Biblical Answers to 7 Common Questions Kids Ask about God

What do I tell my child when they ask questions about God and I’m not sure I know the answers?

Here are Biblical answers to kids’ questions about God! We will tackle seven common questions children ask about Jesus, God, and Heaven!

When I’m reading a Bible bedtime story with my six-year-old, the last thing I expect is for her to ask me a complicated question in the middle of a page. But being the inquisitive child she is, that’s what inevitably happens! And it’s usually something like this:

“Mom, can I ride a pony in Heaven?”

“Do you think Jesus liked wearing sandals all the time like I do?”

Sometimes they’re on more serious topics:

“Mommy, what is Great-Grandma doing up there in Heaven?”

Maybe this has happened to you too! 

Our children are curious and absorb so much and once they get to be about age four, they begin asking some BIG questions about the deep things of God. As Christian parents, their questions can sometimes leave us stumped–because although we may KNOW the answer, we don’t always know HOW to explain the answer! 

Let’s talk about how you can simply and thoughtfully answer seven of the most common questions kids have about Jesus, God and Heaven from a biblical perspective.

These answers are most helpful for kids between the ages of 3 and 9!

First, though, let’s cover HOW we can answer our children’s questions about God without feeling flustered.

1. Share what you do know. Make it a habit to read the Bible or a Bible storybook with your child on a regular basis starting when they’re babies and toddlers. That will help you get to know Scripture too and answer some of the more complicated questions as they get older. Talk about God throughout the day, when you’re out exploring nature or when you’re baking in the kitchen–any conversation piece that helps them understand how God is personally involved in their lives and how He made everything!
2. Share what you don’t know. Say something like “I’m not sure but I will find out for you and we can talk about it tomorrow!” {Make sure you actually do your research because can bet your child will hold you to that! ;) } We won’t be able to answer every question perfectly because as adults we “see in a mirror dimly” too, as 1 Corinthians tells us. But certainly, some research can help! Look up relevant Bible verses on the topic, read some biblical commentaries on Scripture and ask a trusted pastor or Christian friend if you’re stuck. 
3. Find supplements that can help you answer hard questions in an engaging way with your young children. I’ll share some suggestions at the end of this post!

Biblical Answers to 7 Common Questions Kids Ask about God

1. What is God Like?

We don’t know exactly what God looks like. 1 John 4:12 says “no one has ever seen God.” But we can look around the world and see creation, which reflects the glory of God and reminds us that He created animals, plants, the earth, the skies, people, and more! The very first verse of the Bible tells us that God “in the beginning God created the heavens and earth.” 

God cares for us and loves us. He counts every hair on our head (Matthew 10:30) and knows everything about us. He is both gentle and strong (Psalm 18:2). 

We know that God is full of light. 1 John 1:5 says “God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

We also know from what the Bible says that God is in all places at all times. “There is no one like the Lord our God. He lives in the heights above, but He bends down to see the heavens and the earth.” Psalm 113:5-6

When we are sad, God is sad. When we are happy, so is God! Psalm 34:8

There are many other character qualities of God, but those that I mentioned are among the simplest to teach young children! 

2. Who Created God? / Where Did God Come From?

My seven-year-old, Lydia, asked me the other night “Was there anything before God? Did He just appear?”  

The truth that God has always been and that no one created Him is a hard concept to grasp for adults, much less children! 

The way I answered her questions was to say that nothing existed before God because He created all that exists. We talked about some of the things we can see, touch, and smell that God made (flowers, trees, clouds, people, animals, etc).

Then I told her that those things had to be made by someone because they couldn’t exist on their own. Everything has a beginning. It couldn’t just “appear”. Psalm 33:6-9 is helpful here when it says,

The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created.
He breathed the word,
    and all the stars were born.
He assigned the sea its boundaries
    and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs.
Let the whole world fear the Lord,
    and let everyone stand in awe of him.
For when he spoke, the world began!
    It appeared at his command.

In contrast, God has always just “been”. Revelation 1:8 says “I am the beginning and the end. I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come, the Almighty One.” God has always been around, no one had to make Him because He is the beginning of everything. And He will never end either! He is the only one who wasn’t made.

I told my daughter too that this is not easy to understand but that it is comforting to us because it shows us that God is powerful and will always be there to take care of us! 

How to Answer Kids’ Big Questions about Heaven

3. What is Heaven Like? / What Do People Do in Heaven?

“I know that God loves me, of this there’s no doubt. But what about Heaven? What’s that all about?”

That’s the first line from one of our favorite books for preschoolers about Heaven, called, appropriately, “What About Heaven?” by Kathleen Long Bostrom

It seems like my children had a lot of questions about Heaven starting when they were about four. I remember my older daughter crying after my grandfather died (she was 5) and being scared about “what comes next” after you die. 

One thing that may be helpful in this situation is to point your child to these verses about what people do when they are in Heaven with Jesus.

