God’s Promise
Genesis 8–9:17
Our true story comes from a part of the Bible called Genesis. The word genesis means “the beginning.”
A man named Noah trusted God’s plans. God told Noah to build something REALLY big. Do you know what it was? Yes! A big, HUGE boat.
Then God sent two of every animal to get on the boat. There were penguins, frogs, alligators, sloths, butterflies, and every kind of animal on Earth.
Once all of the animals and Noah’s family were on the boat, God shut the door, and it began to rain!
It rained and rained until the whole Earth was covered with water! God kept Noah, his family, and the animals safe.
After the rain stopped, Noah wanted to see if it was okay to get out of the boat, so he sent a bird to fly out and find dry land.
The bird flew away, but it came back with nothing.
So, Noah waited, then he sent the bird out again.
This time, the bird brought back a fresh green leaf! Yay! That means there was dry land where plants were growing!
Then God told Noah and his family and all the animals they could finally get out of the boat. Hooray!
Next, God did something wonderful. God put a BEAUTIFUL rainbow in the sky as a reminder of His promise that He will never ever, EVER flood the whole world again. Have you ever seen a rainbow in the sky? They are so special because God says every time there is a rainbow in the sky, God remembers His promise to us.
God loves us so much, and we can trust God’s plans for us. God had plans for Noah, and God has plans for you, too!
Bible Verse: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. —Jeremiah 29:11, NLT
Text Truth: God keeps His promises.
Family Devotional
And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
—Genesis 9:12-16
In our Bible story, we learned about a promise God made. After Noah, his family, and the animals got off of the big boat, God made a promise. God promised to never flood the whole world with water again. Then God made a beautiful rainbow in the sky. God said that every time there is a rainbow in the sky, He will remember His promise. And God keeps His promises. God had plans for Noah, and God has plans for you.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. —Jeremiah 29:11, NLT
With your family, write down your favorite color in the rainbow. Have each of your family members think about the colors in the rainbow and then write down their favorite color. Write down each family member’s name next to their favorite color.
Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, say, “Dear God, Thank You for making the beautiful rainbow. My favorite color is [your favorite color]. [family member’s name] favorite color is [color], and [family member’s name] favorite color is [color]. (Continue with family member.) It’s so awesome that every time we see a rainbow in the sky, we know that You remember Your promise. We love You, God. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
“So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.” —Genesis 6:14-16
In our Bible story, we learned that we can always trust God’s plans, even when we don’t understand. God had plans for Noah. Noah had never built a boat, but Noah knew he could always trust God’s plans because God’s plans are always best. That’s why Noah did what God told him to do.
Just like Noah, we can trust God’s plans, even when we don’t understand, because God loves us. And I love knowing that [Bottom Line] God has plans for me, and God has plans for you.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. —Jeremiah 29:11, NLT
With your family, make a list of your plans, like what you want to do when you grow up. You can use your list when you pray. Write down each family member's name next to their plan.
Pray with your family. Allow any family members to pray if they wish. In your own words, say, ““Dear God, it’s fun to make plans and think about what we want to do. [family member’s name] has plans to (read what they listed). [family member’s name] has plans to (read what they listed), and . . . (continue with each family member). But the most amazing thing is that YOU, Creator of the whole world, have plans for us. Help us always trust Your plans for us, God. You love us and will always know what’s best for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
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