A Lesson for Families on Giving Thanks

This week’s lesson focuses on when God provided manna and quail for the Israelites in the wilderness. Instead of responding with gratitude, they complained. They forgot the way God had provided for them (and was continuing to provide for them) and, instead, got caught up in complaining about their circumstances. How often do we do the same thing? We need to remember that God is always with us, He will always take care of us, and that can help us to be THANKFUL in the midst of our circumstances.

So, give thanks . . . 🙂

Cheri

Opening Activity

Have a “Manna Hunt”. Beforehand, put a bunch of cotton balls (or marshmallows, popcorn, or anything you have on hand) around your house or outside in your yard. Give everyone a bucket and instruct them to go gather up the manna for the day! Who can get the most? How long does it take to get all the manna gathered? Discuss how God provided manna every day for the Israelites while they were in the wilderness. What do you think it would be like to trust God for your food every day? What kinds of things do you trust God for every day?

The Lesson

Watch today’s GamFam Productions Video – Kitchen Daydreams.

Discussion Questions

Read Numbers 11:4-9, 31-35. Use the following questions to aid in your discussion:

How did God provide for the people while they were in the wilderness?
How did the people respond to this?
Why do you think they responded as they did?
What happened when God provided quail for them to eat?
What ways has God provided for you in the past?
Even if things are absolutely horrible, we know that God has provided the best gift possible — the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ! Read John 3:16-17. How can remembering Jesus keep you from complaining in the midst of life’s circumstances?

This passage shows how God was providing for the Israelites after they left Egypt. He had their lives in His hands and He was taking good care of them. Yet they complained. They complained about the food that God was providing and they complained about having to leave Egypt (even though God took them out of a terrible situation!)

God also takes care of us! He has our lives in His hands and He is with us every day. And, He provided Jesus to be the sacrifice for our sins so that we could some day be in heaven with Him. We have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we?

We need to be careful to not become like the Israelites. We need to be careful to not look at our current circumstances and fail to see the God who loves us and is taking care of us through those circumstances. God is always with us, He will always take care of us, and He gave us the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ – so instead of complaining, let’s GIVE THANKS!

What are some things that you are thankful for today?

Additional Activities

Use the cotton balls (or popcorn or marshmallows) to create a piece of art that gives thanks to God! Get out a variety of paint and then use the cotton balls (or popcorn, marshmallows, etc) to paint with and create something that reflects the thanks you want to express to the Lord. Be creative and have fun!

Use sidewalk chalk and chalk up your sidewalk with thanks to God! Fill up your sidewalk with pictures and words of thanksgiving!

Make a manna and quail snack! You can use anything you have on hand . . . frosted flakes or biscuits . . . anything at all. The important thing is to have fun while talking about the lesson!