Unexpected Answers to Prayer

Transcription

1 / December 18, 2016 Unexpected Answers to Prayer By Carol Wilde Focus: God answers prayers in unexpected ways. Bible Basis: Luke 1:8-20 Memory Verse: But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth. Luke 1:13-14 Students will discuss how God often answers prayers in unexpected ways. OPENING ACTIVITY: Mission Impossible! Ask students to give you a list of events in history that at one time seemed impossible for example, men walking on the moon. Write these on a board or sheet of newsprint. Then ask students if they have made impossible prayer requests to God and what happened. This week s story shows how God answered the prayer of a young boy in Africa in an unexpected way. OPENING STORY: [Read the story aloud or make copies for your students.] ANSWERS INSIDE A SHOEBOX God, I need a Bible, prayed Terry, just six years old at the time. He lives in Arandis, Namibia, an English-speaking country in southwest Africa. His grandmother his primary caregiver since he was five months old taught him to love the Word. We used to play, sing, and read every day, Terry said. As they read the Bible together, she also taught her grandson how to pray. Close your eyes and talk to God, she said. But Grandma passed away July 11, 2015, due to complications with diabetes. Terry now lives with her daughter, Engela his father s sister along with four other cousins whom he refers to as brothers and sisters. He misses his grandma tremendously, especially the time they spent in her Bible. He longed for one of his own to read.

2 He likes God s things, Engela said, pointing to the fact that Terry will often pray and spend time in the Word before he does his homework. Unaware that this might be unusual for a boy his age, Terry said, I pray for people who are sad and very sick. But Terry, now 7, is still a very ordinary boy. When his older sister Ruth was asked to describe her brother, she immediately answered, Terry is sometimes naughty. One afternoon, Terry asked his Aunt Engela if he could borrow her room. We re not borrowing rooms, Engela said. You have your own room. I want to pray, Terry persisted. Then you must go and pray in your room, she replied. The kids are playing in my room, and they are disturbing me, Terry answered. Hearing this, Engela relented: If it is for prayer, you can go in. There in his aunt s bedroom, Terry prayed for his Bible and for some toy cars. A week later, Terry and his cousins were invited to church to receive gift-filled shoeboxes from Operation Christmas Child. Terry raced home after the event, shoebox in hand, calling for his aunt, Sister Engela, Sister Engela, I got what I prayed for. I got my Bible! Along with the treasured book, he found the toy cars he requested, as well as some cards, a robot, and a letter that said, Jesus loves you. I felt like Jesus was giving it to me, Terry said. I was very excited, Engela said. I was happy that God really answered our prayers. This single parent believes her mother would be proud that Terry received the Bible he asked for in prayer. She would be very happy because she taught him how to pray, she said.

3 She trusts their experience of God s provision can encourage others. I believe that God is always there for us, Engela said. I have seen the wonders He can do. Ask your students to form small groups to discuss these questions. How did God begin to answer Terry s prayer even before he asked for a Bible? When has God answered your prayers in an unexpected way? Is it harder for you to pray for the impossible as an adult than it was as a child? (When you are finished with the questions, go on to Step 2 in your Adult Teacher s Guide.) News Source:

4 / December 18, 2016 Unexpected Answers to Prayer Focus: God answers prayers in unexpected ways. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED Bible Basis: Luke 1:8-20 Memory Verse: But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth. Luke 1:13-14 I have first-hand experience with unexpected answers to prayer. I had been married to my high school sweetheart for almost nine years, and we were working part-time jobs until after graduation when my husband accepted a call to pastor a small church in the suburbs of Chicago. Thankful that we could finally start a family, my dream of being a mom became my greatest desire. But after a heart-breaking miscarriage, I learned that we would have to wait on God to answer our prayers for a child. We considered adoption but found that we didn t qualify because of our low income. So I asked God, Should I give up on becoming a mom and actively seek a career outside of the home and Gary s ministry? Week after week I prayed that God would show me what He wanted me to do with my life. One day at the grocery store, I saw a man wearing a jacket inscribed with the name of a national Christian organization. I stopped and talked to him about his jacket, and he said he was the program director at the new Christian radio station nearby. I knew something about radio because of my bachelor s in communications degree. Impressed with my knowledge, he immediately hired me as the station s DJ for Saturday nights. This would fulfill another of my prayers I would have the opportunity to share the good news of Jesus to many, many people. Oh, and one year after I began my radio career, my husband and I welcomed the birth of our identical twin sons!

5 Have your students return to their groups from Step 1 and discuss the following questions. What seemingly impossible prayer request will you give to God, knowing that He will answer, Yes, no, or wait for the unexpected? End by leading your students in prayer as you look to God to show you where you can spread the joy of Christmas then expect Him to answer your prayers in unexpected ways! (We are not affiliated with and do not endorse any website or any other media listed on these pages. At the time of writing, our editors carefully review the referenced material and non-referenced web page content. However, due to the nature of the Internet, noncited content on the website [including pop-ups, links, and ads] changes frequently and is beyond our control. Please review carefully before showing links in the classroom.) THE BIBLE IN THE NEWS The papyrus supposedly showing Jesus had a wife has been exposed as a fraud: