Hands-on Faith for Families– week of January 25, 2016
Theme: Setting Our Eyes on God
Yearning for God
Scripture: “Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).
Play: Make three sets of note cards with the following words/phrases on them: grandparent, best friend, your pastor, grocery store clerk and a neighbor’s cousin. Spread out first stack according to the person you talk to most at the top and the person you talk to the least at the bottom. Arrange the second set in the same way, with the person you most want to be around at the top. Line the third set next to the other two, with the person you most miss at the top. Compare how similar your lists are.
Talk: Prayer is simply talking to God, Who loves you and wants what is best for you. Just as you may miss someone you love when he is gone, your spirit misses God when you do not spend time talking to Him. The Bible often says that this longing to be with God is like being thirsty or hungry. Read Psalm 42:1-2: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” You can go to God in prayer and find Him, just as the deer finds water in a stream when it is thirsty.
Pray: Thank God that He loves you and wants you to learn to talk to Him through prayer. Ask God to teach you how to pray.
— Lee Smedly
