MAHRAGAN 2012 – Lesson 1
(part 1)
St. Mary COC, Ottawa, ON
Grade 4 & 5 girls’ Sunday-school class
Bishoy, John, Mariam, and Parthenia are friends in grade 5 & 6. They
started their very own radio station to reach out to their friends.
Today is the first live broadcast and they’re really excited!
Bishoy: I would like to welcome our audience and introduce my friends
who are with me today. Please welcome John, Mariam and Parthenia.
Mariam: Thank you, Bishoy, and welcome everyone! I hope you like
our show.
John: The name of the first show on this radio station will be “U-turn”.
On this show, we would like to discuss different topics that interest our
friends.
Parthenia: Lets take our first phone call from our friend in St. Mary’s
Church, in Ottawa.
The caller: Good afternoon, I’m very happy to be the first caller on
your show. I hope your show will help us and answer all our questions.
John: We too are very happy to have you!
The caller: What is the goal you want to
achieve through this radio show?
Bishoy: We wanted to come up with a
radio station that talks about topics
important to kids our age.
Mariam: Through this show, we will try to
answer questions about different topics
and to learn from other people’s
experiences so that we can change
ourselves and others around us.
Parthenia: That’s why we call this show
“U-Turn”. So, what would you like to ask
us, dear caller?
The caller: It is very hard to change old habits.
What should I do if I want to change and be a better
person?
Bishoy: If you really want to change, you have to have a strong will.
That way, you can help others change too.
Parthenia: That’s an excellent point Bishoy. Anyway, stay with us
and we’ll be back after this short break. Don’t go anywhere!
During the break, the radio hosts thought of how
they should answer the question . . .
Mariam: What do you think? How should
we answer him?
John: Lets give him an example of
someone who, through his strong will,
was able to change.
Parthenia: Can you think of
someone?
Bishoy: Hmmm… I think
NEHEMIAH is a great example of
a person with a very strong will.
Lets tell the caller about him!
After the break . . .
John: Welcome back! Before the break, we had an important
question from one of our listeners on how to change and be a
better person.
Parthenia: We would like to share with you the story of a Biblical
character who had a very strong will and was able to change many
things in his life and the life of others…
Lets start Nehemiah’s story from the beginning…
During captivity, the king of the foreign country would come and
take all their goods and all the young men and skilled people to
use them in his own country.
After 70 years of
being captive, King
Cyrus gave the people
of Israel permission
to go back to
Jerusalem.
This happened in 3 phases…
The first return included 2 groups.
The leaders were:
Sheshbazzar & Zerubabbel.
Their main goal was to
rebuild the temple in
Jerusalem.
The second return was lead
by Ezra, the priest
This mission was to help
the people come back
to their religious ways.
The third return was led by:
Nehemiah was the cupbearer of the king…
…One day, Hanani came with some men from
Judah and told him that the people in Jerusalem
had left the way of God, they were suffering,
the wall of Jerusalem was also destroyed, and
the gates were burned with fire.
When Nehemiah heard this, he became very sad. He
realized that change would require 2 important things:
A strong will (desire) to change from
within!
God’s help and grace! Only with God can
things be successful, and only He can
provide the materials needed make such a
big change!
So, what did Nehemiah do???
The first, important thing he did was
FAST and PRAY
What do you think he would
have said in His prayer?
1. He praised God, saying:
 “Lord, God of heaven, O
great and awesome God…
please be attentive…”
2. Second, he asked for God’s
forgiveness (repentance &
confession)
3. Third . . .
Third, …he made his request to God, saying:
Memory Verse
“O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be
attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and
to the prayer of Your servants who desire to
fear Your name; and let Your servant prosper
this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the
sight of this man.”
…After many days of fasting and prayer,
Nehemiah went to the king with a very sad
countenance…. a way the king had never seen him
before.
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=Y82xG26Vyk&feature=related
When he reached Jerusalem, Nehemiah explored the
cit by night to see the condition of the walls . . .
He didn’t tell anyone what he planned to do there…
Not only did Nehemiah have a STRONG WILL to
change, his STRONG WILL also encouraged all the
people around him to rise up and work too!!
….Can you think of some ways this applies to our lives too?
What steps do I need to take when I want
to make a change for the better?
Nehemiah’s prayers & actions give us a perfect recipe to
follow:
1)
Turn to GOD with fasting & prayer, recognizing His
glory and power;
2) Recognize, repent & confess our sin;
3) Remember His promises and seek His guidance &
power in our lives to make the change;
4) Take the first step with strong love, hope, and faith,
knowing that HE is the one that will make us prosper.
 QUIZ TIME!

1. The kingdom of Israel became weak and was later divided
into:
a) TWO
b) THREE
c) FOUR
2. What were the new kingdoms’ names after the division?
a) The Northern Kingdom – The kingdom of Israel
b) Southern Kingdom – The kingdom of Judah
3. After 70 years of being captive, the king of the Persian
Cyrus finally gave the people of Israel
empire, named King ______,
permission to go back to Jerusalem.
 QUIZ TIME!

4. The main goal of the first return was to rebuild the ______.
TEMPLE
5. The second return was lead by E_____, the
EZRA
king/priest/pope.
6. The third return was lead by _______.
NEHEMIAH
7. What was Nehemiah’s job?
The King’s CUPBEARER
8. What did Nehemiah do before he spoke to the king?
He FASTED & PRAYED
 QUIZ TIME!

9. What 2 things are needed to make a change?
1. A strong will to change from within
2. God’s help and grace!
10. What is the recipe for a perfect prayer (as Nehemiah did)?
a) Praise & thank God
b) Ask for His forgiveness
c) THEN, make a request
11. What are the 4 steps needed to make a change for the
better?
1)
2)
3)
4)
Turn to GOD with fasting & prayer
Repent & confess our sin;
Seek His guidance & power to make the change;
Take the first step with strong faith!
NEXT WEEK:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-um0PiDtNdY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0MDpVx3wXM