FOR PRESCHOOL AND YOUNG ELEMENTARY CHILDREN:

What is your favorite thing to do when you rest? Think about what you like to do during quiet time, or when you have some down time on the weekend.

We all need periods of rest in our weeks, even when we outgrow naps (and before we grow back into them!). Some kids like to spend rest time reading or listening to music, while for others it’s coloring, screen time, or putting together a puzzle.
No matter what rest looks like in your family, we can all agree it is important, and so we build it into our days as much as we can. Our bodies need it!
Just like our bodies need rest, so do our souls. In Psalm 62, David talks about finding rest in God, because his is the only rest we really need.

Read Psalm 62 aloud. Have your children close their eyes while you read, and listen to the ways David talks about his relationship with God.

Do you remember any of the words or phrases David used to describe God in Psalm 62? (Some that may stand out are rock, fortress, refuge.)

In this psalm, David compared God to other people in his life—people who were attacking him with lies, and people who were using their money and power against David. These were people who could not be trusted.
On the other hand, David used words to describe God that make it clear he can be trusted. He said God was his rock, his salvation, his fortress, and his refuge. In David’s time, a fortress or a refuge was a place with big walls or towers where people could hide from their enemies. All of these words talk about how big, strong, powerful, and trustworthy God is. They also talk about the protection and rest David found in God.
Remind your kids of the lyrics to “My God Is So Big,” a song we sing often in children’s Sunday School: “My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do.”

Can you think of any examples of what it might look like to rest in God—to trust him to be your refuge or your protector—like David did?

When we rest in God, it doesn’t mean we ask him to help us sleep well. It means we trust him with our lives! Some of the ways we can do this are by praying when we feel scared, memorizing Bible verses we can turn to when we need to be reminded of how big God is or how much he loves us, and talking about him often with our families.
God promises that he will always keep us safe, but this doesn’t mean he will protect our bodies from getting sick or hurt. It means he will keep us safe from the consequences of our sin. If we trust in him, God will make sure we will live with him forever in heaven, the ultimate place of rest and refuge.

Review these songs we sing in Sunday School and Catechism worship:

Who made you? God. What else did God make? God made all things. Why did God make you and all things? For his own glory.
How can you glorify God? By loving him and doing what he commands. Why are you to glorify God? Because he made me and takes care of me.
Is there more than one true God? No, there is only one true God.
What else did God give Adam and Eve besides bodies? He gave them souls that will last forever. Do you have a soul as well as a body? Yes, and my soul will last forever. How do you know your soul will last forever? Because the Bible tells me so.
“My God Is So Big”
“All Creatures of Our God and King”

FOR OLDER ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL CHILDREN:

If your child used the listening guide to follow along with the sermon, take a few minutes to talk through his or her notes.

Read Psalm 62 together. After you read, take a few minutes to find all the different descriptions David used to describe God in this psalm.

Psalm 62, one of the psalms written by David, describes David’s trust and ability to rest in God. In this psalm, David compared God to other people in his life—people who were attacking him with lies, and people who were using their money and power against David. These were people who could not be trusted.
On the other hand, David used words to describe God that make it clear he can be trusted, words such as rock, salvation, fortress, refuge, power, steadfast. All of these words talk about how big, strong, powerful, and trustworthy God is. They also talk about the protection, security, comfort, and rest David found in God.

In his sermon, Jonathan reminded us that because God is all of these things to us, we can rest in him, even when we feel anxious or out of control of the things going on around us. What do you think it means to rest in God?

When we rest in God, it doesn’t mean we ask him to help us sleep well, or trust that he has everything under control so we can go binge-watch Netflix. It means that instead of looking to money, friends, our parents, or our futures for security and protection, we look to God. When we feel anxious or out of control of our lives, we remind ourselves of who God says he is, and what he promises to do for us.
The “How Majestic Is Your Name” curriculum our 4th-5th graders have used talks about Psalm 62:1-2 this way: “When we have troubles, or when we are attacked by others, this verse shows us what to do—trust God to work for us, to be our protection, to keep us from falling apart. If we trust in God when we encounter difficulties and troubles, we will not be shaken but we will stand firm.”
The greatest rest God promises us is the rest we can have in our future with him. God promises that he will always keep us safe, but this doesn’t mean he will protect our bodies from getting sick or hurt. It means he will keep us safe from the consequences of our sin. If we trust in him, God will make sure we will live with him forever in heaven, the ultimate place of rest and refuge.

Which of the descriptions David used to describe God means the most to you at this time in your life? Why do you need to be reminded that God is that in your life?

What would it look like for you (or your family as a whole) to rest in God today?