"Heroes of the Bible” – Many people know the story of how God rescued Daniel from being eaten by lions…but how he got there, was truly the remarkable part of his story!
Today’s Lesson - “Daniel—Faithful and Fearless”

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cSC9uobtPM (The Bible Project – Overview: Book of Daniel for adults and older children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEM_X25DWPk (Saddleback Kids – Daniel in the Lions’ Den)

Today’s Hero – Daniel (Book of Daniel)

The King of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar, had captured Jerusalem and brought many of the people to Babylon. He wanted some of the young men of Judah to be trained to serve in his palace—they had to be strong, healthy, good looking and able to learn the language and literature of the Babylonians. Daniel and three of his friends (whom we will talk about next week) were chosen.

Even though they were captives in the land of Babylon, Daniel was determined to serve God. When he was given food to eat that was against God’s laws, he asked to be allowed to eat just vegetables—and God kept him strong and healthy (ch.1). When the king wanted to know what a dream he had meant, he threatened to kill all his wisemen if they couldn’t tell him what he dreamed; God showed Daniel the kings’ dream and told him what it meant, so that Daniel could then share it with Nebuchadnezzar. The king was so impressed he made Daniel the ruler of the whole province of Babylon and over all his wisemen (ch.2). Daniel later tells the king the meaning of another dream that he had…but telling Nebuchadnezzar that he was going to go insane for seven years as a punishment from God for his arrogance, would not have been an easy thing to share with a man who could easily have had him killed (ch.4).

Later, Nebuchadnezzar’s son, Belshazzar became the next king. One day he was having a huge party, but was disrespecting God. A finger began writing on his wall and the only person who could tell him what the message said was Daniel. Daniel told him that he was going to die and that very night he was killed and Darius the Mede became the next king that Daniel served (ch.5).

Darius recognized how wise Daniel was and decided to put him in charge over the whole empire, but some of the other wisemen grew jealous and decided to get rid of Daniel. They tricked Darius into signing an irrevocable law (once it was signed it couldn’t be unsigned) that would force everyone to worship only the king or be fed to the lions as punishment. In all Daniel’s years of living in Babylon, he had always been faithful to God and so, despite what the new law required, he continued to pray to God. Daniel’s enemies then went to the king, told him and then the king was forced to throw Daniel in with the lions.

King Darius had tried to find a way to save Daniel, but there was nothing he could do. He knew he had been tricked into making a bad decision and that night he didn’t sleep at all. The very next morning, he went to the lions’ den and discovered that Daniel was still alive—God had protected him. The same would not be true of the men who had tricked Darius; he had them thrown into the lions’ den after Daniel was rescued and not one of them survived (ch.6).

Even though a captive in Babylon, Daniel was always faithful to serve God. His life wasn’t easy and he could have been scared and stopped practicing his faith to stay safe, but Daniel knew that it didn’t matter where he lived…just how faithful to God he was. During Daniel’s life God continued to give him wisdom and showed him many dreams which are included in the other chapters of the Book of Daniel (ch.7-12).

Engage:
• Daniel was taken as a captive while still just a young man. How do you think Daniel felt when he was dragged off to Babylon?
• No matte how he felt, Daniel determined to be obedient to God. How might he have responded differently?
• Daniel worked hard in all things and was often put in charge. How did others working for the Babylonian/Persian kings feel about this?
• Even when his life was threatened, Daniel always trusted God with his life…whether he lived or died, he was determined to please God. Could you be that faithful in the midst of such fearful circumstances?

Theme verses:
Daniel 6:22, NLT - “My God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths so that they would not hurt me, for I have been found innocent in his sight.”

Prayer – Dear God, thank you for helping Daniel to be so brave and to faithfully obey you in a time when it would have been much easier just to go along…just to stay alive. Help me to be like Daniel so that, even if I find myself in a scary place, I never stop being obedient to you.
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~ Pastor Jane

Season: The Book of James
Episode 6: “Problem With Anger”
Today’s Bible Bite: James 1:19-21,26

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtwnggDBGNE (Family Moments – Object Lesson)

“People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.” (Proverbs 14:29, NLT)

Anger can be a healthy response in some circumstances, but more times than not, how we express our anger is not good. Knowing how to respond to a situation and to do so in a way that honours God requires self-control. God wants us to think before we speak; our quick impulses sometimes get us into trouble, especially when we’re angry. It’s okay to be angry, but it’s never okay to hurt someone because of our anger. Sometimes, the wisest thing to say and do is nothing at all. Pray that God will help you to always behave and think in such a way that is never out of control and He will.

