God Takes Care of Me (First Steps Devotions) (7 page)

When have you been really hungry? What happened?

Who took care of you?

Elijah was a prophet of God. He told people to obey God.
Many times people disobeyed God anyway. Then Elijah had to tell them that God
was going to punish them for disobeying Him. People did not like to hear that.

King Ahab was a very bad king. He did not think he had to
obey God. One day Elijah went to see King Ahab.

“I’m a servant of the living LORD,” he said. “It won’t rain
until I say so,” The land became very dry. There was no food for anyone to eat.

God told Elijah to go to a brook. The ravens would feed him
there. So that was what Elijah did. In the morning the ravens fed him. And in
the evening the ravens fed him. God took good care of Elijah. He could even get
a drink of water from the brook when he was thirsty.

Describe a time when God helped feed someone who was hungry.

How did God do it?

Why do you think God would help feed a hungry person?

Why do you pray before you eat? How does God give you the
food you eat?

Thank You for taking care of us, God. Thank You for giving
us our food each day.

What is the most money you ever had?

What would you do if you did not have any money?

The woman was scared. Her husband had loved God. But he was
dead. The woman did not have any money. And she and her husband owed a lot of
money. A man was going to take her sons as slaves to pay back what she owed.
The woman asked Elisha, the prophet, to help her.

“What do you have in your house?” Elisha asked her. “Nothing
but a small bottle of olive oil,” the woman told Elisha. “Ask your neighbors
for their empty jars,” Elisha told her. “Go home. Then begin filling the jars
with oil.”

The woman and her sons borrowed many jars. Then she poured
oil into each one. “Sell the oil and use part of the money to pay what you
owe,” Elisha told the woman. “You and your sons can live on what is left.”

God provided a miracle just when the woman needed it. He
took care of her.

Name a time when God took care of someone’s need.

What happened?

Can God help you when you need help? Why?

What should you do when you have a big need?

Dear God, thank You for taking care of all my needs. Help me
to trust You more. I know You will always take care of me.

Have you ever done the right thing and gotten in trouble?
Why?

Have you ever obeyed God and had problems?

Jerusalem was the city of God. The people of Israel loved
Jerusalem. But when they disobeyed God, other nations destroyed Jerusalem.

Nehemiah wanted to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem. He
told some of the people of Israel about his plans. They agreed to help. But
their enemies did not want the people of Israel to rebuild the walls. They
started making fun of the Israelites.

“Look at the wall,” one man yelled. “Why, even a fox could
knock over this pile of stones.”

But the wall kept going up. Nehemiah and the people asked
God to give them strength. So Nehemiah set up men to keep guard day and night
to protect those working on the wall.

The walls around Jerusalem were rebuilt. God kept the people
safe. They were doing God’s work.

Do you think you would ever have problems if you were doing
what God wanted? Why? Why not?

What should you do if you are doing what God wants and are
having problems?

Dear God, I want to do Your work. I want to do what You want
me to do. Show me what You want. Help me not to lose faith in You. Keep
watching over me.

Who are your best friends?

How do your friends help you?

Why did God give you friends?

Jeremiah was a prophet. He lived at a sad time. Many people
disobeyed God. God was going to punish them. God told Jeremiah to tell the
people what was going to happen.

Jeremiah sent for his friend Baruch. Baruch wrote down what
Jeremiah told him. Baruch then read the words in the house of the Lord. He also
read them to the princes in the king’s house.

“The king needs to hear this,” they told Baruch. “You and
Jeremiah must go into hiding and don’t tell anyone where you are.”

The princes read to the king what Baruch had written. King
Jehoiakim became so angry that he cut the scroll into pieces and threw them
into the fire. Then King Jehoiakim told some men to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah.
But they were hiding. Baruch was a good friend to Jeremiah. He did what
Jeremiah asked him, and he helped protect Jeremiah. The princes helped Baruch
and Jeremiah, too, by telling them to hide from the king. God gave Jeremiah
helpful friends.

Tell about a time God used one of your friends to help you.

Have you thanked God for your friends?

Have you asked God to give you good friends?

Dear God, thank You for giving me good friends. Give me more
good friends. Help me to know when to listen to my friends.

Have you ever done anything because everyone was doing it?
Why?

King Nebuchadnezzar wanted everyone to worship the statue
that he had made. But Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego wanted to obey God.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were brought to King
Nebuchadnezzar. The king told them that if they did not worship the statue,
they would be thrown into a furnace. “We won’t worship your gods and the gold
statue you have set up,” Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said. “The God we
worship can save us from you and your flaming furnace.”

King Nebuchadnezzar was furious. He commanded that the
furnace be turned up seven times hotter than normal! Then Shadrach, Meshach,
and Abednego were tied up and thrown into the furnace. When the king looked
into the furnace, he was amazed. King Nebuchadnezzar shouted, “I see
four
men walking around in the fire. None of them is
harmed, and the fourth one looks like a god.”

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego went against everyone, even
the king. And God kept them safe.

Have you ever disobeyed God when you wanted to obey Him?
Why?

What made you disobey God?

Would you obey God when everyone else was disobeying Him?
Why? Why not?

Dear God, sometimes it is hard to obey You when everyone
else is disobeying You. Help me always to obey You. Help me to always remember
that You will protect me when I obey Your commands.

When was the last time you were mad at someone?

Why were you mad?

Did you try to get even? Why?

King Darius wanted to put Daniel in charge of his entire
kingdom. But the king’s other leaders did not like that. They told the king to
make a new rule: anyone who prays to any god or man except you will be thrown
into the lions’ den. These men knew that Daniel prayed to God every day. They
wanted to get Daniel in trouble.

Daniel kept praying. So the king had to put Daniel in the
lions’ den. Early the next morning the king went to see him. “Was your God able
to save you from the lions?” King Darius called out. “My God sent an angel to
keep the lions from eating me,” Daniel answered.

The king was thrilled! He commanded that Daniel be taken out
of the lions’ den. Then the king commanded that the men who had tried to hurt
Daniel be put in the lions’ den. God took care of Daniel. And He punished
Daniel’s enemies, too.

Should we try to get even with people who are mean, or
should we let God punish evildoers? Why?

Describe a time you wanted to hurt someone who was mean to
you but God took care of the problem.