LESSON 21: LISTEN AND RESPOND
THEME: Divorce
VERSE: Habakkuk 2: 1-4: “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.'”
VOCABULARY: argue, unkind, divorced, admired, abandoning, pursuing.
STORY: Juan is a young boy who lives with his mom and his dad. His dad is Pedro and his mom is Maria. They were all very happy. But one day Juan heard arguing from his parents’ bedroom. He heard his mom and dad saying unkind things to each other and saying they were not happy. When the arguing stopped he looked out the window and saw his dad leaving the house. Juan began to cry. He didn’t know what was happening and he didn’t understand anything. He asked his mom where his dad was going and when he would come back home. Maria said that he would not return because they were going to get divorced. This was devastating to Juan because he loved and admired his dad. But Juan was a strong boy and he knew what he needed to do. He prayed for his mom. He prayed for God to give her strength and to speak clearly to his parents. Juan knew that the Lord was faithful and would help him and his family. One day while he was praying for his mom and for his family he heard the Lord say to him, “I will bring you and your family peace.” Juan couldn’t believe it. He had never heard so clearly from the Lord. During this time Maria felt a strong sense of peace from everything they were going through. As Juan continued to pray for his mom and his family, Maria had a dream that she should forgive her husband for abandoning the family. But this was very hard for her to do. At the same time, Pedro had a dream and the Lord told him that he should fight for his wife. Maria knew that she had a lot of work ahead of her. Pedro knew that if he went back, he had to work hard to prove to his family that he would not leave again. God continued to speak to them and gave them the strength to continue pursuing their life together. Habakkuk 2:1-4 says, “I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts; I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint. Then the LORD replied: ‘Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay. See, the enemy is puffed up; his desires are not upright— but the righteous person will live by his faithfulness.'”
ACTIVITIES:
- Review the vocabulary words. Listen to the Vocabulary File for pronunciation. Look up the meaning of any words you don’t know.
- Listen to Audio 1 as you read through the story.
- Listen to Audio 2 – Story with Questions as you read through the story and answer the questions.
- Learn the Four Keys to Hearing God’s Voice based on Habakkuk 2:1-2
- Calm down (I will stand at my watch and station myself on the ramparts)
- Fix your eyes on Jesus (I will look to see what he will say to me, and what answer I am to give to this complaint.)
- Pay attention to spontaneous thoughts (“look to see what he will say to me”)
- Write down what He tells you (Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets”)
- Take a few moments to ask God a question and listen for His answer.
- Write down what He tells you.
- End class with prayer.