Sunday 5 September
The Story
Bible Story
Nehemiah Plans to Rebuild the Wall
Nehemiah 1:1–2:18
Use this guide to help your family learn
how God can help us find wisdom.
First, watch this video
Then, follow up with the fun activities below!
ACTIVITY: Don’t-Fall Wall
WHAT YOU NEED:
Pillows, cushions, stuffed animals (or anything else you can use to build a wall)
What You Do
Hold back the three largest cushions or pillows, but give your child the other supplies and instruct them to build a wall around themselves.
While they’re building, ask the following questions. If they answer correctly, award them one of the bigger wall-building supplies you held back.
What big problem did Nehemiah want to help fix? (The wall of Jerusalem was broken, and the people there needed help.)
Why were walls important to a city? (They protected a city from invaders.)
What was the first thing Nehemiah did before he went and spoke to the king? (He prayed and asked God for help.)
When the wall is finished, say, “Great job building an awesome wall. You showed initiative and did what needed to be done!”
If you have time, let your child rebuild the wall again, using other parts of the story as quiz questions.
Talk about the Bible Story
What was Nehemiah’s job? (cupbearer to the king of Persia)
What did a cupbearer do? (similar to a bodyguard, checked to make sure no one poisoned the king’s food or drink)
How did Nehemiah hear about the situation in Jerusalem? (His brother, Hanani, returned from a trip to Judah, and Nehemiah asked him how things were.)
What can you do if you see something that needs to be done, but you don’t know what to do? How can you figure out where to start?
Parent: Share about a time when you saw something that needed to be done and took the initiative to do it. How did it make you feel?
Prayer
Use this prayer as a guide, either after your discussion or right before bed tonight:
“Dear God, just as Nehemiah came to You for help, we want to do the same. Help us to recognize opportunities to show initiative. When we see a need, help us not to make excuses to avoid helping out. Instead, remind us that EVERYTHING we do can be done for You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”