We were recently very blessed in church when we got the opportunity to meet and worship with the writer of the praise song “Jesus Shall Take the Highest Honor.” It really opened our eyes and hearts to the magnificence of God and we saw a glimpse of what a big and indescribable God He truly is.
When we think about God, it really blows our minds. There’s so many things to say about Him, many things about His character that we still don’t understand. This activity helps youth at least gain some perspective on the personhood of God and relate to Him in ways they can describe and (at least try to) identify with.
The Nature of God
Resources
- Balloons
- Newsprint or a large sheets of paper
- Markers for youth to write on the balloons and also to write on the newsprint
Preparation
- To speed up the activity you can inflate the balloons in advance.
What to Do
- Divide the youth into small groups and give each group a marker and some newsprint.
- Individual groups brainstorm attributes of God and list their ideas on newsprint.
- Groups share their answers and vote on 5 most important attributes from the collective ideas of all the youth.
- Write the attributes of God on the inflated Balloons and place them in the center of the classroom.
- Have the youth group stand in a circle around the balloons. For larger youth groups split into 2 or more circles.
- Toss the balloons into the air. The youth must keep all the balloons in the air at once.
- If a balloon hits the floor, everything stops and the youth must discuss what God would be like without the attribute that touched the floor.
- If the same balloon hits the floor more than once, the youth must discuss one of the attributes on a balloon that has not been discussed yet.
- Once all the attributes have been discussed, have everyone take a seat and get out their Bibles.
- Share a few of the verses on the attributes of God. (Unless you have a lot of time, limit discussion to 3-5 attributes, but mention some of the others)
- Discuss how the attributes affect our relationship with God.
Variations
- Replace the word “God” in the instructions above with “friend” for a lesson on the qualities of a friend.
- Attributes of the Church (Christians)
- Attributes of a Good father / Good Mother
- Attributes of a Christian
- Attributes of a missionary / evangelist
- Attributes of Christ
- Attributes of the Holy Spirit
Take It to the Next Level
Make it Spiritual
God is…
- Alive (John 5:26)
- Beyond Comprehension (Isaiah 40:28; Psalm 145:3; Romans 11:33, 34; Isaiah 55:8).
- Compassionate (Psalm 103:13)
- Eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27; Psalm 90:2; 1 Timothy 1:17)
- Faithful (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:24)
- Father (Matthew 6:9; 7:9-11)
- Forgiving (1 John 1:9)
- Gentle (Psalm 18:35)
- Good (Romans 2:4)
- Gracious (Exodus 34:6; Psalm 31:19; 1 Peter 1:3; John 3:16, 17:3; Psalm 103:8, Ephesians 2:7-9)
- Holy (Leviticus 11:44-45, Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 1:13; Exodus 3:2, 4-5; Hebrews 12:29; 1 Peter 1:16; Isaiah 59:2)
- Incomparable (2 Samuel 7:22; Psalm 86:8; Isaiah 40:25; Matthew 5:48)
- Invisible (Exodus 33:20; John 1:18; 1 John 4:12; 1 Timothy 6:16; Col 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 11:27)
- Just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 18:30; Isaiah 45:21; Jeremiah 9:24; Job 34:12)
- Love (1 John 4:8,16)
- Merciful (Psalm 103:8)
- Omnipotent; All-powerful (Revelation 19:6; Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Genesis 17:1; 35:11; Romans 13:1; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:6; Matthew 19:26)
- Omnipresent; Everywhere (Psalm 139:7-13; Jeremiah 23:23; Mark 5:10; Jude 6; Revelation 20:1-3; 1 Kings 8:27; 2 Chronicles 2:6; 6:18; Isaiah 66:1; Acts 7:49; 17:27-28; Psalm 139:7-13)
- Omniscient; All knowing (Psalm 139:1-5; Proverbs 5:21; Psalm 139:1-6; Job 42:2; Acts 2:23; 1 Timothy 1:17; Psalm 147:5; 1 John 3:20)
- Patient (Exodus 34:6)
- Perfect (Matthew 5:48)
- Personal (Exodus 3:14, Romans 9:19; Isaiah 1:18; Romans 11:33-34; Genesis 1:27; Psalm 18:19; Psalm 103:13; Proverbs 6:16; Exodus 20:5; Psalm 103:8; Deuteronomy 4:25; Genesis 6:6; Psalm 103:1)
- Provider (Matthew 6:25-27)
- Righteous (Exodus 9:27; Matthew 27:45-46; Romans 3:21-26; Psalm 129:4; Psalm 19:7-9; Jeremiah 9:24)
- Sovereign (Psalm 93:1; 95:3; Jeremiah 23:20)
- Spirit (John 1:18; 4:24; Matthew 16:17)
- Truth (Psalm 117:2; 1 Samuel 15:29; 1 Jn 1:5; John 17:17; Titus 1:2)
- Unchanging (James 1:17; Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; Psalm 102:26, 27; Mal 3:6; But God can change his mind: Jonah 3:10; Gen 6:6)
Make it Personal
- What attributes of God comfort you? Make you fearful?
- How are the attributes of God revealed in his dealing with us?
- Share a situation when you personally experienced one of the attributes of God. How did it make you feel? What effect did it have on your relationship with God, with others, or on the way you live your life?
- What attributes of God should we also display in our words, thoughts, and actions?
Make it Practical
We are called not only to seek God and worship him, but also to be like him. While there are some attributes of God we can never have, there are other attributes of God that we are told to express in our lives as Christians. (Eph. 4:24, Colossians 3:10, leviticus 11:44, 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:28-29, 1 John 3:2)
- Which characteristics of God should do you need to express more in your life? Which is most difficult for you?
- What can you start doing now that can help it to happen?
With all the awesome attributes of God, it may seem that God is out of reach. It’s hard to imagine that God should take an interest in us. But our awesome God can be found if we seek Him.
Close with a time of praise to God for who he is and for how he relates to us.
Scripture References
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
– Romans 1:20
“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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
– Jeremiah 29:11-13
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