Teaching Psalm 3

5-11s

Theme: When David is in trouble, looking to God means he can sleep.

Aim: That they look to God when in trouble.

Intro:

Sleeping game - what stops you sleeping? What wakes you up in the night?

Teaching:

Timeline - take them to King David and explain the book of Psalms as prayers/song written to God.

One leader is dressed as Absalom - tells the story of 2 Sam 15:1-12 - Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel (v6), led a revolt against David (v10); David flees (v14).

All the children flee like David to the other end of the hall.

Talk about how David must have felt.

David writes a song about how he felt [listen to a recording of it first]

Read v1-2 - How was David feeling? [set up cardboard soldiers around the group]

Read v3-4 - When David is scared and worried, what does He say about God? [set up shields around the group] [could have Absalom still prowling around the group during this time]

Read v5-8 - What can David do now? What else encourages him?

Repeat psalm with actions:

v1 - kneel with hands over head

v2 - lift hands as if in self defence

v3  - clench fists

v4 - raise hands high in prayer

v5 - stand slowly and repeat clench fists

v6 - walk on the spot with chin up

v7 - raise hands in prayer again

v8 - clench fists

[Hold up signpost with 'Jesus' on] How is this song/prayer about Jesus?

            Many were against Jesus as he died and said 'save yourself' (v2)

Many things may scare us but in Jesus we have God as our shield, the wonderful God who gives us courage. He hears us when we cry to Him because of Jesus. And in Jesus he will bring justice and right all the wrongs.

Pray

At tables - using the shape of Psalm 3 they write a song/prayer for the times when they are scared and/or can't sleep.

Memory verse - v3 'But, Lord you are my shield. You are my wonderful God who gives me courage' (NCV) - write on shields and learn.

Sing lots of songs of praise

-----

3-5s - Psalm 3

Theme: God protects us when we're scared

Aim: that they trust in God's protection when they are afraid or can't sleep

Intro:

Sleeping lions - talk about things that make them afraid

Teaching:

A long time ago King David was king of God's people, ruling over them and looking after them. But King David was very afraid [put on a crown and scared face]. His own son Absalom wanted to be King instead of him. Absalom was working hard to get all the people to make him King instead of his Dad, David. So David had to run away and hide. [at this point you could move to another part of the room, or use cut outs of David and Absalom at the table]

As David was hiding because he was so afraid of Absalom. And when he was in hiding he wrote a song about it. Here is what he wrote:

Read v1-2 - David felt surrounded by people who didn't like him and were attacking him. They were saying that God doesn't care about him anymore. [Again surround with cut-outs of people]

But David knows something amazing: read v3-4. David says that God protects him and so he doesn't need to be afraid. God hears him as he prays. [surround with shield cut-outs]

So David is at peace, even though lots of people are against him. Read v5-8.

And do you know, because of Jesus, we don't need to be afraid. When we get scared of .... we should talk to Jesus and ask Him to be with us and protect us, and then we can go to sleep.

Pray.

Craft:

·        Shields with v3 written on

Game:

Psalm statues - play a version of Psalm 3 and when the music stops they have to fall asleep.

Songs:

·        I can talk to Jesus (from J is for Jesus)

·        Don't be afraid of the night (from J is for Jesus)