The second Sunday school lesson of a series that will introduce children to the different ways in which we can pray.
TOPICS
Christian Living, Knowing God, Listening, Prayer, Quiet Time
AS KIDS ARRIVE (10 minutes)
Kids love to write on the board. As they arrive, tell them to write as many ways they can think of that they can pray, such as how, where or when. They may come up with standing, walking, kneeling, bowing, singing, quietly, lying down, in bed, with hands together, with outstretched hands, in the morning, at night, etc. After the opening prayer, have a short discussion about their suggestions.
OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISE (5 minutes)
Further info? Click here
MEMORY WORK (12 minutes)
"Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" Psalm 66:20 NIV
For this activity you will need a cassette player, cassette tape, and a bean bag or a pair of rolled up socks. Have the children stand in a circle. Instruct them to gently toss the bean bag while the music is playing. When the music stops, the child holding the bean bag will say the verse.
SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION (15 minutes)
Introduction:
Last week we learned that prayer is communicating or talking with God. So how should we pray? When we pray, God wants us to pray with all of our heart (Jeremiah 29:13) We should pray earnestly and not half heartily. We should not pray just so other people will think we are godly.
Read Jeremiah 29:11-13
Have the kids find Jeremiah 29:11-13 in their Bibles. Ask for a volunteer to read the passage, or if you prefer, read the passage to the children yourself.
Discussion Questions:
1. Will God listen when we pray? (Yes, God listens to our prayers.)
2. What kind of plans does God have for us? (Plans to prosper, for hope and a future, and plans to keep us from harm.)
3. How can we seek and find God? (We can find God when we earnestly seek Him with all of our hearts.)
4. God wants to give us hope and a __________? (Future.)
5. When we pray we should pray with __________? (All of our hearts.)
CLASS EXERCISE (10 minutes)
Human Robot (Activity) Click here
ALTERNATE CLASS EXERCISE (15 minutes)
Biblical Tapestries (Activity) Click here
APPLICATION (3 minutes)
God does not want us to pray mechanically like robots. He wants us to pray heart-felt prayers. He wants us to tell Him our desires, our fears, our hopes, and He wants us to sing songs of joy to Him when we are happy. Praying before meals and bedtime is good, but He wants to hear from us more often than that. He wants to be involved in our lives, to comfort us when we are sad, strengthen us when we are scared and laugh with us when we are happy. God will give true meaning and direction to our lives. We need to make Him part of our lives throughout the day by reading His Word, the Bible and seeking Him through prayer.
NEXT WEEK
Come back next week and see how the word ACTS can help us remember what to pray for.
CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)
Further info? Click here
TAKE HOME PAGE
Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home. Click here for NIV or KJV [PDF]