Devotions for Preschoolers on the Prophet Elijah

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Earlier this month we were blessed with a copy of The God Contest by Carl Laferton. This is a fun retelling of the story of Elijah vs. The Prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel. We had so much reading this story, we decided to spend a few more days looking at the life and ministry of Elijah the Prophet. The story of Elijah is one full of miraculous encounters with God that paints a picture of God’s heart for his people. As we pray n’ play through the following stories, we will discover that God is all powerful, he cares for the oppressed, and he cares for us too.

God cares for Elijah

Read:

Read 1 Kings 17:1-6 from your Bible or favorite Story Book Bible.

Pray:

Dear God,

Thank you that you for taking care of Elijah. We trust you to take care of us.

Amen.

Play:

To play through this story we borrowed some inspiration from Kids Faith Cheerleader over on Instagram and made a obstacle course for the ‘birds’ to bring bread to Elijah.

What you need:

• Clothes pins (you can decorate these to look like birds, or just leave them plain).
• Cut-up pieces of bread
• Chairs, ottomans, tables, etc. (For obstacle course).

What you do:

1. Set-up obstacle course using chairs, ottomans, string, etc.

2. Place a bowl with bread on one side, and and empty bowl on the other side.

3. Have littles move the bread from one side of the course to the other using the clothes pin birds. (See video below for reference).

The Widow’s Bread

Read:

Read 1 Kings 17:7-16 from your Bible or favorite Storybook Bible.

Pray:

Dear God,

You care about those who are poor and hungry. Thank you for caring for the widow and her son. Help us to care for those around us.

-Amen

Play:

Ever since my Mother-in-law taught me how to make tortillas de harina, I always think of tortillas when I read this story. Tortillas are a simple bread that is generally just flour, oil, salt, and water. Doesn’t that sound like a certain bread from our Bible story? Mexican Made Meatless hss a fantastic recipe that would work for this story (as well as other fantastic Mexican Food recipes for those looking to eat more plant-based).

Talk to your littles

The God Contest

Read

Read 1 Kings 18: 20-40 from your Bible, favorite Storybook Bible, or The God Contest by Carl Laferton.

Pray

Dear God,

You are the one true God, and we trust in you.

Amen

Play

After reading this story, we were inspired to do a little science experiment to see if wet things can catch fire.

What you need:

• 2 small glass bowls
• 2 tea light candles
• Water
• Lighter

What you do:

1. Place candles into glass bowls.
2. Pour water over one candle
3. Have children guess what will happen when you attempt to light each candle.
4. Light candles. The wet candle should not light.
5. Explain that wet things usually cannot catch fire, but God is so powerful he can make anything catch fire like he did to the sacrifice on Mount Carmel.

Naboth’s Vineyard

This is a bit of a darker story, but I felt lead to study it with my littles after reading the adapted version in the ‘Children’s of God Storybook Bible‘ by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. This story, like most of the stories of Elijah, show God’s heart for the oppressed. When Elijah was being persecuted for speaking the truth, God cared for him. As he travelled around Israel he sent Elijah to a widow, ready to die, and he cared for her. And in the story of Naboth, we see those in power weilding their power to oppress the marginalized. But God is a God of justice. And he cares for the oppressed. He brings justice to Naboth, and in the end Archbishop leads us in the following prayer:

Dear God,

Help me protect the underdog.

-Amen.

Read

If you do not have the Children of God’s Storybook Bible, consider reading this story from your own storybook Bible or listen to one of these kid-friendly adaptations:

–Kids on the Move

–La Viña de Nabot

Help your child look for God in the story (and all these stories). What are these stories telling us about God’s heart and his character?

Pray

Dear God,

Please bring justice to those that have been oppressed by systems and people of power. And guide us to be faithful, to stand with the oppressed when called upon.

-Amen.

Play

Use the ‘Justice’ pages from Yahweh’s Light Prayer Wall color the page and hang it somewhere visible to remind yourself to pray for justice and stand with the oppressed when called upon.

What ways have you played through the story of Elijah with your littles? Comment below!