NCCKids Daily Devotionals | August 31 - September 4
August 31:
Psalm 139:13-14a (NIRV)
For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Discussion Prompt for all children and teens:
Have you ever seen someone knit? (If your child hasn’t, or if they like time-lapse videos here’s a link)
Knitting is a detailed, time-consuming art. The person knitting uses their own hands to create something lovely. Our scripture for today says that when God created you he was like a knitter. God carefully thought out every part of your design! He lovingly made you just the way he wanted you!
God chose the shape of your eyes, which of your toes would be the longest, the color and texture of your hair, the size of your ears… everything about your body! God looked at you when you were born and said you were WONDERFUL!
What feature that God gave you is your favorite?
(Parents, what feature or feature(s) of your child(ren) do you take particular delight in? Be sure and share it with your child(ren).
Additional discussion for teens and/or older children:
Is there any part of your design that you have trouble accepting? Does it help to know that God never makes mistakes and that he created you intentionally?
September 1:
Mark 5:24-34 (NIRV)
A large group of people followed. They crowded around him. A woman was there who had a sickness that made her bleed. It had lasted for 12 years. She had suffered a great deal, even though she had gone to many doctors. She had spent all the money she had. But she was getting worse, not better. Then she heard about Jesus. She came up behind him in the crowd and touched his clothes. She thought, “I just need to touch his clothes. Then I will be healed.” Right away her bleeding stopped. She felt in her body that her suffering was over.
At once Jesus knew that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd. He asked, “Who touched my clothes?”
“You see the people,” his disciples answered. “They are crowding against you. And you still ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”
But Jesus kept looking around. He wanted to see who had touched him. Then the woman came and fell at his feet. She knew what had happened to her. She was shaking with fear. But she told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Dear woman, your faith has healed you. Go in peace. You are free from your suffering.”
Discussion Prompt for young children:
Can you imagine being sick for 12 years? If you got a cold today and it lasted for 12 years, how old would you be when you became well again?
Our scripture for today says that the woman in our story had gone to many doctors and spent all her money trying to get well but she kept getting worse, not better. She couldn’t find anyone or anything that could help her. But then she heard about Jesus. Someone must have told her about all the people he had healed and about how kind and loving he was to those who were sick.
When she found Jesus there was a huge crowd around him. She must have thought ‘there’s no way I‘ll be able to talk to Jesus!’ But she didn’t give up. She had so much faith in Jesus’ power that she knew if she could even just touch his clothes while believing that she would be made well! Wow! What a woman of faith!
Is there anything bothering you? Have you been disappointed recently?
Let’s pray and ask God to give us faith to believe that he will make all things right!
Discussion Prompt for older children and teens:
Can you imagine what it must have been like for the woman who had been sick for 12 years? It would be so awful to feel bad that long. But, to make matters even worse, back in Jesus’ time if you had the type of condition the woman had you would have been considered ‘unclean.’ She would not have been allowed to enter the temple and worship God there with other believers for twelve years. Also, according to the law, anyone she touched or who touched her would be considered ‘unclean’ until they could perform a religious ritual. Can you imagine not being able to touch other people for 12 years? No hugs, no high fives, no kisses on the forehead?
Don’t you think the woman would have been so discouraged when she saw that Jesus was surrounded by a crowd? She had tried everything, spent all of her money, and now she would have to squeeze through the crowd, trying not to touch other people, and get Jesus’ attention without touching him too. She thought to herself ‘I won’t touch him, I’ll just touch his clothing and that will be enough.’ And she was right! Just touching Jesus’ clothes in faith made her well!
But that’s not the end of the story. Jesus knew ‘his power had went out.’ He knew someone had been healed, but he wanted even more for her. Jesus wanted to encourage the woman for her boldness and her faith. He knew she had been isolated and alone. This woman who hadn’t been allowed to go near God’s presence in the temple for 12 years heard the Son of God call her ‘Dear’ and bless her.
Jesus is so loving and so kind. He doesn’t just want you to be healthy and happy, he wants you to know you are loved and dear.
Let’s pray and ask God to help us remember that nothing can ever separate us from His love.
