks like pruning or cutting back, it has a purpose that leads to people from every nation coming to worship him.
Avoid trying to explain every detail about the ancient nations mentioned in the chapter, since children may get lost in the names and places. Keep the focus on the simple truths that God watches, God is calm, and God will be honored by people everywhere.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you that you see every country and every person in the world. Help us to be still and trust you when we do not understand what is happening. Thank you that you are in charge and that you love all people. Amen.
