God, Our Protector
God is always there
by Alison Groves
Suitable for Whole School (Pri) - Church Schools
Aims
To encourage us to consider that we can trust in God’s strength and power.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (God, Our Protector) and the means to display them.
- You will also need to be familiar with the Bible story of Elisha and the army of angels (2 Kings 6). The story is included in the ‘Assembly’, Step 6.
Assembly
- Explain that you are going to show the children a series of pictures. Ask the children to look at the pictures carefully, name the characters and identify the special powers or abilities that they possess.
- Show Slides 1-12 in turn. (The alternate slides give the answers.)
- Ask the children, ‘What type of situations do we experience when we feel that we could do with some special protection or help?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Suggestions could include sitting tests, being afraid of the dark, receiving medical treatment and so on. - Point out that although we don’t have special superhero powers or abilities, Christians believe that God is always with them and that he promises them his protection. That is better than any other help or protection that we could imagine.
- Ask the children whether they know what a prophet is. Go on to explain that prophets are special people who receive messages from God and pass them on to the people. The Bible contains stories about several prophets, but one of the best-known prophets is called Elisha.
- Tell the following story about Elisha and the army of angels.
Ancient Aram had been at war with Israel for a long time. The king of Aram was very disturbed. Every time he made a plan to attack a particular city or army, it seemed that Elisha the prophet already knew about it! Because of this, Aram’s king decided to send a large group of soldiers to the city of Dothan to capture Elisha so that he wouldn’t be able to help the people to win any more wars. Aram’s king sent horses and chariots to surround the city secretly at night.
Early the next morning, Elisha got up and took his servant to the city wall. They saw that a massive army of horses and chariots had surrounded the city. The servant was terrified, but Elisha wasn’t scared.
Elisha looked at the surrounding army and said to his servant, ‘Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’
The servant didn’t understand what Elisha was talking about, so Elisha prayed that God would open the servant’s eyes to be able to see. Suddenly, the servant looked up and to his surprise, he saw that the hills surrounding the armies were full of horses and chariots of fire. The servant realized that they were not alone. God was protecting them! - When Elisha was facing the attack from the invading army, he was not afraid because he could see the army of God’s angels surrounding the battle area. Christians believe that when we are afraid and feel like we are all alone, we can always remember that God is close beside us. We may not be able to see him, but he is always there.
Time for reflection
Show Slide 13.
Explain that these are some of the promises that we read in the Bible. Read each one slowly and then pause for the children to reflect upon the words.
‘When you lie down, you will not be afraid, when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.’ (Proverbs 3.24)
Pause to allow time for thought.
‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’ (John 14.27)
Pause to allow time for thought.
‘For I hold you by your right hand. I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’ (Isaiah 41.13)
Pause to allow time for thought.
We may think that when we are in a difficult situation, we need to rely on our own abilities to overcome our problems. However, the Bible makes it clear that we are not alone. God is always with us and we can put our trust in him.
Remind the children that God has placed others around us to help. If we face difficult situations, it is always good to talk to someone about it.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you that you are always with us.
Even when we feel like you are not there, help us to trust you.
Help us always to take the time to help others when they are sad or struggling.
Help us to protect one another.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Wonderful Lord’ by Doug Horley, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qZWK8ZE2Pk (3.23 minutes long)
