God Meets Our Needs

During Sunday school this month, our children are learning that God is with us in times of change. There memory verse this month is Psalm 100:5, "Because the LORD is good, his loyal love lasts forever; his faithfulness lasts generation after generation." I encourage you to work on this verse together at home this month. Place it on your refrigerator or on the mirror in the bathroom. Say it together every time your child gets a snack from the fridge or brushes their teeth or washes their hands. Hiding God's Word in our hearts is important for Christians. You can help your child learn the importance of memorizing scripture.

This week's lesson was about how God was with the Children of Israel in the wilderness. They learned how God provided manna and quail to feed the people. God was concerned about the needs of the Israelites, and  God took care to meet those needs. God cares about our needs, too. Talk with your child about needs we have and ways that God meets them. Thank God for the way God meets our needs each and every day.

If your child is old enough, you can also talk about ways that God can use us to meet the needs of others. You can even find a way to help someone in need this week.

Our church is going to be collecting shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. This ministry provides Chirstmas gifts to children around the world who otherwise would not receive anything for Christmas. Take your children shopping for items to include in a shoebox. Ideas for what to include (and what NOT to include) can be found here. Talk to you child about how Christmas will be more special this year for one little boy or girl because they have chosen to send them some things that they need. You can pack the box together and bring it to church during the collection period. We will gather the boxes and deliver them next month.

Another idea would be to pack large ziploc bags or even plastic grocery bags with basic items that could help a homeless person. You could include bottled water, packs of crackers, travel size toiletries, fleece blankets (which can be purchased from the dollar store), lip balm, etc. You can also let your child draw a picture or write a note of encouragement to the person. You can pray for the person who will receive the bag, asking God to bless them. The next time you see someone asking for money on an exit ramp or somewhere else around town, you can give them the bag. You can explain to your children that by sharing these items, you are sharing Jesus' love and helping God meet the needs of others.

There are plenty of other ways to help God meet the needs of people. Use your imagination, do a google search, listen to ads on K-Love and Air1. The sky is the limit when it comes to helping. It can be as simple or as involved as you want. What we do isn't important. What is important is that we do something!