Think about it...
• Anger is an emotion we all feel. When is anger a healthy response? When is it not?
• How we think and act tells others a lot about our relationship with God. Why does God want us to show self-control and not just act on impulse?
• Our anger can be very hard to control. How can we learn to calm ourselves down?
• When we are angry it is important not to do anything we will regret. Can you think of a time that you let your anger get out of control? What could you have done differently?

Prayer: Thank you, God, for all of our emotions—even anger. Help us to learn how to control our actions, so that even if we come across a situation when it is right to be angry, we will respond well and not simply make the situation worse.
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~ Pastor Jane

"Heroes of the Bible” – Our hero today isn’t known for defeating armies or performing miracles. God had given Jeremiah the task of warning the people of Judah; but instead of listening to him, he got beat up…a lot. But still, he obeyed!

Today’s Lesson - “Jeremiah – An Unpopular Messenger”

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSK36cHbrk0 (The Bible Project – Jeremiah – for adults and older children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdo7efvHopI (Sharefaith Kids – Jeremiah)

Today’s Hero – Jeremiah (Jeremiah, Lamentations)

Jeremiah lived during the days leading up to the Babylonian exile. The people of Israel had been conquered by the Assyrians because of their disloyalty to God, but the people of Judah ignored the lesson. Now God was going to bring the Babylonians to conquer them.

God began giving messages for Jeremiah to share when he was still young, so young in fact that Jeremiah didn’t at all feel qualified for the task God had given him. But Jeremiah knew what he had to do and worked diligently to warn the people. First, he warned them to ask God to forgive their disobedience, so that God would not bring disaster. But then God told him the Babylonians were coming because they hadn’t listened. But there was hope…if they surrendered to the Babylonians, they would be conquered, but God would help them to return after 70 years.

Well, this was a message they simply didn’t want to hear. They mocked Jeremiah, mistreated him and even threw him down into a cistern (a well) that didn’t have any water in it, but was filled with mud. Jeremiah sank into the cistern and would have died except that a servant in the king’s court asked to save him.

When the Babylonians eventually conquered Jerusalem, Jeremiah was taken as one of the many captives; however, when the captain of the guard Nebuzaradan found Jeremiah, he had heard how Jeremiah had advised the people to cooperate with the Babylonians and let him go free (Jeremiah 40). Unfortunately, when Jeremiah returned to Jerusalem, the remaining people still didn’t want to cooperate and eventually abducted Jeremiah in an attempt to escape to Egypt. He continued to encourage the people to stay in Jerusalem and cooperate with the Babylonians, but they refused to listen. Some historians think that the people who abducted Jeremiah were so angry with him, that they killed him while in Egypt.

But, seventy years later, Jeremiah’s words proved to be right on. King Cyrus of Persia allowed the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and even permitted them to rebuild the city—their homes, the city walls and the Temple. If only everyone had listened.

Engage:
• Jeremiah was young when God told him He wanted Jeremiah to be His prophet. What messages did God want him to share?
• The messages from God were not what the people wanted to hear. How did they treat Jeremiah?
• God had promised to protect Jeremiah. Who did God use to help Jeremiah?
• We know that Jeremiah was a true prophet, because the words he spoke came true. What predictions did Jeremiah share?

Theme verses:
Jeremiah 1:7-8, NLT - “[Jeremiah,] don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. 8 And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the LORD, have spoken!”

Prayer – Dear God, thank you for Jeremiah and his determination to obey you even when it was hard. Help me to care more about obeying you, then how other people will respond.
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~ Pastor Jane

Season: The Book of James
Episode 4: “Rich and Poor”
Today’s Bible Bite: James 1:9-11

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQ4lIvi9rpk (Douglas Talks – What does God want me to do with money?)

