Sunday School Lesson: The Power of Prayer
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The Main Takeaway: The Bible tells us that prayer is something every Christian is to do. Prayer is how we talk with God, and He answers every Christian’s prayer according to His will. He may say, “Yes!” He may say, “No!” or He may say, “Wait!” Our prayers are to come through His Holy Spirit, guided by what the Bible teaches us.
The Lesson Objective: Children will read Matthew 6:9-13 and learn how our Lord Jesus taught us to pray.
The Gift of Prayer
All Christians are to pray, but prayer is not something we do to earn our salvation. Prayer is a Christian’s act of worship and obedience because we love the Lord Jesus, and because we are overjoyed and thankful for what He did on the cross for us (atoned for our sins and made the way for our salvation through Him). We are also thankful and love Him because He is making us more and more like Him (sanctification) and because He will come back for us one day.
But Prayer is not something we immediately know how to do. Jesus knows this about us, and He gave His disciples instructions on how they (and we) are to pray. They had to learn how to pray, and because we are His disciples, too, Jesus’ instructions apply to us Christians.
We will use what is called The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 to teach children about prayer. This prayer is probably more aptly known as the Disciples’ Prayer. John 17 is more fit to be called the Lord’s Prayer.
9. “Therefore, you should pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
your name be honored as holy.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And do not bring us into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.”
What Does Prayer Do?
Prayer does many things, including:
- Acknowledges God as sovereign over everything and everyone.
- Shows the Lord God we want Him to control our lives.
- Is an act of worship of the Lord God.
- Reveals our hearts not only to God, but to ourselves.
- Brings us to confession and repentance of our sins and reveals His grace and mercy.
- Recognizes Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.
- Admits we belong to Jesus, and He is for us.
- Displays our weakness and the Lord’s strength.
- Shows our love for the Lord and for others.
- Displays our belief in our triune God and in His Word (the Bible)
Understanding How God Hears and Responds to Our Prayers
The Westminster Shorter Catechism (Questions 98-107) tells us prayer is, “an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of his mercies.”
When we explain this to children, we can tell them that prayer is telling God what we’ve done that is against His will, asking God to forgive us and to do His will in our lives and in the lives of the other people we pray for. We pray in Jesus’ name because Jesus saved us, and we tell God we are thankful for His grace and mercy.
Children (and all Christians) need to know God does not speak to us as He spoke to the prophets of the Old Testament or the Apostles of the New (Jesus spoke to them in person!). God speaks to us through His written Word—the Bible. Peter tells us in 2 Peter 1:3, “His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” We gain knowledge of Jesus (and grace—see 2 Peter 3:18) by reading the Bible and by listening to our pastor proclaim the Word of Truth—the Gospel—every Lord’s Day. We have the whole Bible to help us direct our prayers, and that’s a supernatural work of God in us and for us.
The Lord’s Prayer directs us in these ways:
Verses 9-10 have us draw near to God as an adoring and reverent child to their Father in heaven. He is always ready and able to help us with everything we need. He is “our” father, so we reach out to Him for others as well. We seek to glorify Him in all the ways He makes Himself known to us. We also ask God to take away the devil’s evil kingdom and replace it with His righteous, holy, and perfect kingdom. We ask for others to be brought into and kept in God’s kingdom. This is also where we ask God, by His grace, give us the will and ability to know, obey, and submit to His perfect will in all things, just like the heavenly angels do.
Verse 11 asks Him as our Provider to give us what we need according to His perfect provision and enjoy the blessings of them.
Verse 12 shows us how we pray that God, for Jesus’ sake, would freely forgive all our sins, and by that free gift our hearts are inclined to forgive others who have sinned against us.
Verse 13 beseeches the Lord God to keep us from the temptation to sin and help us when we are tempted.
(Some versions add to verse 13, “For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” We are given encouragement in prayer to and from God for His praise and glory alone.)
Sunday School Lesson Activity Ideas on Prayer
Prayer Fan Hand
MATERIALS:
- White or pastel colored 8 ½” x 11” card stock
- Jumbo popsicle sticks
- Fine Point Washable Markers
- Black or Blue washable Felt Tip Pens
- Washable Glue Sticks
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Each child should have one of each of the materials.
- Have them outline their spread-out hand on the cardstock with a marker.
- In the palm of the hand outline, write: "Glory to our Father in heaven."
- Number each finger at its top and write the following on each:
1. Help me believe
2. Help me share the Gospel
3. Save my family and friends
4. Forgive me and help me forgive
5. Deliver me from evil
- On the back of the hand, each child can write something they are thankful for (e.g., Jesus, the Bible, parents, best friends, family, etc.)
- These petitions can be simplified and made more personal prayer points if desired.
Simple Prayers for Lesson on Prayer
Father God, thank You that You are my Father and I can pray to You anytime, and I know You hear me.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for teaching me how to pray. I love you and praise You. Amen.
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