Read Time: 4 min 37 sec | Reading Level: 6th Grade

WORLD NEWS

Halted Celebrations

A few parties stopped short this week.

Over in the Middle East, people in Gaza were celebrating. They were happy because Hamas said that they had agreed to a deal with Israel to stop fighting. The problem is that Israel says it didn’t know what deal Hamas was talking about. An agreement wasn’t made, so the party was over.

Israel and Hamas have been going back and forth with mediators for months. Israel wants their hostages back and to get rid of Hamas, and it’s willing to stop fighting temporarily. Hamas wants a forever end to the fighting and Palestinian prisoners freed. So far, the two sides can’t agree. So Israel says it will start targeting Hamas in Rafah, the biggest refuge city left in Gaza. 

Back in the U.S., universities had some of their own celebrations called off this week. Graduations at colleges like Columbia have been canceled or made smaller because of protests against the war in Gaza. More than 2,000 students have been arrested in the last three weeks. Schools say they can’t keep large crowds safe. 

__

CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE
Pray for the peaceful end to all conflicts worldwide, even as we wait for God’s kingdom to come completely—for the day when God’s reign of peace will settle every disagreement, and all nations will walk in his paths. 

“He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war.”
Micah 4:3 (CSB) (read full passage)

How can I model putting my hope and trust in Christ when discussing this story?
Surrendering disappointments to the Lord.

Expecting one thing and getting something else is disappointing. Palestinians thought they were getting relief from the fighting. College students who missed out on high school graduation during COVID thought they had a second chance at it. Being let down can make us feel like God let us down.

Parents can model at least two things in the face of disappointment: prayerfulness and gratefulness (Philippians 4:4-6). In prayer, we acknowledge that God’s plans are better than ours and can’t be thwarted. With thanksgiving, we acknowledge that everything we have is a gift, not a right, and we turn our eyes to the Giver (James 1:17).

What do I want to make sure my kids know in light of this story?
There’s a big party coming with Jesus.

No one appreciates a party better than kids (even introverts can get behind cake). And celebrations on earth are a great foreshadowing of the eternal party to come in heaven.

Get your kids excited about that forever celebration: total joy, no more sadness or disappointment or pain, healed relationships, and the best part — being with Jesus. Isaiah 25:6-9 describes that celebration, with partygoers saying, “Look, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he has saved us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him. Let’s rejoice and be glad in his salvation” (CSB).

• Read Isaiah 25:6-9 and have your kids describe or draw the party it describes. Who’s on the guest list, what’s the venue, what’s on the menu…?

• Memorize verse 6 of Philippians 4:4-6, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (CSB).

• Pray that the Lord will help your family keep your future with Jesus in mind all the time so that you radiate hope to those around you. 

RECOMMENDED

What We’re Adding to Our TBR
Sharon Garlough Brown’s Not Finished Yet*

We have a three-year-old, so there are… a lot of feelings in our house. And we don’t always manage them well.

I want my kids to know there is no feeling we can’t bring to the Lord in prayer. So, I’m excited about IVP Kids’ new children’s book, Not Finished Yet. It’s about a young girl named Wren whose favorite place is her Gran’s art studio, where she can process the good and bad with Gran and with God. Wren explores her feelings through painting and learns that God loves honest prayers.

IVP Kids is packing big biblical values into kid-sized pages. Share Not Finished Yet: Trusting God with All My Feelings with your kids today!

Steph Juliot | Writer

*sponsored

WHIPPED CREAM ON TOP

A real quick u-turn…