Heroes of the Faith, Part 7Sample

Do Something about It

Bible story: Hezekiah and Nehemiah - 2 Kings 18:1-8, 20:1-11, 2 Chronicles 29:1-19, 29:35-36, Nehemiah 1:1-2:5

Theme verse: John 15:15

Now we are going to look at two Heroes of the Faith. So far, we have mostly learned how to obey God and follow His leading and pursue Him. Those are all wonderful things that we need to continually work on throughout our lives. But God does not want us to wait for Him to tell us to do things all the time (Psalms 32:9).

Neither of the two heroes we are looking at today heard God’s voice or were told to do what they did. Both saw a need and decided to do something about it. Hezekiah became king at 25 years old, and he saw how Israel had rejected God and allowed the temple to be in disrepair. These bothered him, so he made a decision and led the people to work on cleaning and fixing the temple.

He also went throughout the country and destroyed all the idols, telling people to worship the one true God. Similarly, many years later after Israel had been in exile for a long time, Nehemiah heard that the wall of Jerusalem was in ruins and the people were in disgrace. He was not originally a leader, but something bothered him, and he decided to do something about it. After praying and fasting and seeking God, he asked the king of Persia for permission and provisions to go to Jerusalem to fix the wall. Once in Jerusalem, he gathered all the Israelites living in Jerusalem and organized the rebuilding project, despite opposition from the neighboring people.

Jesus said that He wants us to love each other and that, like friends knowing His business, He entrusts us to pursue good for His people (John 15:12-17). Someday, if not already, you may begin to have a dream. There may be some injustice in the world, something missing in the church, people who are hurting on the streets, children who need homes and families, people who have not heard about our wonderful and loving God, or people who need help. What bothers you? What makes you cry or keeps you up late at night thinking about it? Perhaps it not only bothers you, but it bothers God and He is inviting you to join in His business. Don’t simply wait for instructions, although you should obey God if He tells you to wait. Otherwise, start praying about it. Ask Him for the training you need and for help and guidance in the project. Look for people doing something about it and find ways to join them. If there is no one doing anything about it, then lead the way! Don’t wait until you feel ready because you may never feel completely ready. And don’t think that God can’t use you right now. (1 Timothy 4:12).

Don’t worry about what you cannot do; look for what you CAN do and start right away!

I choose to ask God for help then do something about the things in the world that bother me.

Questions:

1. Do you see something in your community or school that is wrong? What can you do?

2. Did Hezekiah and Nehemiah take the initiative, or did they simply obey God?

3. Should I get involved with other peoples’ business and problems?

Application to Life:

Look around at the world and find something that bothers you. Pray for God to help the people involved, praying for justice, peace, and love. Then look for some way you can help, like talking about something God did for you recently, donating your money to an organization, giving away one of your possessions, or defending someone on social media.

Want more?

This reading plan is taken from Equip & Grow's children's curriculum. Enjoy this plan at home, and then do the full curriculum at church with student books, games, crafts, songs, decorations, and more!

https://www.childrenareimportant.com/heroes/