Like a Tree Planted by Streams of Water
Rebekah Harkins
One of my favorite similes is used in Psalm 1. A tree planted by streams of water is a simple, relatable, everyday picture for us to comprehend what it is like for believers to belong to the Lord and a picture of our Savior too. I am so thankful that both Old and New Testaments have metaphors and similes to help us better understand deep truths of faith. Jesus used figurative language through parables, metaphors, and similes because of his love for his people and his desire for them to understand more solidly the depth of the Gospel. How kind and patient of Jesus, who knows what it is to be perfectly man, to help us in our feebleness of mind and struggle of understanding. Through the use of figurative language, we can understand truths that are vast enough for any studied theologian to be transformed or the smallest child to hear and believe in faith. Jesus graciously used metaphors and similes, parables, and pictures to help us to comprehend, only in part and dimly now, who he is and what he came to accomplish as our Savior.
Children are greatly helped in remembering and understanding Gospel truths through figurative language. The pictures woven through the Bible of signs that point to bigger, greater realities are one proof of God’s desire for us to know him and follow him at every age. You could list countless examples in Scripture! One repeated metaphor is one of the Lord as our Good Shepherd that is both comforting and reassuring to believers. This is one reason why I enjoy teaching children to know all seven of the “I AM” statements of Jesus. For example, children and all of humanity understand the importance of bread and this picture connects us to hungering to know Jesus, the Bread of Life who satisfies us with himself. In teaching children to remember this, we take John 6 and draw the number 6 into a loaf of bread to help us remember that Jesus said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in my shall never thirst.” Use these pictures in God’s Word to connect young children to truth!
Speaking of figurative language, the classic story of The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan has been a solid use of allegory for almost 350 years. It has made such an impact on the world because of the way it gives Christians a familiar picture of the journey of the life as a follower of Jesus. I have found that children also love the adapted story and lessons of The Pilgrim’s Progress created by Great Commission Publications. Each time we study the lessons from every chapter together, they are thrilled to discover the double meaning behind each character and place. These teaching tools available to us are useful for allowing children to dive deeply into growing in their faith and understanding.