Prayer Basics for Youth (Lesson 5: Where Should We Pray?) (A youth curriculum resource based on the book Prayer Basics: The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of Prayer and brought to you by the National Prayer Center, a ministry of the General Council of the Assemblies of God.) The National Prayer Center Equipping the Church......Answering the Call
Prayer Basics For Youth LESSON 5: You re in the Right Place STUDY TEXT: Psalm 139:5,8; Daniel 3:19-29; Jonah 1:17 through 2:10; Matthew 6:5,6; 18:19,20; Acts 8:26-38 OBJECTIVE: WHAT is the point? God calls us to be ready to pray wherever we are even in unexpected situations. WHY is it important? If we fall into the trap of thinking prayer is only for church or daily devotions, we ll miss some of the greatest and most important opportunities to pray. HOW should I respond? Resolve to make prayer a regular practice, rather than just something for religious occasions, and be ready to pray in every situation. KEY VERSE: Psalm 139:1,7 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me... Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence (NIV). Getting Started ACTIVITY: What If...? Have students respond to one or more of the following What If? questions, then discuss their responses. What if you could know the future? (Discuss if students would want to know the future, and how it might change their decisions.) What if you could read people s minds? (Discuss how it would change how they would act toward others.) What if you could ask God three questions? (Discuss what those questions would be and why.) Explain that life would be much easier if we knew the future. We could avoid a lot of problems and conflicts if we could read other people s minds. And choices would be much clearer if we could know what God was thinking all the time. But that isn t reality. We have limitations, and, as a result, life is filled with unexpected events, surprises, and issues. Yet we need not worry about them. God has given us a plan for success wherever we re at in life. That plan can be summarized in one word: prayer. ACTIVITY: So Much More Distribute paper and pencils, and divide the class into pairs or small groups, ensuring that one person in each group has a cell phone. Challenge each group to find as many functions as possible on their cell phones, listing each unique function on the paper. Encourage them to note even the most obscure functions. The winners are the group that can find the most functions. Finally, discuss the question below, relating it to prayer as described.
If you have a cell phone with many functions, yet you use it only for making telephone calls, are you getting the full worth out of the phone? Explain. (Not only are you losing out on much of the value the phone offers, but you re missing the reasons for which the phone was created. Something similar happens often in prayer. A lot of Christians see prayer as something that happens at only church and when hard times come. When they do, they re missing out on a lot of the value of prayer and even losing sight of why God makes prayer possible for us. The fact is, He intends for us to pray much more often than in church and during crisis. We can pray wherever we are.) Digging Deeper 1. Pray in private. Have a volunteer read Matthew 6:5,6. DISCUSS: Talk about the reasons Jesus gave for us to pray in secret. Encourage students to examine what kinds of wrong attitudes He was talking about in verse 5. EXPLAIN: Jesus wanted Christians to resist the temptation to make prayer into an exhibition to prove their spirituality. Note that He wasn t putting down praying in public or standing while praying. Jesus was concerned with showing off when we pray. There are a lot of ways this can happen: praying loudly with the intention of getting noticed, using big words to impress people, or praying in certain places specifically so others will see us. Jesus wants us to see prayer as something far different than that. Prayer is intimate, special time devoted to God. ACTIVITY: Crazy Human Tricks Ask for volunteers to present to the class some special skill or talent they have, such as making a unique noise or impression, contorting their body, or performing a unique stunt. (You might want to ask potential volunteers about this during the week so they have time to prepare, especially if you know of a talent in particular.) Consider giving a prize to participants. Emphasize that it s great to be the center of attention when entertaining it s virtually a necessity. But this is definitely not the case when we pray. Prayer isn t about impressing others; it is about talking to God. That s why praying alone can be so effective. ASK: What are some advantages to being alone with someone when you talk to them? What would happen to your relationships with close friends and family if you never had any alone time? (Note that we do the deepest part of our relationship-building during alone times. Those are the moments when we say the things we d never say to anyone else.) Why do we need times like these with God? (Note that Christianity is all about relationship. God wants us to talk about our deepest thoughts and concerns. He wants that alone time with us so that our walk with Him becomes deeper and stronger.) PONDER: Ask students to ponder if there is anything they haven t said to God or talked to Him about that they wish they had or know they should. Challenge them to open up to God, recognizing that He knows all about them and He loves them just the same. Emphasize that quiet times are when God often gives us special understanding and direction; those are the minutes when we re most able to listen to Him as well.
