Have you ever felt discouraged? Most of us have. Sometimes when we feel discouraged, we think of all the reasons that things are not going to work out. We fear the worst.
- What kinds of experiences make you feel discouraged, perhaps to the point of losing hope? (Answers will vary. Be prepared in this set of questions to share your own experiences in order to get your students talking.)
- When have you been in a situation where no matter what you did you knew the outcome would still be unpleasant? (Answers will vary.)
- When have you felt that things were already bad enough and then something else bad happened? (Answers will vary.)
This past spring the city of Baltimore was struggling with a number of issues, including high rates of violence, congested traffic, water main breaks, and questionable leadership. Getting things under control seemed hopeless to those who kept seeing things get worse instead of better. Just when it seemed like the city had more than enough problems to address, the city fell victim to a cybercrime.
Show the following video [6:43; stop at 3:03]:
Why Ransomware Attacks Are on the Rise and How the U.S. Can Fight Them | WSJ
If people pay the ransoms to regain access to their data and systems, the cybercrimes could be repeated, making matters even worse. If people choose not to pay the ransom, they could lose the data and software that allow them to do their work. These types of attacks cripple business’s services, freeze computers, and make it impossible to access documents.
- Where does a city, or an individual, find hope in the middle of problems that seem endless? (Accept all reasonable answers: Other cities or people; remembering how things worked out before; coming together; prayer; church; God, etc.)
- How do you stay positive or encouraged when things around you seem hopeless? (Answers will vary; parents, teachers, or grandparents help; prayer, etc.)
The Israelites found themselves in what seemed like a hopeless situation. The Egyptians were chasing after them, and they found themselves caught between the enemy and a sea of water. For sure they were doomed. Or were they? Let’s find out about the key to their hope—and ours.
