Habakkuk’s Big Questions 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: “And God was listening.”
Habakkuk was a prophet – a man who tells God’s words. He looked around his land. People were fighting and being unfair. Unfair means not treating others the right way. Habakkuk cried out to God about it.
Habakkuk prayed. He asked God big questions. “LORD, how long will I cry, and you will not hear?” He asked, “Why do you show me iniquity?” Iniquity means wrong things. And God was listening.
God answered him. “Look, watch, and wonder; for I am working a work in your days.” God had a plan, even if Habakkuk could not see it yet.
Habakkuk prayed again. “Aren’t you from everlasting, LORD my God, my Holy One?” Everlasting means God was always there, and he always will be.
Then Habakkuk went up on the wall of the city, like a guard. He said, “I will stand at my watch.” He would look out to see what God would say. Can you put your hand over your eyes and look far away?
He waited. He watched. What would God say?
The LORD answered, “Write the vision, and make it plain on tablets.” Tablets are flat boards or stones for writing. Plain means big and clear. Then even someone running by could read it!
God said, “Though it takes time, wait for it, because it will surely come.” Waiting can be hard. But God does what he says.
And God said, “The righteous will live by his faith.” The righteous are people who are right with God. Faith means trusting God. And God was listening.
God said more. “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the LORD’s glory, as the waters cover the sea.” One day people everywhere will know how great God is. The world will be full of it, as full as the sea is full of water!
And God’s words said, “The LORD is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him!” Shhh. Can you be very, very quiet for a moment?
Then Habakkuk sang a song to God. “LORD, I have heard of your fame. I stand in awe of your deeds.” Awe is a big “wow” inside, when something is so great. He thought about the great things God had done long before.
He sang about hard times too. Maybe there would be no figs on the fig tree. No grapes on the vines. No food in the fields. No sheep and no cows. Let’s count them on our fingers: figs, grapes, food, sheep, cows!
But Habakkuk sang, “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” Salvation means God saves us. Even on a hard day, Habakkuk could still be glad in God. And God was listening.
He sang, “GOD, the Lord, is my strength. He makes my feet like deer’s feet.” A deer can jump high up on the rocks. Can you hop like a deer?
God is strong, on good days and on hard days. He hears the big questions and the little whispers, even at night. And God was listening.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What big question would you like to ask God?
- How do you think Habakkuk felt while he waited on the wall?
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 a line to who said it.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“I will rejoice in the LORD” — Habakkuk 3:18 (I will rejoice → clap your hands; in the LORD → point up high)
Dear God, thank you that I can tell you everything. Thank you that you are my strength. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: It is okay to ask God your questions
Memory verse: “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” — Habakkuk 3:18 · WEB
The Bible story
A brave prophet named Habakkuk asks God his biggest, hardest questions about the world, and learns that trusting God brings a joy no trouble can steal.
Talk about it
- What was Habakkuk's special job? — A prophet of God
- What made Habakkuk's heart feel heavy? — He saw people being unfair
- What brave thing did Habakkuk do with his questions? — He talked to God about them
- What did God do with Habakkuk's questions? — God answered him
- What did God say He was doing? — Working out a plan
- Where did Habakkuk go to wait for God? — A tall watchtower
Where is Jesus in this story?
God told Habakkuk, “The righteous person will live by his faithfulness” (Habakkuk 2:4). The New Testament quotes those words three times to explain the good news about Jesus (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). We are made right with God not by being good enough, but by trusting Jesus. That trust can carry you through hard days, just as it carried Habakkuk.
What God wants to tell us
Habakkuk shows us that God is big enough for our hardest questions and our biggest worries. We do not have to hide how we feel or pretend everything is fine. When we bring our questions to God and then wait and trust Him, He fills our hearts with a peace and joy that troubles cannot take away.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You that I can bring You all my questions, even the hard ones. When I feel worried or things do not make sense, help me to wait for You and trust that You are good. Fill my heart with Your joy, and help me hold on tight to You. Amen.
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