• You eat delicious meals: “I will come in, and we will share a meal with friends”. Revelation 3:20 and “They will never be hungry or thirsty again.” Revelation 7:16 and “On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month.” Revelation 22:2
• Heaven is full of singing and beautiful angels: “Then I looked again and I heard the singing of thousands and millions of angels around the throne.” Revelation 5:11
• Heaven is beautiful!: “In front of the throne was a shiny sea of glass.” Revelation 4:6 and “The glow of an emerald circled his throne like a rainbow.” Revelation 4:3 and “The angel showed me a pure river with water of life, clear as crystal.” Revelation 22:1
• The light of God’s love is always shining on them: “There will be no night there–no need for lamps or sun–for the Lord God will shine on them.” Revelation 22:5 and “Its gates never close at the end of the day because there is no night.” Revelation 21:25
• You are never alone, there are always others nearby: “There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2
• Everyone there can run, walk, dance, sing and be strong: “The people of God will sing a song of joy.” Isaiah 30:29 and “Those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31 

If your child is asking lots of questions and is still a little scared about heaven and wondering what has happened to the person they love, it’s okay to keep things really simple by telling them that Jesus is there and that he is taking care of the people we love who have gone to be with Him in Heaven.

Remind them that it’s okay to miss them and that we can remember all of the special memories we had with them while also knowing that they are full of joy and worshipping Jesus forever with the people they love (and healed, if that’s the situation under which they passed). 

Don’t worry if your child struggles to understand the concept of Heaven–it’s a big deal! Depending on your child’s personality, they may want to read these verses I shared, or they may just prefer a VERY simple explanation at this time. They will grow in their understanding as they mature!

**Definitely read the “What About Heaven?” book! It answers a lot of questions in an easy to remember and gently way. 

4. How is Jesus God’s Son? Isn’t He God Too?

If your child asks a question along these lines, this is where you bring in a lesson about the Trinity :) 

In this post, I guide you in how to use an object lesson to explain the Trinity to your child. 

If you feel that your child is old enough to understand, you can share that there is only ONE God. At the same time, God is three in one: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of them is also one unique person with a specific job. The Father is the Creator, the Son Jesus sets us free from sin and the Holy Spirit helps us grow and learn more about the Bible. 

As a parent, this video may be helpful to you in understanding the Trinity too. 

5. Why Can’t I Hear/See God? How does Jesus talk to me? 

How can I talk to Jesus if I can’t hear Him talk back to me?

The Bible tells us that no one really knows what God looks like, but we reflect God (who created us!) when we show love to others. “No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:12

We can also look around at creation and see all God made around us! Next time you are outside in creation, pray out loud with your child, teaching them to talk to God while enjoying His beauty. 

And you can explain that even though Jesus doesn’t talk back to your child “out loud”, that He does talk to us through His Word! We can learn all about what God says to comfort us, encourage us and help us know what to do. That type of explanation helps make the connection of how important it is to read the Bible–because that is God’s way of talking to us in this modern day. 

You may also like: Kid Friendly Bible Reading Plans

It’s also helpful to emphasize that Jesus wants to hear from your child. The Bible assures us that, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.” Psalm 145:18, NIV and “But God has listened. He has heard my prayer.” Psalm 66:19, ICB

6. How Did God/Jesus Create…..?

One of the questions my kids used to ask a lot was “how did God create….?” They’d ask this about animals, trees, buildings and mosquitos!

It’s helpful to talk through these five simple points:

• God spoke all things into creation (read Genesis chapter 1, Isaiah 48:13) – He is so powerful, all He had to do was say the word!
• Jesus was a part of the process of creation (read Colossians 1:16) – All things are made through Him and for Him.
• God asked Adam to help him name the animals that God created (read Genesis 2:20) – Adam had a special part in caring for God’s creation.
• To explain things like buildings, cars and more, you can say that God made people very intelligent and curious so they could discover how to build and create and reflect God’s glory by inventing amazing things! (read Genesis 1:26).
• YOU are the most special and precious part of God’s creation (read Psalm 139) – God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was VERY good! 
• As far as mosquitos? I always just say they bite people because of the fall of creation into sin–ha! 

7. Are there Animals in Heaven?

If you have a pet who dies, or even just a child who loves animals (like my daughter, above!), they may be wondering if there are animals in heaven!

There is no Bible verse that says specifically that there will be animals in heaven, with the exception of the horses that are referred to in Revelation speaking of the second coming of Christ. However, some people interpret Isaiah 11:6-7 as referring to such an occasion. “In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard and the goat will be at peace. Calves and yearlings will be safe among lions…The cattle will graze among bears. Cubs and calves will lie down together. And lions will eat grass as the livestock do.” 

Yet this passage, as well as a similar verse in Isaiah 65:25, is likely referring to the “new heaven and new earth” that is spoken of in Revelation 21 (this article helps explain the concept), once Jesus returns and makes all things new. 

There also is no separate heaven for pets (sorry, All Dogs Go to Heaven fans!), but we can comfort our children by explaining that animals are a special part of God’s kingdom. If they’re a little older, you can tell them that when Jesus comes back, he will make everything perfect and the animals will all be safe and at peace. 

I also thought this response I read while “researching” this question for my own kids was helpful:

I once read Billy Graham’s response to a little girl’s question, “Will my dog who died this week be in heaven?” Graham replied, “If it would make you any happier, then yes, he will be.” Animals aren’t nearly as valuable as people, but God is their maker and has touched many people’s lives through them. It would be simple for Him to recreate a pet in heaven. I see no reason to believe he wouldn’t if it would bring his children pleasure.

There are a lot of things we don’t fully understand, but these biblical concepts can help us explain some of the biggest questions they have about God in an engaging way! 

I hope these tips help you answer your child’s burning questions about God, Jesus, and Heaven!