Youth Lessons

Note to the Teacher

This lesson invites students to explore what it means to seek and behold the face of God, not by escaping the world but by paying attention as they move through it. The icebreaker uses a playful ball game to help students learn one another’s names and something about their daily lives. After reading Psalm 17, students discuss how praise is physical, relational, and active, showing up through our bodies, relationships, and choices. In the activity, students work together to build a shared structure that represents how we notice and respond to God’s presence in everyday life, discovering that praise often emerges while we are already in motion.

NEEDED RESOURCES:

One soft ball
Building materials such as wooden blocks, LEGO bricks, plastic cups, cardboard pieces, or similar items
Open floor or table space for building

Icebreaker: Name Toss Connect (10 min.)

Have students stand in a circle. Hold a soft ball.

The first player starts by saying their name and one simple, everyday fact about themselves, then gently tosses the ball to someone across the circle. That person repeats what the player before them said, then tosses the ball to someone new who hasn’t received it yet. Depending on the size of your group, you can keep going after everyone has received the ball.

If you want to make it more challenging, have the statements be cumulative: each person repeats all the statements that came before, and the last person throws the ball to the first person, who then says everything that has been said before them.

Scripture (5 min.)

Read Psalm 17:1–7, 15.

Discussion (15 min.)

What parts of the body does the psalm mention, and what are they doing?

What are the ways this psalm describes seeking God as something active rather than passive?

What is one reason you think the psalm connects praise with movement, speaking, and walking? Have you ever been in a place where praise or prayer also included movement? When and where? What did that feel like?

How does the idea of “beholding God’s face” shift when it is connected to relationships?

Where do you notice moments of praise or awareness showing up in ordinary life?

Do you think people tend to pray more when they are having a great time or a terrible time in life? Why might praying and praise be important to remember?

How does this psalm challenge the idea that we praise only when everything is going well?

What role do other people play in helping us notice God’s presence?

Activity and Discussion: Build the Path (20 min.)

Divide students into small groups. Give each group a set of building materials and a flat surface on the floor or a table.

Explain the task: each group will build a “path” or structure that represents how people seek and notice God’s presence while living everyday life. The structure should have movement built into it, such as steps, turns, connections, or bridges.

After a few minutes of building, pause and give a second instruction: each group must add at least one new element that represents relationships, such as connection points, shared supports, or places where paths meet.

When the students have finished, invite the groups to explain their structure briefly. Encourage them to name where movement, attention, and relationships show up in what they built.

Emphasize that praise is not just stillness or sound, but a way of moving through the world with awareness of God’s presence.