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” (Matthew 6:19-20, NLT)

The Bible talks a lot about money. God gives us money to use, but too often we use it only for us. Sometimes we can begin to love our money more than we love and trust God. We also sometimes begin thinking that people who are rich are better than people who are poor. James tells us that this thinking is all wrong! It doesn’t matter if you’re poor or rich, God doesn’t have favourites and He loves everyone. A poor person can be thankful, that even though they are poor, God has given them the best gift—a relationship with Him when we believe in Jesus. And a rich person can be thankful that their worth isn’t tied up in their money, because everyone must die and we can’t take our money with us—only the treasure we store up in heaven counts. So how do we store up treasure in heaven? By doing good things for God and helping others, including with our money…no matter how much or little we have.

Think about it...
• God loves people all the same—rich or poor. So, why don’t we?
• James tells people who are poor that they have something to boast about. What is it?
• He also tells people who are rich that they can boast too. What does he tell them it is?
• Money can be both used well and badly. How can we be certain to use the money God gives us well?

Prayer: Thank you, God, for giving us the things we need, even money. Help us never to love money more than you and to remember that you don’t love anyone any less or more based on whether they are rich or poor. Help us to always look to use our money, no matter how much we have, to do good.
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~ Pastor Jane

"Heroes of the Bible” – The Bible contains some truly incredible stories. During the time of Elijah the prophet, God did some amazing things through him. The adventures of Elijah were truly epic!

Today’s Lesson - “Elijah – Unbelievable…but True!”

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T5gAXoerjw (God's Story - Elijah)
Today’s Hero – Elijah (1 Kings 17-19,21,2 Kings 1-2)

God used Elijah to provide warnings and consequences to one of the worst kings that ever ruled the people of Israel…the worst being King Ahab, who—together with his wife, Queen Jezebel—did some very terrible things. They were quick to kill anyone they disagreed with, took what wasn’t theirs and encouraged the people of Israel to worship Baal and fully reject God.

1 Kings 17 – God told Elijah to inform King Ahab, that for his sins, there would be no rain or dew for three years…this was bad news for the whole nation. God then told Elijah to go and hide by a brook, because He knew that the king would seek to kill Elijah. God directed ravens to bring food to Elijah and he got water from the brook. But then because of the lack of rain, the brook dried up and God directed Elijah to go to the home of a widow and her son. The prophet asked her to make some food for him, but she told him all she had left was a handful of flour and a small amount of oil—all she had was the ingredients to make one last meal. Elijah encouraged her to make something for him, promising that her flour and oil would not run out until new crops were available to eat from…and it happened just as he said. Elijah stayed with the widow and her son during this time. One day, however, the boy became sick and died. But, Elijah raised him back to life! Wow…truly incredible!

1 Kings 18 – In the third year of no rain, things were getting desperate—food and pastures for the animals were getting scarce. As Obadiah was looking for some good places for the king’s animals to graze, Elijah showed up and told him to let Ahab know he was going to be coming. Obadiah was scared because he knew how desperately King Ahab wanted Elijah dead, but God continued to protect Elijah—what if after telling King Ahab that Elijah was coming, he disappeared? Obadiah would be a dead man! Elijah reassured him that he was coming and that it would soon rain, but first God wanted him to arrange a showdown of sorts. Elijah told the king to have all 450 prophets of Baal come to Mount Carmel to prove once and for all who was the real God. Whoever’s sacrifice was burnt up—either by Baal or God—would prove which prophets (the 450 or Elijah) were truthful and which were lying once and for all. The prophets of Baal made their sacrifice and called upon their god to answer…for hours…but nothing happened. But when Elijah made his sacrifice to God…and had those watching douse everything with extra water…God sent down fire from heaven, burnt up the water, the sacrifice and even the stone altar! When Elijah told the people around to kill the prophets of Baal, they didn’t hesitate; they had seen with their own eyes that God had answered by fire—the false god, Baal, was nothing more than a statue. After that, Elijah prayed that the rain would return…and it did! And not just a little bit…a terrific rainstorm came. Wow…truly incredible!

