Prophet Elijah Part 1 and Disciple Peter
Psalm 46 v 1 God is our refuge
re-told by Debbie Dunn
Story highlights:
* God helps His beloved children in times of stress-sickness-trouble
* God fed Prophet Elijah through ravens & a widow during drought
* Peter was able to walk on water until he took his eyes off Jesus
Bible tale:
By a show of hands, how
many of you have ever experienced some help in times of trouble that you
believe was due to how much God truly loves us?
I know that is true for
me. How about you?
Just like in the Bible,
we can turn to God, in big and little ways, to help keep us safe.
There is a wonderful
Bible verse that states:
Psalm 46:1 (NLT) God is our refuge and strength, always
ready to help in times of trouble.
Question: What does refuge mean?
ourself playing Hide-and-Seek. Just like you try to find a safe hiding place for yourself, God guides us to find safe hiding places, as well.
RINGLEADER: What Bible story shows ...
Group
repeats]
... God hiding someone from danger?
[Group repeats
There was a prophet
named Elijah. An evil king and queen, King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, wished to
kill Elijah.
RINGLEADER: How did God keep him safe?
[Group
repeats]
Our Heavenly Father God
told this to Elijah:
GOD: Elijah, go to the east and hide by a brook of water that flows into the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.
Elijah obeyed God. He
walked until he reached that safe hiding place by that brook of water.
RINGLEADER: How did he find food?
[Group
repeats]
We learn in 1 Kings
17 that God sent Raven birds to bring Elijah bread and meat every morning
and every evening.
Question: What color are Raven birds?
Answer: Black
Question: What kind of American birds look like Ravens?
Answer: Crows
RINGLEADER: How long did this go on?
[Group repeats]
Elijah might have hid
there for a few weeks or a few months. In any case, those Raven birds brought
Elijah food until the brook completely dried up during a period without rain.
Question: What "D" word describes when there is no rain for a long period of time?
Answer: Drought. Also accept dehydration.
RINGLEADER: Where did he hide out next?
[Group repeats]
GOD: Elijah, go and live in this far-away city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.
RINGLEADER: Was that widow rich?
[Group repeats]
No, she was so poor
that she only had enough oil and flour to make one last tiny meal of bread for
her son and herself. After that, she was sure that the two of them would starve
to death.
RINGLEADER: How did she find food?
[Group repeats]
God made this promise
to Elijah and the poor widow and her son.
GOD: Elijah, tell the widow this. Don't be afraid! There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!
RINGLEADER: How long did this go on?
[Group repeats]
For about 3 years,
there was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the
Lord had promised through Elijah.
RINGLEADER: Who else did God save from danger?
[Group repeats]
One evening, Jesus told
His disciples to take a boat out onto the water while He went off to pray to
His Father in Heaven.
After a while, a storm
began tossing the boat back and forth in the waves.
RINGLEADER: How did they stay safe?
[Group
repeats]
Jesus headed toward
them by walking on the water.
RINGLEADER: Were the disciples scared?
[Group repeats]
Yes, they actually
thought they were seeing a ghost instead of Jesus. But Jesus replied:
JESUS: Don't be afraid. Take courage. I am here.
RINGLEADER: What happened next?
[Group repeats]
In Matthew 14,
the disciple named Peter said to Jesus:
DISCIPLE PETER: Lord,
if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water.
JESUS: Yes, walk to me.
RINGLEADER: Was Peter brave enough to obey?
[Group repeats]
At first, he sure was.
He climbed out of the boat. Keeping his eyes on Jesus, Peter actually took a
few steps on the water.
RINGLEADER: Did something bad happen?
[Group repeats]
Yes. When Peter took
his eyes off Jesus to look at the strong wind and waves, he gave in to his
fear. As a result, Peter began to sink.
RINGLEADER: What did Peter do next?
[Group repeats]
Peter wisely called out
to Jesus. He shouted:
DISCIPLE PETER: Save
me, Lord!
RINGLEADER: Did Jesus save Peter from drowning?
[Group repeats]
Of course. Jesus
reached out his hand, grabbed Peter, and pulled him safely into the boat. Then,
Jesus said:
JESUS: Peter, you have so little faith. Why did you doubt me?
Then, the wind stopped.
The water was still. The disciples worshipped Jesus and declared to each other:
DISCIPLES: Jesus really
is the Son of God!
By a show of hands, who
also believes that Jesus truly is the Son of God?
Next week, we will hear
about some more ways that people in the Bible were saved from danger by God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Question: Any questions or comments?
Are you a Bible enthusiast or do you lead a Youth Group or Family Bible Study? To get a FREE PDF download of this story, click on this link below:
Free PDF download of About Elijah part 1 & Disciple Peter.
Do you want more stories about prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, & Nathan? If so, visit the More Prophets of Israel chapter from my EXPLORE BIBLE STORY dot org website.
Click here to get more stories about prophets like Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, & Nathan.
My ever-expanding Explore Bible Story dot org website includes Bible stories and Biblical Family Trees about
- Creation, Adam, & his Descendants
- Noah, the Ark, & the Flood
- Abraham & Sarah
- Isaac & Rebekah, Esau & Jacob
- Jacob & his 4 wives
- 12 sons of Jacob who became known as the 12 Tribes of Israel
- Moses who was from the line of Levi
- Joshua who became leader of Israelites after death of Moses
- 12 Judges of Israel including Deborah, Gideon, & Samson
- Kings of Israel including Saul, David, & Solomon
- 4 Major Prophets of Israel: Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
- 12 Minor Prophets of Israel
- More Prophets of Israel: Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, & Elisha
- Women from Old & New Testament
- Jesus Christ, our Messiah, Lord, Savior, & King of king
- 12 Disciples of Jesus
- Apostle Paul & other Significant Followers of Christ
- Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
- The Free Gift of Salvation & The Sinner's Prayer
- About Website: Explore Bible Story.org
- About the author: Debbie Dunn
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