A story about trusting in God
(From the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 21, verses 5-19)
One day shortly before Jesus was arrested, he was in the Temple in Jerusalem with some of his close friends. He knew that soon he would be in big trouble with the Roman leaders, but his friends didn't know this.
They heard someone nearby say, "Look at how beautiful the Temple is! Everything about this place - the stone decorations and the lovely gifts that people bring here to share with God - are really amazing, don't you think?"
Jesus looked at his friends. He said, sadly, "Some day this place will be one huge pile of rubble. Everything will be broken and destroyed."
His friends were shocked. "What are you talking about?" they asked him. "This place is special. Everyone knows that. Why would anyone want to destroy it? When will this happen?"
"Hard times are ahead for all of us," Jesus told them. "I wish it weren't so, but it is."
"What kind of hard times, Jesus?" his friends asked him.
"People will be mean to you," Jesus said.
"What should we do?" they wanted to know.
"Trust in God," Jesus told them. He continued, "People will call you names."
"What should we do then?"
Jesus said, "Trust in God." He continued, "There will be times when you'll be accused of things you haven't done."
"What should we do when that happens?"
"Trust in God," Jesus told them. "When you face hard times, remember: you are never alone. God is always with you. Always."
Questions to think about:
Have you ever had to face a hard time? What did you do to get through it?
How do you think Jesus' friends felt when they learned that hard times were ahead for them?
How does it make you feel to know that God is always with you? Tell God how you feel!