The rest of Elijah’s life continues with more incredible stories…he is fed by an angel; he is able to travel to Mount Sinai (a trip of 40 days) with no food, where he hears the voice of God and is given more instructions; he calls Elisha to come and be his apprentice; and at the end of his earthly life, God takes Elijah up to heaven in a fiery chariot—he did not die, but disappeared into heaven as Elisha watched on. Unbelievable…but true!

Engage:
• A prophet was a person God gave messages to share with others. Who do we know many of Elijah’s messages from God were meant for?
• King Ahab wanted Elijah dead because of the drought. Queen Jezebel wanted Elijah dead because he had all her prophets of Baal killed. How did God keep Elijah safe?
• Elijah’s life wasn’t easy, but that didn’t stop him from obeying God. How do you think Elijah was able to keep going even when things were very dangerous?
• When Elisha had been trained to take Elijah’s place, God took Elijah to heaven in a fiery chariot. Why do you think He did that?

Theme verses:
2 Kings 2:11, NLT - “…suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire…and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven.”
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Prayer – Dear God, thank you for the stories about Elijah. They are truly incredible and they remind us that nothing is impossible for you…or for anyone you choose to use to do great things. Help me to be as faithful to you as Elijah was.
~ Pastor Jane

Season: The Book of James
Episode 3: “God Gives Wisdom”
Today’s Bible Bite: James 1:5-8

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BotClS_6bI (Douglas Talks – Godly Wisdom)

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.” (James 1:5a, NLT)

James wanted people to know that anyone who needed to know what to do could just ask God…and God would provide that person with wisdom. There was nothing to be ashamed of for asking and God is pleased to help everyone in this way. But James also had a warning. If, after asking God for wisdom, you go looking for a second opinion, then you shouldn’t expect God’s help at all. God is more than capable of helping us. Asking only Him demonstrates our trust in Him. Using Him as just one possible source, shows a lack of loyalty to God…and God will not reward disloyalty. It shows that we are keeping our options open—willing to trade in God’s wisdom for the advice we might receive from another source. God refuses to play those types of games—if we truly want His wisdom, He will provide it; if we’re just wanting to hedge our bet, we shouldn’t expect His help at all.

Think about it...
• James tells us that if we need wisdom, we shouldn’t hesitate to ask God for His help. What ways can God’s wisdom help us?
• We should not treat God’s advice as one option amongst a number of possibilities. Why doesn’t God want us looking for other sources of wisdom?
• God loves to help us, but He refuses to be misused by us. How can we misuse our relationship with God?
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Prayer: Thank you, God, that you will provide us with wisdom—knowing what we should do—if we ask. Help us to trust you and not doubt that you will help when we do. Help us also not to fall into the temptation of looking for a different answer, if we don’t get the answer from you that we want.
~ Pastor Jane

Season: The Book of James
Episode 2: “Trials Can Be Good”
Today’s Bible Bite: James 1:2-4

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn-hLHWwRYY (The Bible Project – James)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kTnrFLqZuc (Douglas Talks – You Can Do It)

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” (James 1:2-4, NLT)

No one likes going through hard times, but James tells us to think about trials differently. He says we should see our difficulties as a chance to experience joy, because of the good that come out of them when we respond in the right way. Trials test our faith, which can cause our endurance to grow, and when our stick-to-it-tiveness has fully developed, our faith will be complete and we will be in good condition to serve God, no matter what life throws our way.

Think of it like building muscle…the only way to get stronger than you are today, is by forcing your muscles to work under greater stress. Your muscles won’t like it; you may even be sore from doing more push-ups and sit-ups, cramp after running longer distances or ache from lifting heavier weights, but with a little time and practice, you will develop more muscle and will become stronger.

The same is true of our spiritual body that is true of our physical body. If we want to have a stronger faith than we have today, we need to exercise our faith muscle…and trials are the ‘weights’ we are required to lift. Some people give up when things get tough, just like some people give up when their muscles begin to ache; however, without enough exercise our spiritual faith muscle and our physical muscle grow flabby because they aren’t being used.

The next time something less than pleasant happens, remember, God is giving you an opportunity to grow in your faith…and that is a cause for joy!

Think about it...
• Our muscles don’t grow and can even become flabby when we don’t use them. How do we use our physical muscles? How do we use our spiritual muscles?
• James tells us we shouldn’t try to avoid difficult times because they can have a good purpose. What good can result from experiencing trials?
• Many times, we try to avoid difficulties because they make us uncomfortable or they’re painful, so we give up. James tells us that trials produce endurance…why is that important for a Christian?
• When our faith is strong and circumstances no longer cause us to question God’s goodness and His love for us, James tells us we will no longer need anything. What does that mean?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that you will help us to grow in our faith and thank you, too, that you don’t waste an opportunity to show us how we can learn to be more like Jesus. None of us wants to experience trials, but I thank you that they have a purpose. Help me to develop stick-to-it-tiveness!
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~ Pastor Jane

"Heroes of the Bible” – How old do you have to be before you can become king? Well, in Josiah’s case he was only eight years old! And more surprisingly, he may have been the best king Israel and Judah ever had…

Today’s Lesson - “King Josiah—No One Like Him”

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zbOLxBHhvkA (Saddleback Kids – Josiah)
Today’s Hero – Josiah (2 Kings 22-23:25)

Josiah came from a long line of kings. Some were good, but others were very bad. One of the worst kings, was Josiah’s own grandfather, Manasseh, who ruled Judah for 55 years—he had lots of time to create a really big mess. Josiah’s own father took after his father, Manasseh, but only reigned as king for two years before he was assassinated by his own officials. The people were not happy with the conspirators and had them killed before making Amon’s son, Josiah, king in his place.

Even though many in his family had worshipped false gods, King Josiah was serious about serving God. Eighteen years after he became king, a scroll containing God’s laws was found in the Temple. But when Josiah heard what it contained, he knew they were in trouble. They hadn’t been obeying God the way they were supposed to. King Josiah set to work removing all the false gods, fixing the Temple and having people once again worship God the way they were supposed to, even celebrating the Passover for the first time in many years. God blessed King Josiah and promised that there would be peace during his lifetime as king—punishment was coming to the nation of Judah, but God would wait until Josiah was no longer king.

Engage:
• Josiah’s family worshipped many false gods. How might Josiah have come to know about God?
• He became king at the age of eight. Do you think you could be a good king/queen at eight years of age? What would you do?
• After being king for eighteen years, when the lost scroll containing the law was found, Josiah knew he needed to make some drastic changes. What did he do?
• God was pleased with King Josiah. What promise did God make to him?

Theme verses:
2 Kings 23:25, NLT - “Never before had there been a king like Josiah, who turned to the LORD with all his heart and soul and strength, obeying all the laws of Moses. And there has never been a king like him since.”

Prayer – Dear God, thank you for Josiah. Even though his father and grandfather had been terrible kings, Josiah was a good king—in fact, one of the best that Israel and Judah ever had. No matter what we experience in life, we can make good changes, just like Josiah.
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~ Pastor Jane

Season: The Book of James
Episode 1: “Jesus Had Brothers and Sisters?!”
Today’s Bible Bite: Matthew 13:55-57

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s63yZxOXGZw (CQ Kids – Did Jesus Have Any Brothers or Sisters?)

“This letter is from James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (James 1:1, NLT)

Many people forget the fact that after Jesus was born, his parents had more children. In fact, the Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph had four sons (James, Joseph, Simon and Jude) and at least two daughters (whose names we are not told). Growing up in the same house with Jesus, however, did not necessarily convince His brothers and sisters of His true identity—the Son of God. We know that at one point while Jesus was teaching, his brothers showed up determined to take him away; they believed He was acting crazy (Mark 3:20-21). At another time, they showed their unbelief by mocking him (John 7:1-5); they did not believe He was the Messiah. However, that all changed for at least two of His brothers—James and Jude, both authors of letters found in today’s Bible.

After Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected, He showed Himself to a number of people to prove that He was alive again…one of whom was His brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7). Though James may have doubted that Jesus was the Messiah earlier, he became fully convinced and even became a leader in the early Church. He wrote the Book of James, which was really a letter to all the Jewish believers. He knew how hard it had been for him to accept Jesus as the Messiah, and he didn’t want anyone to miss out on the truth. The Messiah had come! All who believe in Him are required not just to have a knowledge of God and to strictly adhere to the Jewish laws; they are required to have a change of heart.

