Prayer: the source of power
key words
biblical reference
Luke 22:39-62
lesson objective
To learn to follow the example of Jesus to seek strength and security through prayer.
memory verse
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die’” (John 11:25-26a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
For your students, what their friends say and think about them is very important. They strive to be accepted and belong to the most popular groups. Preadolescents do not want to be different, and they fear that the people they love will abandon them.
Many of them have the support of their family and friends during difficult times, and feel protected. In this lesson, they will learn that although sometimes they will not have the help of anyone and will be alone, God will always be with them. He has provided prayer as a source of power for us to find strength and security.
biblical commentary
Read Luke 22:39-62. On Thursday afternoon, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples and told them that the time of his death was approaching. They did not understand what Jesus anticipated or how close this event was.
At that dinner, Peter confirmed his loyalty to Jesus. However, the Lord knew that Peter had an impulsive temper and that the same night Peter would deny him three times.
On the Mount of Olives, Jesus left eight disciples at the entrance and called Peter, James and John to stay nearby and pray, while he went aside to pray alone. Jesus probably needed the company and support of his friends for the difficult situation he was going to face. But, he knew that he also needed to spend some time in prayer, talking to his heavenly Father.
Jesus’ prayer reflected his anguish and fear of the suffering and death that awaited him. Therefore, he asked God to free him from that bitter “cup”. But, in spite of what he wanted, Jesus submitted completely to the will of the Father.
The Bible tells us that an angel went to him, giving him the strength to endure the hard ordeal ahead.
Twice, Jesus told his disciples to pray to not fall into temptation. On both occasions he found them sleeping. They did not realize the importance of their Master’s request, and they were not prepared for what would happen hours later. When the priests and soldiers confronted them, they left, leaving Jesus alone.
Prayer was very important for Jesus. He taught us the need to talk to God and tell him about our problems and sufferings. That night in the garden, he asked his disciples to pray and, even today, he reminds us that prayer is our source of power.
introduce the lesson
Investigation
For this activity, you will need several Bibles that have a concordance. Divide the students into small groups, according to the number of Bible concordances you have on hand.
Ask them to look for at least ten passages that contain the words: pray, prayer, prayers, praying, etc.; and then read the biblical quote and take notes to share with the class.
Tell them: The Bible teaches us a lot about prayer. Jesus told his disciples that they should pray. Through the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus taught us how to do it. In today’s Bible story, we will study what Jesus did on a very sad night.
teach the lesson
Make a brief introduction before beginning the Bible story (for example, Jesus had come to Jerusalem and decided to celebrate the Passover with his disciples. Then, knowing that the moment of his death was approaching, he decided to go to a garden to talk with God).
Once again, divide the class into teams, and assign them some of the following discussion questions:
READ: Luke 22:39-46
ASK: “What do these verses reveal about Jesus’ attitude towards his death?”
“Why did he insist that his disciples needed to pray?”
READ: Luke 22:47-53 and Matthew 26:55-56
ASK: “How did the disciples react when they arrested Jesus?”
“Could the situation have been different if the disciples had prayed?”
READ: Luke 22:54-62
“Why did Peter deny knowing Jesus?”
“How did Peter act wrong?”
Jesus Prayed
Allow time for each team to discuss their questions. Then have a volunteer from each team to report to the whole group, or write them on the board so that everyone can write them down.
Make clarifications, and reinforce your students’ answers with today’s passage.
connect the lesson
My source of strength and power
Provide scissors for your students to cut this activity page from Student Activity Sheet #328 and then fold it to form a prayer booklet.
Explain that in that booklet they should write their prayer requests every day and the answers they receive. Emphasize that prayer is not to present our list of requests to God, but to have a time of communion with him.
Encourage your students to keep the prayer book in their Bible and to use it during their devotional times.
practice the memory verse
Write the verse on a piece of poster board and cut it up. Mix up the pieces so that the children can put it back in order. You can do this several times. Remind them that this Bible verse invites us to be sure of our faith in Christ Jesus. (Give some sort of incentive to the children who have learned their memory verse.)
wrap-up
Pray
Ask two volunteers to intercede for the requests that the members of the group have brought.
Encourage
Encourage the group to thank God every day this week for giving us prayer as a source of power and strength.
Invite
Invite the group to the next session, and do not forget to contact those who are sick or absent for other reasons.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™