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Find God’s promises in a pot of gold

Physical activity

Make a rainbow with a garden hose, and find a pretend “pot of gold.”

Discussion point: God’s word is more valuable than a pot of gold.

You will need an assortment of verses cut from the chart provided below, a pot, a sunny day and a garden hose to make rainbows. (If you are unable to get outside to make rainbows, rainbows can be made indoors with crystal figurines, crystal glass or even with cut glass pieces detached from a chandelier. Triangular prisms can be purchased at science supply stores.)

Prior to doing this activity, print off and cut out your top choices from the “pot of gold” verses and put them in a pot to be used for your discussion after the rainbow activity. If you wish, foil-wrapped gold coins can be placed in the pot along with each Bible verse.

Go outside prepared to get wet and have fun making rainbows with your children. The best time of day to make rainbows is when the sun is close to the horizon. Stand with your back to the sun and set the garden hose to “mist” or use finger pressure over the end of the nozzle so that only a fine spray of water escapes.

While you create a rainbow, talk about God’s promise to Noah and his family after the flood (see Genesis 9:13-15 below). Your kids will likely want to take a turn making rainbows too. See if they can think of a promise from God for each rainbow they make. After sharing your ideas, tell your children about the myth that there is a pot of gold at the end of every rainbow. You can also tell or read a story about the futile searching that happens if someone were to try and walk to the end of a rainbow. Then let them know you have a pretend pot of gold that contains something way more valuable than all the gold coins in the world in it. See if they can guess what it is.

When you return indoors, allow each child to draw a verse out of the “pot of gold.” Read each verse aloud and identify a promise from God in it. To reinforce the truth that God’s Word and His promises are of much greater value than gold, read Psalm 19:9b-11. In closing, read Psalm 145:3 and thank God for being faithful in keeping all of His promises.

Relevant Scripture

Genesis 9:13-15 [And God said], “…I have set My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.”

Psalm 19:9b-11 “The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.”

Psalm 145:13 “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.”

Here are some suggested Bible verses to use in your “pot of gold.”

John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ”

Specific promise
Scripture verse
God promises to care for and protect us. Psalm 121:7-8 “The Lord will keep you from all harm – He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
God promises to guide us. Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

John 8:12 “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’ ”
God promises to forgive us. 1 John 2:12 “I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name.”

Hebrews 8:12 “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Acts 10:43 “All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”

Acts 13:38 “Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”
God promises to answer prayer. Matthew 21:22 “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

1 John 5:14-15 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him.”
God promises that He will always be with us. Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ ”
God promises to help us when we are tempted to sin. 1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”
God promises to give us the gift of His Holy Spirit. John 14:26 “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Acts 2:33 “Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”
God promises to give us eternal life. John 10:28 “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My hand.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.”

1 John 2:25 “And this is what He promised us – even eternal life.”
God promises that He has good plans for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ”

 

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