Message Theme & Verses: How to Pray: Matthew 6
Memory Verse: Matthew 6:9-10 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Praying is one of the greatest gifts we have. Many people have false gods made out of wood or stone with fake ears that cannot hear. Our God can hear everything. The Bible says that He knows the words we are going to day before we even speak them. Our God wants to know us and want us to know Him. He gave us the Bible so we can learn about Him and He gave us prayer so we can tell Him what we need. We can tell Him when we are happy, when we are sad, and everything in between. God wants to hear from us. But people can always take really good things and turn them bad. There were people in Jesus’ time that liked to stand in public and make really fancy prayers so everyone could hear how fancy they were. Jesus told His follower that those aren’t the kind of prayers that make God the Father happy. God wants to hear honest prayers from your heart. Jesus gave His followers a simple example of how to pray. We can remember some simple things to help us pray. Tell God who He is from what you learn in the Bible. Confess your sins to God. Thank God for what He has done for you. Ask God for what you need and for the needs of those around you.
Barkadang Questions
1. Have you ever prayed before? What do you usually say when you pray?
2. Do you think God cares about the prayers of kids? (God cares about everyone’s prayers. The Bible even says that people should have faith like a child. Sometimes grownups think something seems too hard and may God can’t do it. But often kids trust that nothing is impossible with God. The important part is not how old we are, but that we trust that God is truthful, powerful, and good. When we know that God loves us, we can tell Him anything.)
3. Do you know anyone who thinks they are really important and maybe boasts and brags a little? How do they sound?
4. Why do you think God prefers humble prayers over long and fancy prayers? (Those who prayed long and fancy prayers were trying to show other people how smart and holy they were. Humble people are not worried about what other people think. They are just telling God who they really are and how much they need His help. In Luke, Jesus sees two men praying. One man thought he was really holy and was praying “God thank you for making me so great and so much better than other men. I do lots of good things.” The other man prayed “God, have mercy on me a sinner.” The first man thought that He did not need God and that his good works made him good. The second man knew that he was a sinner and could never do enough good works to earn God’s love. He knew that he needed God’s salvation. God shames those who are proud and honors those who are humble and know that they need God.)
5. Is it okay to ask God for things when we pray? (Of course, God already knows everything that we need, but He wants us to ask Him to show that we depend on Him and we need Him. In Jesus’ prayer, He says “Give us this day our daily bread,” which means, we know God that everything we need to live every day comes from you. Jesus also prayed “Your will be done,” which means God knows what is best for us and we trust Him to do what is right and good.)
6. Does God always answer our prayers? (Yes, God never ignores His children. Sometimes, we might not like His answer. Last week, the woman with the blood issue asked Jesus to heal her and He did. He said yes. Sometimes, Jesus says wait, like with Jairus’ daughter. The people thought they knew the best time to heal her, but Jesus’ plan to raise her from the dead was better. Sometimes God even says no to our prayers. Sometimes we ask for something that would hurt us or that does not honor God. It is hard when God says no, but we need to trust that God loves His children and always makes the best decision.)
7. Let’s pray now. We need some volunteers.
One person pray and tell God something they love about Him. Maybe you love that He is kind, or merciful, or just. Maybe you love that He hears our prayers.
One person pray and confess. If you have a personal confession, you can pray it quietly. You can also confess for all of us. We are all sinners. We all tell lies. None of us love God as much as we should. None of us love our neighbors as ourselves.
One person pray and thank God for something. Has God given you a family or food too eat? Has God given you good friends and the Bible to learn from?
One person pray and ask God for something. Maybe you need food at your house. Maybe you have a big test at school and need God’s help. Maybe you are feeling sick.
One person pray and ask God for something for someone else. Maybe you have a friend who needs help. Maybe your Dad needs a job. Maybe you want your friend to know Jesus so they can go to heaven.
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