Prayer Basics for Children Lesson 5 (A children s 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 Children Lesson 5: Where Should We Pray? Everywhere! Lesson Objective: The students will learn that God is able to hear their prayers wherever they are. Memory Verse: Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth (NIV). The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth (KJV). Introduction As cell phone technology continues to advance, callers on most plans will be able to send and receive calls anywhere in the world. In some cases, however, there may still be some dead zones where signals cannot be received. With God there are no dead zones. When we pray to Him, He hears us regardless of where we are. This can be a source of real comfort to children who may wonder if God really can hear them when they pray. As this lesson progresses, they will realize God can hear them anywhere. Getting Started Ask: Where are some places you pray? (Some answers might include the dinner table, church service, at the altar, in a classroom, living room, bedroom, around a fire on a camping trip, in the car, or in an airplane or a boat.) Ask: Where are some unusual places people might pray? (Possibilities include a submarine, space ship, or cave.) As the list grows, the children will get the idea that there really isn t a place they can t pray. They can pray anywhere they happen to be. Lesson Focus Show the students a globe or map. Invite them to find various countries or regions of the world, particularly unusual and very remote places. Note that there is no place so far away or remote that God could not hear someone s prayer. Praying In Private Say: Jesus gave a very specific instruction on where to pray when He taught His disciples about prayer in Matthew chapter 6. Ask the students to find Matthew chapter 6 in their Bibles. Have one or two students read aloud verses 5 and 6, while the others follow along.
Ask: Why do you think Jesus was upset with the people he called hypocrites in verse 5? (Invite responses, pointing out that a hypocrite is someone who tries to make people think he or she is someone they re not; in this case, a religious person.) Say: Jesus didn t like the way the hypocrites would stand on street corners or in the synagogues (kind of like church buildings) and pray where other people could see them. Instead of honoring God, they were trying to make people think they were really holy by showing how often or how loudly they could pray. Ask: What did Jesus tell His disciples they should do, in verse 6? Say: They were to go into a room and shut the door. But is that the only place we can pray? Say: Not really. Even though Jesus often prayed in private, He also prayed outside, in places like mountainsides and beside lakes, with His disciples and for people who were needy. Ask: Why do you think Jesus told His followers to go into a room to pray? (Invite students to give suggestions.) Say: One reason is that Jesus doesn t want us to make a show of our praying like the hypocrites did. Also, it s important to spend some time alone in a quiet place with God. When we do that, He can give us thoughts, ideas, and encouragement in special ways. Also, there can be things that are too private to pray about around other people. Praying with Others Ask: Have you ever heard the saying, There is strength in numbers? What do you think that means? (Allow responses.) Ask: What would happen if you had to play against a soccer or basketball team all by yourself? Say: No matter how fast or strong you are, in a game like that you would lose big time and probably get trampled in the process. You need others with you on the team who know how to play. While it s important to keep yourself in shape physically and learn all you can about the sport, you need the help of others to win against an opposing team. Say: Praying also can involve a kind of a team. While we need to spend time alone with God so that we can grow stronger and know more about Him, there are times when it s helpful to get together with other Christians and pray. Ask: What did Jesus say about prayer in Matthew 18:19,20? (Ask a student to read the verses aloud.) What happens when two or three people gather together to pray? Say: Jesus promised to be with His followers whenever they came together to pray. He was saying that there is power when we agree together in prayer. Our trust in God s ability to help us grows stronger when we agree in prayer together. Often we can sense that God is very near when we unite in prayer.