2. Pray with others. ACTIVITY: They Need Prayer Divide the class into two groups, one group being notably larger than the other, and distribute paper and pencils. Instruct each group to come up with as many people or situations as possible that they know are in need of prayer. After a minute or so of thinking and writing, compare lists to see who has the most responses. Most likely it will be the larger group. Ask this question, Why were they able to find more specific reasons to pray? Note that they have a larger number of people, thus are aware of more needs. Emphasize that there s nothing wrong with the shorter list; those needs are just as important. But when it comes to prayer, there is strength in numbers because we all have something to contribute, and we all have faith and confidence in God. Have a volunteer read Matthew 18:19,20. EXPLAIN: While Jesus values alone-time in prayer, He also places a lot of emphasis on getting together to pray, promising to be with us when we do. Our faith grows stronger as we hear the voices of others agreeing with us as we seek God. And the Bible promises us great power in this kind of prayer. Note that verse 19 isn t saying we can get whatever we want if we combine our prayers with others. Our prayers always must line up with God s will (1 John 5:14,15). But when our motives are right honoring God and His kingdom, and growing stronger in Him (John 14:13; 15:16) our together prayers have incredible influence. DISCUSS: Ask students to name some specific ways and times they can get together with Christian friends for prayer. Note that beyond the obvious places like church services and youth group, they can connect in less formal settings: at school during free times, after school, even via the internet or by phone. There are lots of unique ways and places to come together ; the important thing is that we unite our faith and confidence in God through prayer. ASK: What are some reasons people are reluctant to get together with others to pray? (Point out that sometimes Christians are self-conscious praying out loud in groups for fear of saying something wrong or funny. Other people might not like to get together with certain individuals because they have bad feelings toward them or a bad relationship with them. Still others are embarrassed to pray in public.) How can we overcome these struggles? (We need to be sensitive and encouraging to each other when we pray, resisting the urge to make derogatory or rude comments about how other speak during prayer. It s also important to resolve any strained relationship issues with God as well as the other person; spiritual issues like these need to be resolved before they become a barrier to prayer and a destructive force in our walk with God. Finally, the awkwardness of praying in public is natural, but must be overcome. We cannot allow fear of what others think to impact our obedience to God.) INVITE: Ask students to share their own stories of times when prayer has made a real difference either in their lives or in the lives of people they know. They might also relate stories of people they ve heard about whose lives were changed in incredible ways through prayer. Offer the following Scripture accounts as examples: Acts 12:1-17 and Acts 13:1-3. Note
that in Acts 12, Peter was freed from prison through a miracle when his fellow Christians prayed. In Acts 13, Christians prayed for Barnabas and Saul (Paul) as they left on a mission. As a result countless people were saved and churches established. 3. Get ready for unexpected prayer. BRAINSTORM: Have students think of times they ve been in the right place at the right time. Maybe they were the lucky person in line and won something at the store, or they happened to be driving past a friend who needed a lift or a call for help. After discussing these incidents, note that sometimes God places us in unique situations, or gives us unique understanding, for a spiritual purpose. Often it means being in the right spot to pray for and encourage a friend, or to share our faith with someone who is hurting. Some people call these moments Divine Appointments. Have volunteers read the following passages of Scripture, then talk about what each teaches concerning how God knows us and watches over us. Psalm 139:5,8 We cannot hide from God, and we cannot be hidden from God. He is always watching over us. Daniel 3:19-29 The three men refused to bow to an idol of Nebuchadnezzar and suffered the consequences in a furnace. But God went there with them and protected them. Jonah 1:17 through 2:10 After Jonah disobeyed God by refusing to tell the Ninevites about Him, God still heard Him and provided an opportunity to make things right. EXPLAIN: God is closely concerned with our lives. We cannot escape His vision. And while that promise helps us avoid temptation, it also gives us a great sense of security. God knows and cares about what we re going through even when, like Jonah, we re experiencing something that happens because of a wrong choice, or when, like the three Hebrew men, we find ourselves in a situation that seems hopeless. Often, because of His concern, God sends fellow Christians into our lives to encourage us, help us, and pray for us. Have a volunteer read Acts 8:26-38. Talk about how students would respond in a situation in which they were confronted with an opportunity to help someone with serious spiritual questions and needs. Would they feel anxious, self-conscious, or fearful that they wouldn t know what to say? What could they do to deal with these issues? How would they feel after the experience was over and they d helped the man? ACTIVITY: Talk about ways students can minister through prayer and encouragement for the person in each of the following situations. How could a moment like this become a Divine Appointment? Note that their response will include alone times with God as well as taking the initiative to reach out when presented with unique situations. As you walk past the offices at your school, a classmate who comes to your youth group once in a while walks out the door. He does not look happy. When you ask what s going on, he explains that he s about to be suspended from school for cheating.
A friend from church starts venting to you about her frustration with her parents. She can t understand why they always favor her younger brother and take his side in every argument. I feel like I m completely alone sometimes, she complains. You have a neighbor who has never really been close to you, mainly because you are a Christian and he rejects your faith. But your Hi, how are you? conversation just took a turn when he started talking about his dad s fears about losing his job. I don t want to move away from all my friends, but Dad says we ll have to if he gets laid off, he confides. INVITE: Allow students to share about specific times they ve been a part of a Divine Appointment and ministered to a friend in need. Or, they might share a time when someone did the same for them. How did the experience impact the way they look at God? How did it impact their level of faith and trust in God? Making It Real MINISTRY ACTIVITY: Explain that God hears us wherever we re at in our walk with Him. He is waiting to hear from us and ready to respond. Encourage students to reflect on the following questions for a few moments at the end of class: How would you describe your relationship with God right now? What specific, descriptive words could you use, such as strong, healthy, cold, growing, incomplete, confusing, or great? How will consistent private times with God in prayer impact this relationship? How much value do you place on spending time in prayer with others? Is it enough? Why or why not? How will a high value on public prayer impact your relationship with God? Spend time in prayer as a class, encouraging students to pray with one another regarding their walk with God. Encourage them to pray for more strength and consistency in their prayer lives. Finally, ask God to give them Divine Appointments. Pray that such moments will be led by God, and that He will give them the right words and actions to make a difference in someone s life. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.