This is one of the great [tag]Sunday school lessons[/tag] for children, reiterating last week’s of how great men do not succumb to the pressures of others: Great men find the courage to walk alone when they need to. And when they do, God rewards them with real friends. (Teacher words in bold.)
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1 Kings 19 finds [tag]Elijah[/tag] bemoaning himself because he alone stands for Israel. God calls him out of the cave. Elijah hears an earthquake, a strong wind, and sees a fire, but God is in none of them. God is in the still, small voice that follows. God tells him where he can find 7,000 people who believe like he does.
We have talked about peer pressure and how awful we feel when we give in to it. This week we’ll talk about peer pressure again, and what happens after you resist sometimes!
Last week, Elijah defied 450 really bad guys. Here comes their queen, Jezebel, and she’s more scary than all of them put together. She says she’s gonna kill him.
Elijah was not perfect, and neither are we. Just a few days earlier, he set a sacrifice to God on fire in front of 450 know-it-alls. He was fine doing that. Along comes”¦one woman”¦he’s scared out of his tree. He runs for it. He seeks out the voice of the Lord. And then what happened?
He heard thunder and saw a big fire, but God wasn’t in that. When everything calmed down”¦God was in the still, small voice.
- Give some students a pie tin and a cardboard insert from a drycleaner hanger.
- Wave the pie tin so that it makes a rattling noise and flashes. This will be our lightning.
- Bang on the pie tin with the cardboard insert. This will be our thunder.
- Give a couple of students jars or cans with uncooked rice in them and the tops closed off (fabric and a rubber band). Show them how to turn the can sideways and shake it. This is our rain.
- Everybody”¦make a storm! After a minute of storm noises have them stop. Pick one student to lay down his instrument and go to the back of the group where he will serve as your partner.
Once the storm starts up again, I’m going to say something softly. It’s [student’s] job to try to hear every word I’m saying or to try to read my lips. It is everyone else’s job to be as loud as you can and try to distract him. Go!!
Once the storm noise reaches a loud peak, look across all the other students, directly at the student-partner in the back and say, God wants you to hear him clearly in the noise of life.”
You may have to repeat it a few times. If the student can’t quite read you, bring him a little closer until he is able to understand. You and he may stop the group. Let him repeat what you have said.
Pick another student. This time say across the storm, You have to listen carefully to hear the voice of God.
Pick another student. This time say across the storm, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.”
Pick another student. This time say across the storm, “I have a surprise for everyone in the cabinet. Go and get it.”
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