Memory verse
“Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Joshua 1:9
Roman Urdu Mazboot ho aur hausla rakh; mat dar aur pareshan na ho, kyunke Khudawand tera Khuda jahan kahin tu jaye tere sath hai.
Teaching the lesson
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A very silly plan
Ask the children how you would knock down a thick city wall. They will say hammers, elephants, fire. Then tell them God's plan: walk around it. That is all. Let them tell you how strange that is.
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Six days of nothing
For six days they walked once around and went home, and nothing happened. Nothing. Ask the children whether they would have kept going on day four. This is the hardest part of the story and the most useful.
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The seventh day
Seven times around, then the trumpets, then the shout. Count the seven circuits with the children marching on the spot. Build it. Then let them shout.
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The walls fell down flat
Not a crack u2014 flat. God did what no army could do, and He did it for people who simply kept walking when it looked pointless. Tell the children that obeying God on the boring days is what makes the seventh day possible.
Activity
March and shout. Build a wall of cardboard boxes or stacked chairs. March the class around it six times quietly, then seven times on the last round, blow paper trumpets and shout — and let one child push the wall down. They will remember this for years.
Craft
Paper trumpet rolled from card and decorated, with Joshua 1:9 written down the side. Warn the teachers in advance that the class will be loud.
Closing prayer
Dear God, help me to obey You even when I do not understand why. Thank You that You are with me wherever I go, so I do not need to be afraid. In Jesus' name, Amen.
This lesson is free to use
Print it, photocopy it, retype it or translate it into Punjabi, Sindhi or Pashto for your own class. You do not need permission and you do not need to tell us. The only thing asked in return is that it is never sold to a teacher who cannot afford it.
