Personal connection comes through honesty. The psalmists understood this better than anyone. From the pages of the Psalms leap lament and joy, anger and mercy—honest cries to the God who hears us and knows us.
During this series, you and the kids you lead will discover more from the Psalms about the unchanging character of God—the loving, caring, faithful shepherd—and your identity as His kids, wonderfully and purposefully created. Together you’ll come to God like the psalmists of old with singing, shouting, and crying out your prayers and praises to the One who is worthy!
If Jesus prayed the Psalms, they are worthy of our attention.
Series Invitation
I despised poetry.
When I was a student, poetry meant endless dithering over the nuance of words, the rhythm of verse, or the subtleties of expression. It did not come easily to me!
Yet the older I get, the more I appreciate poetic conciseness. When praying the Psalms, I find that I bring my honest self before God. A psalm can catch me off-guard with a direct request to God: “Help!” Or perhaps the writer will say with self-assurance, “I know you’ve got my back!”
The Psalms have an outsized role in early Christian worship, yet this may be the first time you teach them to children or youth. You will find in Psalms a large spectrum of emotion: joy, despair, triumph, sorrow, even doubt. Do you imagine that God is pleased by our open and honest prayers?
Early Christians had Psalms on their lips. Even Jesus, when He was suffering excruciating loss, called out the words of a psalm (see Matthew 27:46 and Psalm 22:1). If Jesus prayed the Psalms, they are worthy of our attention.
And what a treasure they are! No matter your state of mind, there is a psalm which can give voice to your feelings and help you to pray. As you prepare to study God’s character through poetry, maybe it’s time that you give poetry a new chance. Is there an emotion you have struggled to express to God? Could this present an opportunity to find your voice?
Wonder Ink’s 3-year, 52-week children’s ministry curriculum offers kids space to fully find their place in God’s Big Story. Children discover they are Known by God, Loved by Jesus, and Led by the Holy Spirit.
Check Out These Helpful Resources!
Curriculum Resources
- Top 10 Reasons to Try Wonder Ink Children’s Curriculum for Free
- 5 Things that Make a Great Children’s Curriculum
- Why You Need to Make Sure You’re Using a Bible-Based Children’s Curriculum
- Wonder Ink Orientation
Teaching and Leading Children
- Unpacking the Wonder-filled Kaleidoscope Called Identity
- Bringing the Bible to Life in Your Children’s Ministry
- What If We’re Failing Kids at Faith Formation? And How Not To
- Moving Beyond the Behavior: Getting to the Heart in Your Children’s Ministry
