A few questions for the children (and adults) on yesterday’s story:
He makes me lie down in green pastures
Excerpt From: Susan Hunt. “Sammy and His Shepherd: Seeing Jesus in Psalm 23.”
We are like sheep. We cannot rest in our hearts if we are afraid, but our Good Shepherd has promised that He will never leave us:
“I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5b).
We cannot rest when we are angry with each other. But we can love each other because Jesus first loved us:
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. . . . We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:7, 19).
We cannot rest if we are not peaceful. It’s usually not bugs that bother us. It may be irritations like a younger brother who plays with our toys or an older sister who bosses us. Sometimes we are agitated because we don’t get what we want. But Jesus gives us peace:
“And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure . . . And he shall be their peace” (Micah 5:4−5a).
“We cannot rest when our souls are hungry for love, peace, and joy. Our Good Shepherd has done everything to feed us spiritual food. He is the Bread of Life who satisfies our soul”
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst’” (John 6:35).
We can have rest in our hearts because the Lord is our Shepherd. He will give us everything we need to be happy in Him”
Something to talk about:
- What four things keep sheep from being able to lie down and rest?
- What are some things that cause you to be afraid? What has Jesus promised?
- What makes you angry with others? What does Jesus give us grace to do?
- What makes you agitated and worried? What does Jesus give us?
- What do our souls hunger for? Who is the Bread of Life?
Something to do:
Ask Jesus for grace to trust Him, to love others, to be peaceful, and to be satisfied with Him.