Jesus teaches his disciples to pray

All Activity Sheets

key words

prayer pray hear example follow call answer follower

biblical reference

Luke 11:1-4

lesson objective

To help the children know that Jesus was an example for his followers about how to pray.

memory verse

“I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer” (Psalm 17:6, NIV*).

prepare yourself to teach

The Scriptures reveal that intentional and consistent prayer nurtures and develops our relationships with both God and others, enabling us to see and experience God's activities through his prevenient, saving and sanctifying grace. Prayer is the foundation upon which all other ministry efforts are built. As the Church, we pray for the final coming of the kingdom of God when Christ returns in glory. We also pray that the kingdom will increase here on earth through our sanctification in the Spirit and our commitment to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8).

Many children of this age are experiencing growth in their relationship with God. Through this lesson, they will learn how to talk to God in prayer.

Children appreciate the people who listen to them. So understanding and experiencing prayer in their daily life will strengthen their relationship with the Lord. Above all, it will encourage them to know that God is always willing to listen to them when they talk with Him.

For children of this age, it is easy to memorize, and maybe some already know the Lord’s Prayer. Although the memorization of the Lord’s Prayer is not one of the OBJECTIVES OF THIS UNIT, those who are interested can do so. The emphasis of this session is to help children follow the pattern of the Lord’s Prayer.

biblical commentary

Luke 11:1-4. The disciples had the opportunity to observe Jesus many times while praying, so they approached him to ask him to teach them how to pray. To answer this request, Jesus taught them a model prayer, known as the Lord’s Prayer.

It was not unusual for the rabbis to teach their disciples to pray. In fact, John the Baptist taught his followers to pray.

This passage considers prayer as something that can be learned. Jesus taught his disciples that when speaking with God, they should address him as their Father, using simple and sincere words. If we could divide the Lord’s Prayer into sections, we could say that in the first, the purpose of prayer is to give honor and glory to God. Next comes the request for daily needs, leaving each day in the hands of God.

Forgiveness is a fundamental part of prayer. We must seek forgiveness from God and we must also forgive those who have offended us. Forgiveness is based on the grace of God, and as we have been forgiven, we must also forgive.

In the last part of the model prayer, we ask God to protect us from the temptations and trials that come into our lives. The Lord has promised that He will not let us be tempted beyond what we can resist with His power. The apostle Paul reminds us of this in his letter to the Corinthians when he tells the Christians that there is no temptation that has overtaken man that is not common to man, but that God is faithful, because in the face of temptation he will provide the way out.

introduce the lesson

My prayer book

Ask a volunteer to distribute the prayer books they made in the last session. Help them write on the second page some model prayers to give thanks for the food. Allow them to include some drawings.

Tell them that at the end of the month they will have a collection of model prayers. This book will serve as a guide for when they need to talk to God.

God’s phone

For this activity, you will need several phones. Ask your children, have you ever talked on the phone with a friend? Allow them to respond, and then tell them: When you talk to a friend, you do not need to use special or difficult words, but you speak naturally and can say whatever you want. God wants to be your best friend. You can talk to him confidently, using simple words. God knows everything about you and wants you to talk to him, just as you do with your friends. Allow them to take turns saying a small prayer on the phone. Remind them that God hears their prayers and is never busy. He always has time to listen to his children.

teach the lesson

If possible write the Lord’s Prayer on the board or on a card to use as you tell the Bible story.

Jesus’ prayer

When Jesus prayed, his disciples listened to him and watched him closely. One day when he had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray. John the Baptist taught his disciples to pray. Please, teach us to pray as you do.”

Jesus told them, “This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one, for yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen’” (Matthew 6:9-13).

When Jesus taught this prayer to his disciples, he did not mean that we should always use the same words when praying. It was an example for us to know how to talk to God. In many places, this prayer is known as the “Lord’s Prayer,” or the “Our Father” prayer.

We can say the Lord’s Prayer as part of our prayers, but it is also necessary that we use our own words to speak with God.

connect the lesson

My prayer box

Make sure Student Activity Sheet #191-A and #191-B are printed back to back, and SAS #191-C is on a separate page. Then, distribute the activity sheets, and have the children write their name on the line on the hand.

Then have them cut along the solid lines of the hands on SAS #191-C. Show them how to fold the sheet along the dotted lines to assemble the prayer box. Help them to glue their prayer hands in the marked spaces. Then glue the sections that make up the box.

Explain that this box will help them keep their prayer requests. In addition, they can invite their family and friends to add other requests to intercede for them.

practice the memory verse

Download Additional Memory Verse Activities PDF

Download Suggestions for Bible Memorization PDF

Review the memory verse using the gestures learned in the previous lesson. Ask that some volunteers come forward and lead the group while repeating the verse a couple of times.

Hand out the Verse of the Month Club cards so that the group takes them home and reviews the text during the week.

wrap-up

Pray

Give your children all the work they did, and form a circle to pray. If possible write the petitions on a card or paper, and intercede for them.

Encourage

Say goodbye by singing a song about prayer.

Invite

Encourage the children to attend the next meeting and to invite others.

* 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.™