Conclusion: Protection

CONNECT

Let’s try an experiment.

Prepare:

• A half-filled bowl of water
• An empty glass
• Two pieces of tissue paper

First, put one piece of tissue paper in the water. You can see that it will soak up the water and become wet.

Next, put the dry tissue paper inside the bottom of the glass. Turn the glass upside down and put it in the water. Did the tissue paper get wet? It should not get wet. If it did, try again.

This is an illustration of how God protects His people. Without God’s protection, we are open to the dangers of the world, just like the soaked tissue paper. But with God’s protection (the glass), we can be safe even if there is danger around us.

Let’s read about what happened to Paul when he was in a dangerous situation.

READ THE WORD

When we were safe on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The people of the island were unusually kind. It was raining and cold. So they built a fire and welcomed all of us. Paul gathered some sticks and put them on the fire. A poisonous snake was driven out by the heat. It fastened itself on Paul’s hand. The people of the island saw the snake hanging from his hand. They said to one another, “This man must be a murderer. He escaped from the sea. But the female god Justice won’t let him live.” Paul shook the snake off into the fire. He was not harmed. The people expected him to swell up. They thought he would suddenly fall dead. They waited for a long time. But they didn’t see anything unusual happen to him. So they changed their minds. They said he was a god. Acts 28:1–6

Imagine being bitten by a snake! The people living on the island saw what happened to Paul. A snake bit him, and they expected him to die. Miraculously, Paul did not die and was not even harmed. The miracle does not end there. Paul met some local people, and the father of one of them was sick. When Paul prayed for him, he was healed. This led to the healing of many other sick people on the island.

God is able to protect those who follow Him. His protection can come in different forms. This does not mean that no harm can fall upon us. Paul was still shipwrecked and was bitten by a snake. In this case, he was protected from the snake’s venom. There are times when God will rescue us from physical harm, but He also allows certain things to come upon us, and He protects us in other ways. The best news is that He protects those who put their faith in Jesus Christ for their forgiveness from judgment and hell. Even if God chooses not to protect us from physical harm, He protects believers from eternal harm. Do you believe this?

HUDDLE

Parents to Kids

2–6 years old

• Do you believe God will protect you? Why?

7–12 years old

• Has God ever protected you? Tell us about it. (As the kids share, it also becomes an exercise for them to remember and declare God’s mighty work in their lives.)

Kids to Parents

• Think of a time when God protected you from harm or any form of danger. Share this with us.

We have been studying how God can work miraculously in our lives. God meets us in supernatural ways, and as His children, we can open our lives to Him for Him to work His miracles through us. Let's always remember that His miracles are not meant to end with us. They are meant to draw people to Him, to know Him, and to experience His love for them. Just as Paul did not let the miracle end with him but used the miracle to share God’s message with others, let us ask the Holy Spirit to keep our eyes open for God’s miracles and, through them, to help us share His love with others.

PRAY

Dear God, thank You for Your supernatural work in our lives. Thank You for transforming us and blessing us with spiritual blessings so we can also bless others. Help us to always be open and bold in telling others about You. In Jesus’ name, amen!

DISCOVER

Did you know that aside from Paul’s story, there are many other stories of how God miraculously protected His people in the Bible?

• David killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
• The three young men and the fiery furnace (Daniel 3)
• Daniel in the lions’ den (Daniel 6)
• Baby Moses in the river Nile (Exodus 2)

In every one of these stories, God miraculously protected His people. But the miracle did not end with them. The miracles eventually led the people around them to know God and worship Him.