Ask... Seek... Knock... The parable of the friend at midnight
Here's a picture of a family in bed. They have packed everything away and unrolled their sleeping mats. They have taken off their belts and their shoes, wrapped themselves up in their cloaks, and gone to sleep. Here is the Dad, the Mum, the baby, the son and the daughter (paint the beard, hair, and sleeping eyes on each as you name them). They are all fast asleep. It's the middle of the night.
Suddenly KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK ! HELLOOO!(Knock on table or stamp on floor to make a loud noise). They all woke up! (paint on their eyes open, and a wide open mouth for the baby). The baby opened his mouth as well as his eyes (YELL!). The Dad called out: "Who on earth is that at this time of night?" It was the neighbour (fill in his face). "Its only me. I'm sorry to disturb you, but my friend has just arrived and I haven't any food to give him, please could you lend me 3 loaves just till the morning when my wife does the baking?'. "NO I CAN'T. I'm in bed with all the family. GO AWAY!"
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. "But PLEASE! I can't make him to to bed hungry! He's come such a long way and he's STARVING!" "NO, GO AWAY!". KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. "I'm sorry but I am not going to go away until you give me some bread for my friend." "Oh, all right then, I suppose I MUST."
So the Dad got up, and made the family all move over so he could get to the cupboard and take out the bread, and then he had to go down the step (UGH, WHAT HAVE I PUT MY FOOT IN?") and un-bar the door, and give the neighbour the bread......." Then everybody was smiling (paint smiles) - the neighbour and the friend had the food they needed, and all the family could get back to sleep.
Jesus told his friends this story when they asked him "How should we talk to God". You see, in the old days, they thought of God as very fearsome and grand and far off - but Jesus told them to talk to him just like their Father - the very best kind of Dad you could imagine. (If time, could ask for suggestions as to the best kind of Dad.) He said that the Dad in the story ended up giving the neighbour what he asked for just because he kept on nagging, but God isn't like that - he LOVES to give good things to his children - that's US!. Jesus said if you ask your Dad for something nice to eat, would he give you poison? NO! Jesus said if human Dads know how to give good things to their kids, how much more will our heavenly Father give good things to us when we ask him." (Luke 11: 5-8)
A beautiful Bible story written by Korky and Anni Davey (OAC ministries) with an easy to do painting. You can however also tell the story without a painting.