Read Matthew 6:5-13
5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Discussion
Today, we are going to talk about prayer. In the scripture above, Jesus taught us 3 important things about prayer.
You can pray anywhere! You don’t have to wait until you are in a church building to pray. You can pray in your closet, on the bus, in the car, outside, inside, or wherever you are. Remember though, prayer is personal and sacred, so don’t pray to make people think that you are really great person, because you believe in God. Keep your personal prayers between you and Heavenly Father.
Jesus said not to use “vain repetitions” in prayer. Do you know what this means? It means that you should think about what you are saying when you pray. Don’t just memorize what to say and say the same things every time you pray.
Heavenly Father knows what you need, before you ask. So you don’t need to say big, long prayers for Heavenly Father to know what you need. He loves you and is willing to answer the simplest of prayers.
To teach your children how to pray, start with the order of prayer.
Start with addressing Heavenly Father by name. Just like when you are talking to your earthly parents, you say, “Mom” or “Dad.” When we pray, we are beginning a conversation with our Heavenly Father. So begin your prayers with “Heavenly Father.”
Thank Heavenly Father for the blessings that He’s given you.
Ask Heavenly Father for things that you need.
Thank Him again for your blessings.
Close, “In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Activity
Help children to develop prayers that are personal and nonrepetitive by thinking about things they are grateful for and things or people they could pray for. Make a list and review it before prayers, to help them learn to develop sincere, personal prayers.
Click the picture below to see how we did this lesson
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