Families together at times like these

Devotion 5: Fear versus Faith

To do

Give the family two minutes to go and collect something that can be a boat. It might be a leaf from outside, or a quickly made Lego boat. Find a container to fill with enough water to float the boats. One at a time place your boat in the container. The rest of the family have the task of creating wind to blow on the boat and try and sink it. They can use anything nearby to do so. Set a minute timer per boat.

Talk about

Today we are talking about fear. It is natural to be worried, but fear stops us from living the way God meant us to. Just like anxiety, fear can take over our lives. Should we hide in a corner, afraid to do anything? Should we lie awake at night scared of what might happen? Do we let fear be the boss or do we have faith that God is with us?

Discuss together

What can fear stop us from doing?

Explore

What does God have to say about this?

Beforehand, set up YouTube with this clip of a stormy sea. As a family read Matthew 8:23-27 together, while the clip plays. Have one family member ready to stop the video on v26 when Jesus tells the waves to be calm. You can read it online here.

Think about

What do you think you might have been feeling if you were in that boat?

Have someone in the family read this out loud:

“The opposite of fear is faith. Jesus’ friends were afraid. They thought they were going to die. But they forgot that they had Jesus in their boat. Jesus was in control of the storm. He didn’t want his friends to be afraid, instead he wanted them to have faith in him. Even though it might be difficult at times, we can trust Jesus with anything!”

Respond

Choose one or more of these options:

  • Imagine yourself in the story: Make sure everyone in the family has somewhere comfortable to sit. This could be outside under a tree or curled up on the couch. Ask each person to close their eyes and imagine themselves in that boat. What do they want to say to Jesus? What do they think Jesus might want to say to them? Set a timer for two minutes, so everyone can sit in silence and use their imagination to enter the story.
  • Listen to this song (or sing a song of your family’s choosing) Oceans (Bri Babineaux)
  • Pray for each other about something you are fearful of. You could do this by standing in a circle and praying for the person on your right.
  • Create a boat together, using things from around your house. You might like to make a sailboat from Lego with a cloth sail and a stick for a mast. Place your family boat somewhere to remind you that Jesus is in the boat with your family, even though you feel like you are in a storm.

Pray

Finish by praying this prayer as a blessing. (Numbers 6:24-26 CEV version)

“I pray that the Lord
will bless and protect you,
and that he will show you mercy
and kindness.
May the Lord be good to you
and give you peace.”