Think about it...
• Mary's first child was Jesus, who was God’s Son. How many children did she have with her husband Joseph?
• Jesus’ brothers and sisters didn’t automatically believe there was anything special about Him. Why did they think He was actually crazy or just wanting attention?
• Jesus wanted to convince His brother James of who He was. How did He do this?
• James came to believe that Jesus was the Messiah. How do we know this?

Prayer: Thank you, God, that I can be part of your family, not because of sharing the same parents, but because of believing in Jesus. Anyone can be your child. Thank you, Jesus, for being obedient to God even when others didn’t believe you were truly God’s Son.
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~ Pastor Jane

"Heroes of the Bible” – Many of the Israelite kings, both of Israel and Judah, followed Solomon’s example and did not serve God faithfully. However, there were some exceptions. King Hezekiah was one who served God, just like David had.
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Today’s Lesson - “King Hezekiah—Good Like David”

Video Story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XdIbvK42nw (Superbook – Hezekiah Prays)
Today’s Hero – Hezekiah (2 Kings 18-20)

King Hezekiah was a good king, even though his father had done at a lot of damage and had encouraged the people of Judah to worship false gods. He loved God and trusted Him with all of his heart and destroyed all the bad places of worship his father and other previous kings had set-up. God blessed him and helped him, but King Hezekiah’s reign was not an easy one.

Chapter 18, 19 – At the time of King Hezekiah’s rule, King Sennacherib of Assyria was trying to conquer as much land and other nations that he could. He wanted to be the biggest and the best. He overthrew the nation of Israel after holding a siege against the city that lasted three years—the people finally surrendered when the food had completely run out and they were starving. Next, the Assyrian army moved onto Judah, planning to do the same thing.

Sennacherib’s military general tried to discourage the people of Judah and King Hezekiah. He told them they might as well give up without a fight, because eventually Assyria would take them captive just as they had done to Israel and to many other nations. He even told them not to bother trusting God to help them—none of the other gods had been able to stop the Assyrian army, so why should the people of Judah think things would end differently for them?

But King Hezekiah didn’t panic. He went straight to the Temple and prayed. And God sent the prophet Isaiah to give him an answer. God had heard all that the general and King Sennacherib had been saying and God was going to defend Judah Himself. The Assyrians didn’t stand a chance against God. That night the Angel of the Lord went into the Assyrian camp and the next morning, those who were still alive discovered that 185,000 people had died in the night. Needless to say, they never did attack Judah and went back to Assyria.

Chapter 20 – Shortly after this, however, king Hezekiah became sick and the prophet Isaiah told him that he would soon die. Hezekiah didn’t feel ready and prayed that God would heal him. God gave Isaiah a new message; God was going to allow Hezekiah to live for an additional 15 years. To prove that the message was true, God made the shadow created on the floor to go back in time! Hezekiah knew that God would do what He promised.

However, on hearing that king Hezekiah had been sick, the king of Babylon had sent a get well present to Hezekiah. He was so pleased with his visitors that he showed the Babylonians all of Judah’s treasures. This boasting did not make God happy and He told Hezekiah, that at some point in the future, the Babylonians would return and they would conquer Judah, just as the Assyrians had conquered Israel.

Engage:
• King Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father, had been a wicked king. Why does the Bible say that Hezekiah was a better ruler?
• The Assyrians wanted to conquer all the nations around them including the country of Judah. What did Hezekiah do when they came threatening him?
• When Hezekiah got sick, God had Isaiah tell him that he was going to die. What did God do when Hezekiah prayed?
• Hezekiah pleased God because he trusted Him. How can we learn to trust God?

Theme verses:
2 Kings 18:3, NLT - “Hezekiah did what was pleasing in the LORD’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.”

Prayer – Dear God, thank you for the examples in the Bible of people of trusted you and show us that when bad things happen or threaten us, the best response is always to pray. Help us to be faithful to you like King Hezekiah.
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~ Pastor Jane