The Chair and God’s Word | Object Lesson
Main Point: Just as we trust a sturdy chair to hold us when we sit down, we can have confidence in God’s Word. God is faithful, and we can trust what He says!
Scripture Focus: Proverbs 3:5–6; Acts 2:38–39
Supplies Needed
- One sturdy chair
- Several Bibles (ideally 8–9)
- Bookmarks or slips of paper to mark the selected Scriptures
Preparation
Before class, gather several Bibles and mark the passages you plan to use. Arrange them in the order you will read them so they are easy to access during the demonstration.
Place a sturdy chair at the front of the classroom where all the children can see it.
How to Teach the Lesson
Step 1: The Chair of Trust
Begin by inviting a volunteer to come to the front of the class.
Point to the chair and ask:
“Do you think this chair will hold you if you sit in it?”
Most children will answer yes. Follow up with a few questions:
- “How do you know it will hold you?”
- “Have you ever sat in this particular chair before?”
- “What if I told you that you had to trust this chair without testing it first?”
Now invite the child to sit in the chair.
Explain to the class:
“Did you notice something? They didn’t have to study the chair or figure out exactly how it was made. They simply trusted that it would hold them, and they sat down!”
“Every day, we trust things without giving them much thought. We trust chairs to hold us, bridges to support us, and cars to take us where we need to go.”
“But there is something far more dependable than any chair, bridge, or car. It’s the Word of God!“
Step 2: Can We Really Trust God’s Word?
Hold up a Bible for everyone to see.
Ask the class:
“How many of you believe that the Bible is true?”
Allow the children to respond.
Explain:
“The Bible isn’t just an ordinary book. It is God’s Word! It tells us who God is, what He has done, and what He has promised.”
“People sometimes make promises they cannot keep. Even the strongest chair can eventually break. But God never lies, and His Word never fails!”
“Today, we’re going to discover some wonderful things God has told us in His Word.”
Step 3: Building on the Promises of God
With the volunteer still sitting in the chair, begin reading the marked Scriptures.
After reading and briefly explaining each passage, gently place the open Bible on the child’s lap.
Each Bible represents another truth or promise from God’s Word that we can trust.
Bible 1: God Hears Our Prayers (James 5:15)
Explain that we can pray when someone is sick and trust God to hear us. God has the power to heal, and we can bring our needs to Him.
Place the first Bible on the child’s lap.
Bible 2: God Gives Peace (Philippians 4:6–7)
Explain that when we feel worried, afraid, or upset, we can bring our concerns to God in prayer. His peace can help us even when our circumstances are difficult.
Place the second Bible on the stack.
Bible 3: God Teaches Us About Friendship (Proverbs 18:24)
Explain that God’s Word teaches us how to be good friends and reminds us of the value of faithful friendship.
Add another Bible.
Bible 4: God Directs Our Steps (Proverbs 3:5–6)
Explain that we don’t always know what to do or which direction to take, but we can trust the Lord with all our hearts and seek His direction.
Add another Bible.
Bible 5: God Gives Strength (Isaiah 40:31)
Explain that when we feel weak, tired, or discouraged, we can wait upon the Lord and depend on His strength.
Add another Bible.
Bible 6: God Is Faithful to His Plans (Jeremiah 29:11)
Explain that God spoke these words to His people during a difficult time, assuring them that He had not forgotten them. We can also trust God’s faithfulness, even when we don’t understand everything happening around us.
Add another Bible.
Bible 7: God Knows What We Need (Matthew 6:31–33)
Explain that Jesus taught us not to be consumed with worry about our needs. We should seek God’s kingdom first and trust our heavenly Father to care for us.
Add another Bible.
Bible 8: God’s Love Is Faithful (Romans 8:38–39)
Explain that God’s love is dependable. Difficult circumstances cannot separate those who belong to Christ from His love.
Add another Bible.
Step 4: The Greatest Promise
Hold up the final Bible.
Tell the children:
“We’ve learned that we can trust God’s Word when we need peace, strength, direction, and help. But there is one more promise I want to share with you today. It’s the most important one of all!”
Read Acts 2:38–39 aloud.
Explain:
“On the Day of Pentecost, Peter told the people to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
“Then Peter said something wonderful: ‘For the promise is unto you, and to your children…'”
“That means this promise wasn’t just for the people who heard Peter preach that day. God’s promise reaches to us today!”
Emphasize that we can trust what God has said about repentance, baptism in Jesus’ name, and receiving the Holy Ghost.
Place the final Bible on the stack, if it is safe to do so.
Step 5: The Final Illustration
Point to the stack of Bibles resting on the volunteer’s lap.
Ask the class:
“Look at all these Bibles! Each one reminds us of something God has said in His Word.”
Then ask the volunteer:
“Did you trust this chair when you first sat down?”
Allow them to answer.
“Has the chair stopped holding you just because we’ve added all these Bibles?”
Explain:
“That chair is holding you up, but here’s something important: a chair can break. God’s Word will never fail!”
“We don’t have to wonder whether God is telling us the truth. We don’t have to worry that He will forget what He said. If God said it, we can believe it!“
Carefully remove the Bibles and thank the volunteer for helping.
Bringing the Lesson Home
Hold up one of the Bibles again.
Say: “Sometimes it’s easy to say we trust God when everything is going well. But what about when we’re afraid? What about when we’re sick? What about when we don’t know what to do?”
“That’s when we need to remember what God has said in His Word.”
“Trusting God’s Word doesn’t mean we’ll never have problems. It means we can depend on God to be faithful through every problem we face.”
Encourage the children to read their Bibles, learn God’s promises, pray, and obey what God has commanded.
Remind them that real trust is more than saying we believe something. Just as the volunteer demonstrated trust by actually sitting in the chair, we demonstrate our trust in God’s Word by believing it and putting it into practice.
Discussion Questions
- Why did our volunteer trust the chair enough to sit in it?
- What makes God’s Word more trustworthy than anything people make?
- What is one promise or truth from the Bible that you can remember when you are afraid or worried?
- How can we show God that we trust His Word?
- What promise did Peter talk about in Acts 2:38–39?
Teaching Tips
Make it interactive. Before reading each Scripture, ask the children what they think God’s Word says about that particular subject. For example, “Do you think God cares when we’re afraid?” Then read the passage together.
Use a real testimony. If you have a personal experience of God’s faithfulness, share it briefly. A genuine testimony can help children understand that the Bible is relevant to their everyday lives.
Adapt for younger children. You don’t have to use every passage. Select four or five that your students can easily understand, and keep the explanations short.
Keep the demonstration safe. Use lightweight Bibles and a stable chair. Avoid stacking books so high that they become uncomfortable or could fall on the child. A nearby table can hold additional Bibles if needed.
Emphasize action. Remind children that trusting God’s Word means more than knowing Bible verses. It means believing what God says and obeying His instructions.
Final Thought for Teachers
The goal of this lesson is not simply to teach children that the Bible contains many wonderful promises. It is to help them develop a lifelong confidence in the truth and reliability of God’s Word.
Chairs may break, people may disappoint us, and circumstances may change, but God’s Word remains true.
If God said it, we can trust it!
Replace the unsafe Bible stack demonstrationClarify the Scripture-reading sequence
Acts in Action curriculum
- A1 · 2 — Order book A1
