See previous devotionals for tips as to how to open up your devotional time in prayer, etc. For today’s devotional, I do encourage you to find the most complete account of Abraham’s life in a children’s story Bible to share if possible. Otherwise, you can focus on the portions shared in the Verse Highlight. I do recommend looking them up in a translation that will be easy for your kids to follow along with and understand. (If you are interested, you can find a chart that correlates different Bibles with reading levels: https://kidsministry.lifeway.com/2012/08/07/choosing-a-childs-bible-1/ .)
Scripture Focus: Genesis 12-21 Hebrews 11
Verse Highlight: Genesis 12:1-5 “Now the LORD said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’ So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.”
Hebrews 11:8-16 “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised. Therefore there was born even of one man, and him as good as dead at that, as many descendants AS THE STARS OF HEAVEN IN NUMBER, AND INNUMERABLE AS THE SAND WHICH IS BY THE SEASHORE.
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own. And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from which they went out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”
Introduction Questions: What is the most amazing gift that you can imagine receiving? What if I told you that you were going to receive it on your next Birthday? Would you be excited? Would it be hard for you to be patient until your birthday came? What if you waited and when your birthday finally came, you found out that it wasn’t going to be your gift this birthday—but for your birthday fifteen years from now? Would you still be excited to receive it?
Discussion: The Lord gave Abraham and Sarah a great promise. This promise was so big, that it would affect the whole world! That’s pretty awesome! There was a catch, though.
Abraham and Sarah had to wait a long time before the promise would come true. And, a lot would happen as they were waiting. For example: he moved to a different country because of a famine; he fought in a battle to rescue his nephew Lot; he had a son named Ishmael (that was not the son that God promised); he helps Lot escape the destruction of the city he lived in; etc.
Even once Abraham and Sarah had their son Isaac fifteen years after God first gave them the great promise, the promise wasn’t fulfilled. It was still just starting to be fulfilled. In fact, it is still being fulfilled! This is because you and I and everyone who knows the Lord is considered heirs of Abraham. And, God is known as the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”.
There are a lot of lessons we can learn from Abraham and Sarah, but one important one is this: Patience and faith go hand in hand. When we trust the Lord, it means that we trust Him indefinitely. We don’t need to understand when or why or how. Instead, we simply need to do our best to trust Him, follow Him, and live faithfully.
The Lord is faithful and His promises will always come true—just like they did for Abraham and Sarah.
Closing Activity: Spend some time thanking the Lord for His faithfulness. Think of specific times He has been faithful to you or others (even Biblical people) and praise Him for His goodness! Then pray for your family to both see God’s faithfulness personally and to trust the Lord and live faithfully for Him.
Bonus Activity: Sing Father Abraham
“Father Abraham had many sons… I am one of them and so are you, so let’s all praise the Lord.”
Uhh, what? This was a song many people sang as kids without any idea of what it meant. (Myself included!) Hopefully the lesson today helps to clear that up! Remind your kids that because of God’s faithfulness to Abraham, everyone who is part of God’s family is part of Abraham’s family, too—even you! Then, have some crazy fun singing (make sure to do the actions!) the “Father Abraham” song together. Remember: the goal is to have fun, so you may need to set aside your pride in order to have some silly (and perhaps silly looking) fun together. Bonus points for group laughing fits!
You can find the song with lyrics & motions here: