For Kids · 4 min with a grown-up
God's helper Elisha was very old now. But even at the end, he had one more message of hope - and it came with a bow and arrow.
Today's Story
For many, many years, God's helper Elisha had done amazing things. Now Elisha was very old and very sick, near the end of his life.
The king of Israel came to visit him. The king was worried and afraid, because enemies kept coming to hurt his people. He cried by Elisha's bed.
But Elisha had one more thing to show him. “Get a bow and some arrows,” he said. The king picked them up. “Now open the window that faces east.” The king opened it. “Shoot!” And the arrow flew out into the air. “That,” said Elisha, “is the Lord's arrow of winning! God will help you beat your enemies.”
Then Elisha said, “Now take the arrows and strike the ground.” The king tapped the ground three times and stopped. Elisha wished he had kept going - five, six times! “You should not have stopped so soon,” he said. “Don't give up too early. Keep on trusting God.”
It was Elisha's last lesson: God is strong to help. So don't stop short - keep trusting Him all the way.
A Big Word
Memory Verse
Talk About It
- Has there ever been something hard that made you want to give up? What happened?
- The king stopped tapping too soon. Why do you think Elisha wanted him to keep going?
- Elisha said God would help the king win. How can remembering that God is strong help us keep trying?