Free Preteen Ministry Lesson on How God Is Always With Us

Here’s a free lesson for your preteen ministry on how God is always with us, even if it doesn’t feel like it!

This back-to-school lesson reminds preteens of a truth they’ll need all year long: God is always with them, even if it doesn’t feel like it. Through a fun object lesson and the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6:11-17, students will discover that God’s presence doesn’t depend on what they can see, it depends on His faithfulness.

(This lesson comes from Never Alone – check out the full series breakdown here.)

Looking for preteen ministry curriculum? Check out our latest bundle!

One Year Preteen Bundle – Image Bearers Edition: Get a full year of preteen ministry curriculum designed to help 4th-6th graders own their faith and follow Jesus with confidence.

FREE PRETEEN LESSON ON GOD IS ALWAYS WITH US

Lesson: Who’s With Me? (From the Never Alone Series)

Bible: 2 Kings 6:11-17

Bottom Line: God is always with you, even if it doesn’t feel like it. 

SUPPLIES

Opening Game:

• A short stool or chair
• A blindfold
• A bandana (or similarly sized object)
• Half a pool noodle

Teach:

• A long rope

Small Group Activity:

• Something for each group to label two sides of the room or a table – cones, posters, etc.

OPENING GAME

Objective:

To get the preteens thinking about how it feels to wonder if you are really alone or not.

Game Prep:

Set a stool or chair in the center of the playing area. Put an item under the chair like a bandana or similarly sized object. Have a blindfold and a half of a pool noodle near the stool or chair.

How to Play the Game:

In this game, the players will try to steal an item from underneath a stool or chair while a blindfolded player tries to protect it.

Arrange students in a circle on the floor around the stool or chair in the middle. Leave at least 10 feet between the centered stool or chair and the students’ circle.

SAY: Our game today is called “Am I Alone?”

I need one volunteer who is a very good listener to come be our first player.

You will be the blindfolded protector of the object under the stool.

Select one player to sit in the center and give them their pool noodle and blindfold.

SAY: I’ll select players from the circle to try to steal the object, and your job is to try to tag them with your pool noodle once you hear them near you.

Listen carefully – if you don’t, you might miss when someone comes to steal the object!

If someone gets the object, then the guard loses and must choose someone else to be the guard!

If the guard tags the thief, then the guard can continue being the guard.

Play several rounds.

Ideas to switch up the game:

• Add an extra rule for the blindfolded player – something like only being able to whack the pool noodle 10 times without tagging a player. If they break the rule, they have to wait five seconds before they can start trying again.
• At one point, you could signal to the players to stay away from the blindfolded player, who will continue hitting … at nothing!
• Allow students in the circle to make noises to provide cover for the player trying to steal the bandana.

TEACH

SAY: In our game, the guesser had to figure out if they were alone or not.

Sometimes it was hard for the guesser to tell!

But this doesn’t just happen in games.

It can happen in our lives too.

Sometimes in life people wonder, “Am I alone?”

It is totally normal for a preteen, a teenager, or even an adult to feel alone sometimes.

Share a personal story of feeling alone and the emotions that came with that moment in your life.

SAY: All human beings were created by God to live connected to Him and to other people, but sometimes we still feel alone.

It doesn’t matter if you go to public school, private school, homeschool, or underwater school.

Anyone can feel separated or disconnected from others sometimes.

I need two volunteers to help me demonstrate this for everybody.

Select a preteen and a leader to help with an illustration.

SAY: I need you to each hold onto this rope, but at different ends.

Set up the preteen and leader so that they are at opposite ends of a rope.

SAY: [Preteen name] and [Leader name] represent preteens who go to the same school.

ASK: What should the name of their school be?

Take suggestions until you have a silly or fun made-up name.

SAY: They are connected because they go to the same school.

But there are things that they could do to feel even more connected.

ASK: What is one thing that these two classmates could do to grow closer to one another?

Allow a preteen to respond.

SAY: Alright [volunteers], show us what it would look like if you took that wonderful suggestion – move closer together on the rope.

Wait for the volunteers to follow your instructions.

