This lesson teaches children that they can bring their sad and worried feelings to God, because He is the one they can always hope in. It suits children aged 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including a short story, questions and a simple activity.
Big Idea
When we feel sad or scared, we can talk to God and trust that He will help us. We can still hope in Him even on hard days.
Memory Verse
Psalm 42:5
Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him for the saving help of his presence.
(WEB)
Put one hand on your heart when you say “Hope in God.” Then lift both hands up high, like you are reaching for something above you. Say the words slowly together three times, and let the motions remind you that God is above your worries.
The Story: Psalm 42 for Kids
A man who loved God wrote a song when he felt very sad. He was far away from the house of God, and he missed being there with his friends. He missed singing and celebrating with the crowd of people who went to worship together.
Some people who did not love God were teasing him. They kept asking him, “Where is your God now?” His tears felt like his food, day and night. He felt like a deer that was thirsty and could not find any water.
The man talked to his own heart. He said, “Why are you so down, my soul? Why are you so upset inside me?” Then he answered himself with hope. He said, “Hope in God, because I will still praise Him.”
He remembered how God had helped him in places far away, like the land by the Jordan River and the hills near Mount Hermon. Even when waves of trouble rolled over him like a big ocean, he kept trusting God. He knew God would show His love to him in the daytime and give him a song at night.
The man was honest with God. He asked, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I have to be so sad?” Then he kept reminding his heart that God was his rock and his help. He chose to hope in God again and again.
Read It Together
Psalm 42:1-2
1 As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants after you, God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?
(WEB)
Point out how the writer compares himself to a deer that is thirsty for water. Explain that he is thirsty for God the way a deer longs for a cool stream on a hot day. Ask the children what they feel thirsty for when they are sad or tired.
Psalm 42:8
The LORD will command his loving kindness in the daytime. In the night his song shall be with me: a prayer to the God of my life.
(WEB)
Point out the words about God’s love showing up in the daytime and a song being with the writer at night. Explain that God’s love is with us in the bright moments and the dark moments. Ask children to name a time when they felt God close to them.
Psalm 42:11
Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him, the saving help of my countenance, and my God.
(WEB)
Point out that the writer talks to his own soul and tells it to hope in God, just like he did before. Explain that it is good to remind ourselves of God’s truth when our feelings feel heavy. Invite the children to say a hopeful sentence to themselves out loud.
Talk About It
- What did the man in Psalm 42 feel when other people kept teasing him?
- What did the writer say to his own heart when he felt sad?
- How is a thirsty deer like a person who needs God?
- What can you do when you feel sad or scared, like talking to God or singing a song?
- Who is a person who can help you remember that God is with you?
Activity Ideas
Draw a Thirsty Deer
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a deer near a stream of water with a sun or moon in the sky. Write the words “Hope in God” across the top of the paper. Let them take the picture home to remind them that God is their water when they feel dry.
Deer and Stream Game
Clear a space in the room and place a few blue paper strips on the floor to show streams. Have children pretend to be thirsty deer that walk around the room. When you call out “Hope in God,” they freeze, lift their arms high, and then go find a stream. Play several rounds so the children enjoy moving while they learn the words.
Hope Card for Home
You will need index cards, a pen, and stickers if you have them. Write “Psalm 42:5” and “Hope in God” on one side of the card. Let each child decorate the other side with a drawing or stickers. Encourage them to put the card somewhere they will see it at bedtime, like beside their bed or on the bathroom mirror.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Psalm 42 is an honest prayer from someone who feels far from God and surrounded by mockery. The writer does not hide his sadness, and he also keeps choosing to hope in God. It shows that faith and grief can exist together, and that remembering God’s past faithfulness can steady a heart in the present.
Avoid telling children that feeling sad means they lack faith, or that trusting God will always remove every hard feeling right away. Keep the focus on the truth that God is near and worth trusting, and let children feel free to be honest about their own emotions.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, we bring you our sad and worried feelings today. Thank you that you are near to us, like water for a thirsty deer. Help us to hope in you when our hearts feel heavy, and help us to remember your love both day and night. Amen.
