JESUS’ TEACHING ABOUT PRAYER

 

memory verse for this unit

“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’” (Matthew 6:9-13, NIV*).

objectives of this unit

This unit will help the children:• Know how to honor God when they pray• Trust that God will answer their needs when they pray• Understand that God answers our prayers when we ask for forgiveness and forgive those around us• Learn to give thanks to God for his care and ask for protection through prayer.

the reason we teach this unit

Fervent prayer is one of the discipleship values of Nazarene Discipleship International (NDI). Prayer is an essential part of discipleship. In its purest form, prayer is communicating with and responding to God. Prayer was expressly modeled by Jesus who taught his disciples to pray. Jesus' disciples were then instructed to teach each following generation of disciples to pray. 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.

Through the lessons of this unit, our children will learn the way Jesus taught his disciples to pray. It is possible that children who are in an advanced elementary class who have attended church have already recited the Lord’s prayer in the worship service and have already memorized it by heart. However, they must understand that praying the Lord’s prayer is more than a simple religious exercise. They need to understand that prayer allows them to bring their needs to God. In this unit, our children will analyze this prayer as a model to praise God and to present their needs to him. When they learn the teachings of Jesus about prayer, they will understand the importance of honoring God the Father and to forgive others, as he has forgiven us. They will also learn that God delights when his children come to him. Finally, this unit will help them to know the importance of praying in the will of God.

* 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.™