Week 586 · about 45 minutes
Psalms 72
Psalms 72 · Memory verse Psalms 72:4
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Psalms 72), the matching word search and answer key (Psalms 72 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a cup of water
Hold a cup of water. Read Psalms 72 in about four minutes, stopping at Psalms 72:4: “He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Psalms 72?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Psalms 72 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “Yes, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him.” Psalms 72 opens with these words: “God, give the king your justice; your righteousness to the royal son.” The line to keep is Psalms 72:4: “He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.” Carry the word “judge” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Psalms 72:4: “He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Psalms 72? Then try this: Read “He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Psalms 72. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Psalms 72:4. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Psalms 72 and write Psalms 72:4 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Psalms 72:4
“He will judge the poor of the people. He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.”
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Psalms 72. Help us remember Psalms 72:4 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.