September 2:
Genesis 6:14-17a & 22 (NIRV)
(God is speaking to Noah) Make yourself an ark out of cypress wood. Make rooms in it. Cover it with tar inside and out. Here is how I want you to build it. The ark has to be 450 feet long. It has to be 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it. Leave below the roof an opening all the way around that is a foot and a half high. Put a door in one side of the ark. Make lower, middle and upper decks. I am going to bring a flood on the earth… Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Discussion Prompt for all ages:
Imagine that God said to you ‘I’m going to send a herd of elephants to run through your neighborhood next year. You need to build a huge, stone wall all-around your house to keep the elephants out.’ How would you feel?
Now imagine that you believed God and started building your huge, stone wall. Do you think your neighbors would notice? Would you tell them why you were building the wall?
God asks Noah to do something quite strange in our scripture passage today. Noah must have wondered if he heard God wrong. ‘A huge boat God?’ ‘The flood will cover the WHOLE earth?!’
He must have felt embarrassed when his neighbors saw his huge boat and laughed at him for thinking a flood was coming.
But Noah did everything just as God said. He listened to God even though it was weird and hard.
God probably won’t ask you to build a stone wall to keep out a herd of elephants, but he may ask you to give your money to someone who lost their toys in a fire. Or, he may ask you to tell a bully to leave someone alone, even though it’s scary.
God often asks His people to do strange things to show his power and love. (Parents, can you think of any examples from your life? When has God asked you to step out of your comfort zone? Or, you can talk about Mother Theresa not eating so that the poor could, or St. Anthony of Egypt who obeyed God’s call to live in the desert for nearly 20 years!)
Let’s pray and ask God for the strength to obey him, even when it seems strange.
September 3:
Psalm 18:1-3 (NIRV)
I love you, Lord.
You give me strength.
The Lord is my rock and my place of safety. He is the God who saves me.
My God is my rock. I go to him for safety.
He is like a shield to me. He’s the power that saves me. He’s my place of safety.
I called out to the Lord. He is worthy of praise.
He saved me from my enemies.
Discussion Prompt for younger children:
Psalm 18:1 is such a great reminder to praise God! God is so good to us and he gives us all the strength we need! Let’s see if we can make some hand movements to go along with the verse to help us memorize it.
The verse starts with ‘I love you, Lord.’ Let’s make a heart with our hands when we say ‘I love you’ and make an L with our index finger and thumb when we say ‘Lord.’ Let’s try that part, ‘I love you (make a heart), Lord (make an L).
Next, it says, ‘You give me strength!’ Let’s flex our muscles when we say ‘strength!’
Now, let’s put it all together: I love you (make a heart), Lord (make an L). You give me strength (flex muscles). Awesome! Let’s do it a couple more times until we know it.
Discussion Prompt for older children and teens:
God is a safe place. We can always run to God, no matter what. Our scripture today says that God is our rock. What do you think that means?
(Possible answers: God is strong, never changing, unmovable, unshakable, etc.)
The scripture also says God is like a shield. What do you think that means?
(Possible answers: protects us, covers us, keeps us from harm, etc.)
It’s interesting that the Psalm says God is a place of safety- a rock that we can run to when we need to hide, AND that he is a shield to protect us when we need to fight. No matter what the situation calls for or what God leads you to do while afraid, he will be there to protect you.
Can you think of a time when God protected you?
Let’s pray and thank God for always being there for us.
September 4:
Psalm 1:1-4 (NIRV)
The heavens tell about the glory of God.
The skies show that his hands created them.
Day after day they speak about it.
Night after night they make it known.
But they don’t speak or use words.
No sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into the whole earth.
Their words go out from one end of the world to the other.
Discussion prompt for all ages:
Which do you like better: a sunrise or a sunset?
Isn’t it cool to think that everyone with vision in the whole world can look up and enjoy the clouds? Everyone can sense the power of God in thunder and lightning. No matter where you are in the world you can see twinkling stars and think about how huge creation is.
The sky is one of God’s works of art. He created it as a gift to the whole world- a gift that tells us about Him.
What can you learn about God from the sky?
Let’s pray and ask God that everyone in the whole world would notice something about the sky today and draw closer to Him.