SAY: Let’s look back at our volunteers who are holding the rope.

There are also things that happen that can make preteens feel disconnected or lonely.

Sometimes preteens have disagreements and choose not to forgive each other, which makes them feel disconnected.

Sometimes preteens get left out of the group.

Sometimes preteens feel pressure to leave people out.

Next thing you know, people are turning away from each other instead of connecting and might even feel lonely.

[Volunteers], please move back to the ends of the rope and turn away from each other.

Wait for the volunteers to follow your instructions.

SAY: But there is someone who never leaves us or disconnects from us!

I’m talking about God!

It’s time to switch up the story!

This time, [leader name] will represent God and [preteen name] will represent a preteen at [silly name of school].

God doesn’t pull away from us or turn away, but sometimes we forget that He is there!

ASK: What is one reason why people forget that God is always with us?

Allow preteens to respond.

SAY: When we can’t see God with our eyes, it can seem like we are alone.

[Preteen name], keep holding on to the rope but stay turned away so that you can’t see [Leader name].

[Preteen name], can you see [Leader name] right now?

Allow preteen to respond with “no.”

SAY: This is what it feels like when we only focus on what we can see with our eyes.

When we can’t see God with our eyes, we might feel alone in the moment.

Address the audience.

ASK: But is our friend here really alone or is God still with them?

Allow preteens to respond.

SAY: God is with us, even when we can’t see Him.

Quietly instruct the leader representing God to give the rope a little tug.

SAY: [Preteen name], can you feel that tug?

Allow preteen to respond with “yes.”

SAY: If we are seeking God in His Word, in prayer, in worship, and in time with Him, He gives us reminders that He is right there with us!

Even when we don’t necessarily feel Him in the moment, He is still there!

This makes me think of a really cool moment in the Bible with Elisha and his servant.

If you don’t know who Elisha is, you should know that another prophet in the Bible, Elijah, was the one who invitedElisha to join him in serving God.

Elisha became a prophet who would share God’s message with people and point people to God’s miracles.

In the book of 2 Kings, Elisha had an important job helping the king of Israel.

Any time the king of Aram wanted to go to war against Israel, God would warn Elisha about the plan and then Elisha would warn the king of Israel!

The king of Aram was furious about how all of his plans kept getting ruined!

Here is what happened in 2 Kings 6:11-14:

11 The king of Aram became very upset over this.

He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor?

Who has been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”

12 ”It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the officers replied.

“Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in the privacy of your bedroom!”

13 ”Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”

And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 

14 So one night the king of Aram sent a great army with many chariots and horses to surround the city.

SAY: This was bad news for Elisha!

You see, the king of Aram had an army, power, and strength, but all Elisha had with him was a servant.

ASK: How do you think Elisha and his servant might have felt as the armies of Aram were moving closer and closer?

Allow preteens to respond.

SAY: In 2 Kings 6:15, we can read about how Elisha’s servant felt:

15 When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere.

“Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha.

SAY: Elisha’s servant was scared!

He felt alone.

But Elisha wasn’t anxious or afraid.

Here’s what happened next in 2 Kings 6:16-17:

16 ”Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” 

17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!”

The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.

SAY: Elisha’s servant felt alone.

ASK: Was he really alone?

Allow preteens to respond.

SAY: No, he wasn’t really alone!

God’s angel armies were all around Elisha and his servant.

God rescued Elisha and his servant from the army of Aram that day.

He confused the army so that they ended up hunting for Elisha in the wrong place!

Elisha and Elisha’s servant acted differently when it looked like they were alone.

Elisha’s servant was anxious and afraid.

Elisha was confident and courageous.

How was that possible?

ASK: What did Elisha know about God that helped him stand with confidence even when the army of Aram was all around him?

Allow preteens to respond.

SAY: Elisha knew that God was always with Him and that he was never really alone.

Even when Elisha couldn’t see God with his eyes, he knew that he could count on God to be there for him.

Elisha knew this truth about God – God is faithful!

Everyone say, “Faithful.”

Allow preteens to repeat after you.

SAY: To be faithful is to be reliable, steady, and trustworthy.

