This lesson teaches children that they can bring their worries and sadness to God and still choose to hope in Him. It works well for ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
When we feel sad or scared, we can talk to God, trust Him to help us, and keep choosing to hope in Him.
Memory Verse
Psalm 43:5
Why are you in despair, my soul? Why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God! For I shall still praise him: my Savior, my helper, and my God.
(WEB)
Have children sit on the floor with their hands on their hearts. Each time they say “Hope in God,” have them raise both hands up high like they are reaching toward the sky, then bring them back to their hearts. Repeat it together three times until everyone can say it without looking.
The Story: Psalm 43 for Kids
A man named David wrote a song to God when he was in trouble. Some people were being unkind to him, and they wanted to hurt him. He felt very sad, and he felt like God was far away from him. He asked God to step in and be on his side.
David was sad, but he did not stop talking to God. He asked God to send His light and His truth so that they could lead him back to God’s holy hill. David loved being near God’s house, and he wanted to go there to worship Him. He knew that God was his strength and his helper.
Then David talked to his own heart. He said, “Why are you so sad, my soul? Why are you so upset inside?” He told himself the answer: “Hope in God!” David decided that even though things were hard, he would keep trusting God.
David said he would still praise God. He pictured himself going to the altar to celebrate God, who brought him great joy. He wanted to play his harp and sing happy songs to God, because God is his Savior and his God.
Here is the important thing to remember. David did not pretend he felt fine. He told God exactly how he felt. Then he chose to hope in God anyway. Children can learn that God wants to hear their honest feelings too.
Read It Together
Psalm 43:1-2
1 Vindicate me, God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation. Oh, deliver me from deceitful and wicked men. 2 For you are the God of my strength. Why have you rejected me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?
(WEB)
Point out that David brings his hurt straight to God and asks Him for help. Ask children what kinds of things make them feel like they need God’s help, and remind them they can ask Him too.
Psalm 43:3-4
3 Oh, send out your light and your truth. Let them lead me. Let them bring me to your holy hill, To your tents. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my exceeding joy. I will praise you on the harp, God, my God.
(WEB)
Show children that David asks God to send His light and truth to guide him. Explain that God’s light helps us see the right way, and His truth tells us what is always true about Him.
Talk About It
- What is something that makes you feel sad or worried sometimes?
- What did David ask God to do when he felt sad?
- How can God’s light and truth help us when we are confused?
- What did David tell his soul to do when he felt upset inside?
- What is one way you can praise God, even on a hard day?
Activity Ideas
Hope Light Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a flashlight. Have each child draw a picture of something that makes them feel sad or worried in one corner of the paper. Then have them draw a bright sun or star in the other corner and write or draw “Hope in God” next to it. Turn off the room lights and shine the flashlight on the pictures to show how God’s light shines into dark places.
Hope in God Movement Game
You will need an open space and a clear voice. Teach children the memory verse motions from earlier. Then play “Simon Says,” but change the commands to things like “Lift your hands to God” or “Put your hands on your heart.” Each time children do a motion, they say “Hope in God” together. This helps them remember the verse while moving their bodies.
Hope Jar at Home
You will need a clean jar, small slips of paper, and a pen. Ask your child to write one worry on a slip and fold it up, then write one thing they can praise God for on another slip. Put them all in the jar together. When a hard day comes, pull out a praise slip and read it aloud together as a reminder to hope in God.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Psalm 43 shows that honest lament and faithful hope can live side by side. David does not hide his pain from God, yet he chooses to speak hope to himself and expects to praise God again. This is a healthy pattern for believers of every age to follow.
When teaching children, avoid promising that God will always remove their problems right away or in the way they hope. Instead, emphasize that God hears them, is their helper, and is worthy of trust even when the answer takes time.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for listening when we feel sad or scared. Please send Your light and Your truth to guide us. Help us remember that You are our strength and our helper. When our hearts feel heavy, help us say, “Hope in God!” and keep trusting You. Amen.