Bible Illustration: In Acts 12 we find a story about what happened when some people got together to pray about a very serious situation. (Ask the students to find the story. As time allows, have students take turns reading two or three verses each.) Ask: What had happened to Peter in this story? Say: King Herod, a wicked Roman ruler who did not like followers of Christ and the Church, arrested, and even put to death, some of the Church s leaders. Peter was one of the key leaders who he arrested and kept in prison until Peter could go on trial. Sixteen guards were assigned to Peter. Herod wanted to make sure Peter would not escape. Say: Peter s imprisonment really worried his friends. Since other Church leaders had been executed, they no doubt feared for Peter s life as well. So they gathered together in Mary s home and began to pray really hard. Ask: What happened when Peter s friends prayed? (Allow response. Ask students to read Acts 12:6,7.) Say: God s answer to their prayers was pretty awesome. An angel came right into the prison cell where Peter was held, a bright light shined all around, and as the angel woke Peter from sleep, Peter s chains fell right off. Then, as Peter and the angel came to the prison gate, it opened all by itself! Peter was completely free from prison and went to his friend s house to tell them about it. The prayers of Peter s friends had amazing results. Say: Praying together with others, whether in a home, church, or somewhere else can bring God s help in a big way. There is power in praying together! Pray Everywhere! Say: A very important reason why we can pray anywhere is that God s presence is everywhere! Distribute the Activity Sheet, God Is Everywhere. Invite the students to search as quickly as they can for letters from the activity sheet that are hidden around the classroom and spell the three words, GOD IS EVERYWHERE. Ask the students to look up Psalm 139:5. Then have them scan verses 5 through 12. Or, as time allows, have students take turns reading aloud 2 or 3 verses each. Ask: What do these verses tell you about God? Where is He? (Invite responses.) Say: God is everywhere. When David wrote about being hemmed in on every side, he used an image that soldiers would especially understand. When an army came against a city in David s day, they often would completely surround the city and watch every gate, doorway, and window. No one could come or go without their notice. In a similar way, God s presence surrounds us all the time. He knows where we are at all the time. He knows about every move we make. He even knows what we re going to say before we say it!
Say: The Bible also says God would be with us in the deepest part of the sea. Discuss how many of the students know the story of Jonah. Invite a student to briefly review what happened to the prophet, or review the following with the class. Say: Jonah was a prophet who really didn t want to follow God s assignment. He wanted Jonah to go to a place called Nineveh and tell people to turn from their sins. Jonah didn t like the people of Nineveh. So he decided to go his own direction and boarded a ship going to another place. But during the journey God caused a terrible storm to arise. The sailors were afraid that the ship would be destroyed and they would drown. When they tried to find out why the bad storm was happening, they asked Jonah to explain what he had done. They knew he was running from God s command to go to Nineveh. Jonah had already told them about what he had done, and he knew that the storm had come because of his disobedience. The only thing that would calm the storm would be for Jonah to be thrown overboard. Although the sailors didn t want to do that, they finally realized there was nothing else they could do. So they tossed Jonah overboard and immediately he was swallowed by a huge fish. At that moment the storm stopped and all was calm except for Jonah. Ask students to look up and read Jonah 1:17 through 2:1. Say: Although Jonah was inside the fish far below the ocean s surface, he was able to call out to God for help; and he believed God could hear his prayer. In my distress I called to the LORD, Jonah said with confidence, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry (2:2). Say: Men and women today who serve in submarines that dive deep into the ocean also can pray to God and know that He hears them. Nothing can stop our prayers from reaching God. Say: Astronauts who have orbited the earth have told of sensing that God was very close to them. As some have viewed the awesome beauty of the earth from space and seen the bright galaxies glowing against the darkness of the universe, they have realized that only God could have created such incredible things. Say: No matter where we are on the highest mountain, inside a dark cave, on an island in the middle of the ocean, or even under the seas or in outer space God hears us when we pray. He is everywhere, all of the time. Ask: How does it make you feel to know that God is everywhere? (Allow responses.) Say: While some people, especially those who are doing wrong things, might feel uncomfortable when they think about God being everywhere, it is very comforting to those of us who live for Him. Because God is everywhere, we can talk with Him through prayer and receive His help. Say: Sometimes where isn t a place, but a feeling. Some people can feel very alone even while there is a big crowd all around them. They might not have a close friend nearby, or at least someone they know, and life is really lonely. Have you ever felt that way? It s great to know that God is right there, even when we feel totally alone.
Taking It Home Display a sheet of paper with the words of Psalm 46:1 written in large letters, and ask the students to read it in unison with you: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Then turn the sheet over with the words of Jesus from Matthew 28:20 and read this in unison: Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Emphasize that since God s presence is with us no matter where we are or what s happening in our lives, we can always get in touch with God. He never stops wanting to hear our prayers, and He never stops listening to us. Invite the students to take turns thanking God for hearing them wherever they are. Be especially sensitive to any students who might be facing some difficult challenges. Encourage the students to take time during the week to pray audibly or silently when they are in hard or confusing situations during the week. 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.
God Is Everywhere Cut out each letter (in block fashion) and hide the letters throughout the classroom. Ask the students to search for the letters, then see if they can find all the letters that spell out GOD IS EVERYWHERE. G O D I S E V E R Y W H E R E Prayer Basics for Children Lesson 5 Work Sheet