The Ebenezer Stone — Thunder from Heaven Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “Samuel prayed, and the LORD answered.”
The ark of God was back in Israel. The people took it to a house on a hill. A man named Eleazar took care of it there. And there it stayed for twenty years.
But God’s people were still in trouble. Their enemies, the Philistines, were strong. And the people had pretend gods among them. They were sad and longed for the LORD. To long for someone means to miss them very much.
Samuel was God’s prophet. A prophet tells people God’s words. He told the people, “Put away the foreign gods. Direct your hearts to the LORD, and serve him only. And he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” Deliver means to save.
So the people threw away their pretend gods. They served the LORD only. “Gather all Israel to Mizpah,” Samuel said. “And I will pray to the LORD for you.”
All the people came to Mizpah. They drew water and poured it out before the LORD. Can you pretend to pour out a jug of water? Splash! That day they ate no food at all. They said, “We have sinned against the LORD.” To sin means to do wrong things that make God sad.
But the Philistines heard about it. Their army came marching to fight. God’s people were afraid. They said to Samuel, “Don’t stop crying to the LORD our God for us!”
So Samuel took a little lamb. He gave it to the LORD as a gift. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel. Samuel prayed, and the LORD answered.
The LORD thundered with a great thunder that day. Boom! Boom! Can you stomp your feet like thunder? The Philistines were all mixed up. They turned around and ran away! God’s people chased them a long way. Samuel prayed, and the LORD answered.
Then Samuel took a big stone. He set it up in the ground. He called it Ebenezer. Ebenezer means “stone of help.” Samuel said, “The LORD helped us until now.” Let’s say it together: “The LORD helped us until now!”
Until now means all the way up to today. God had helped them every step of the way.
After that, the Philistines stopped coming into Israel. The towns they had taken came back to Israel. And there was peace. Samuel prayed, and the LORD answered.
Samuel led God’s people all the days of his life. Every year he went around to three towns, to help the people there. The towns were Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah. Then he went back home to Ramah. And there he built an altar to the LORD. An altar is a place to worship God.
The big stone stayed there by Mizpah. Every time the people saw it, they could remember. The LORD had helped them. Samuel prayed, and the LORD answered.
The LORD has helped you until now too. He helped you all through today. Now you can sleep, and he is still with you. Samuel prayed, and the LORD answered.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- How do you think the people felt when they heard the thunder?
- What has God helped your family with?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Draw Samuel’s big Ebenezer stone. Ask a grown-up to write “The LORD helped us” on it.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“The LORD helped us until now.” — 1 Samuel 7:12 (The LORD → point up; helped us → hug yourself; until now → point down to the ground)
Dear God, thank you that you hear us when we pray. Thank you for helping us until now. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God is our Helper
Memory verse: “Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "The LORD helped us until now."” — 1 Samuel 7:12 · WEB
The Bible story
When a mighty army marches on God's people and no one is strong enough to win, a gentle prayer and a crash of thunder from heaven change everything.
Talk about it
- Why were God's people sad and lost at the start of the story? — They had turned to false gods
- Who stood up and called the people back to God? — Samuel the prophet
- Where did the people gather together to pray? — A hill called Mizpah
- What did the people do to show they were truly sorry? — They poured water on the ground
- Which army came marching to attack God's people? — The Philistines
- How did the people feel when the army came close? — Very small and afraid
Where is Jesus in this story?
While the enemy army marched closer, Samuel offered a lamb and kept crying out to God for the people (1 Samuel 7:9). Jesus does both of those things for us. He is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and He always lives to pray for us before God (Hebrews 7:25).
What God wants to tell us
This story reminds us that we do not have to be big or strong to be safe. When God's people said sorry and asked for help, God answered them with thunder from the sky. God loves to help us too, even when our problems feel much bigger than we are. Whenever we feel small or afraid, we can talk to God, just like Samuel did, and trust that He is always near and always ready to help.
Prayer
Thank You, God, for always being my Helper. When I feel small or scared, please remind me that You are near and stronger than anything. Help me to say sorry when I do wrong and to trust You like Samuel did. Thank You for loving me every single day. Amen.
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