Someone who is faithful doesn’t quit or give up – they show up and help!

Over and over in the Bible, God is called faithful.

But God doesn’t just sayHe is faithful.     

He shows His faithfulness.

God was faithful to be with Elisha and his servant, even if they couldn’t see it at first.

That’s why Elisha trusted God and had confidence even at a scary moment.

We can trust God to be faithful too!

This school year, there may be times when you feel like Elisha’s servant.

You might feel like it’s hard to connect with other people.

You might feel alone.

You might even feel like you are surrounded by enemies.

But the truth is that God is always with you, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

When you do schoolwork, God is there.

When you eat lunch, God is there.

When you are around new people in a new place, God is there.

Even when you can’t see Him with your eyes, God is there.

And we can always talk to Him, ask Him for help, and trust that He is with us, because He is faithful.

God is always with you, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

Instead of feeling nervous and anxious, I can have peace because I know that God is with me and I am never alone.

I can be confident because I know that even if no other person is walking with me, God is.

So, what about you?

ASK: How many of you can admit that sometimes you feel lonely or nervous about being alone?

Allow preteens to respond.

SAY: Thank you for sharing that.

Elisha was strong because He knew that God was with him, and I want to pray that you would become strong in God too.

Close in prayer for God to help your preteens become more like Elisha, who trusted in God’s faithfulness even in a scary moment.

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY

In this small group activity, preteens will discuss practical ways to grow their connection with God and others.

Each small group needs to have a space with two sides for the preteens to move themselves (or an object to represent themselves) to a “connection” side and a “disconnection” side. The two sides can be marked with posters, with a long rope like in the lesson illustration, with cones, the leader just pointing, etc.

If it’s possible for groups to be active, they can stand and move around during this small group activity. If moving around isn’t possible, the groups can use small items to represent themselves moving toward the “connection” side or the “disconnection” side on a tabletop or on the ground.

SAY: Today we learned that God is always with us, even though we can’t necessarily see Him.

We are never alone, no matter how it might feel in the moment.

Now that we know that we are never alone, God wants to give us some tools to help us take steps toward Him and toward others.

We were designed to connect with Him and others, but sometimes we need help to remember that connection and build it up.

I’m going to say something that people do and give you a moment to decide whether doing that thing would build your connection with God and other people … of if doing that thing could make you feel more disconnected from God and other people.

If you think it leads to feeling more connected, move yourself toward the “connection” side.

If not, move toward the “disconnection” side.

As you go through the following list, ask the preteens why they chose their answers.

• Never leaving your home
• Watching more YouTube videos
• Encouraging others (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
• Being as goofy and obnoxious as possible so that people notice you
• Praying (Philippians 4:6-7)
• Meeting together with other Christians (Hebrews 10:24-25)
• Talking to ChatGPT
• Forgiving others (Colossians 3:13)
• Avoiding being around new people
• Confessing your sins to God (1 John 1:9)
• Pretending you don’t care about being connected with others
• Spending time in God’s Word (John 15:4)
• Bragging about how awesome you are all the time
• Being rude and selfish
• Being grateful (Colossians 3:15)
• Remembering God’s promises (Deuteronomy 31:6)

When you are done with this list, ask preteens for more ideas and get them to move to the “connection” or “disconnection” side with the new ideas.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why was Elisha able to stay calm when his servant was so afraid?
2. What does it mean that God is faithful?
3. What is something people do when they feel lonely but they don’t want to show others that they feel lonely?
4. How can knowing that God is always with you help someone who feels alone?
5. How can praying to God help you when you feel alone?
6. Share a time that you felt connected to God or other people. What is one reason why you felt connected?
7. What is one small step you can take to help other people feel connected to you or to God?
8. How would your school day be different if you remembered that God was always with you?
9. What is one way that you could grow in connection with God this week?
10. What is one way that you could grow in connection with others this school year?

End Lesson

Looking for preteen ministry curriculum? Check out our latest bundle!

One Year Preteen Bundle – Image Bearers Edition: Get a full year of preteen ministry curriculum designed to help 4th-6th graders own their faith and follow Jesus with confidence.