How to PrayLesson 3: Prayer Means Asking

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Lesson 3—Prayer Means Asking

Unit SummaryPrayer is a familiar topic to children—but do we truly teach children how to pray? For too many Christians (of any age), prayer is reserved for times of trouble or cursory meal blessings, but prayer is so much more. It connects us with our Creator and deepens our walk with God. Teach prayer as a skill so that children can discover firsthand how it enriches their lives. Teach children to pray, and there become many things you will not have to teach them—the Holy Spirit will do it for you! In order to give children a simple mental framework, break down the many aspects of prayer into four areas, each starting with a letter of the word “PRAY”—Praising, Repenting, Asking, and Yielding. While there is certainly more to prayer than can be captured in four simple words, each lesson will expand on the broader aspects to show kids that they will enjoy a lifetime exploring the power and the joy of connecting with God!

Lesson SummaryLike a father who delights in caring for his children, our heavenly Father loves to give us good things—not only what we need, but what we enjoy! We seek those things with prayer. Asking for things in prayer isn’t a bad thing, but when it comes after praise and repentance, there will be a striking difference in the kinds of things we ask for! In this lesson, children will learn how to ask God for their needs, but also about other things they can ask for. They will become inter-cessors for others and the world around them!

Paul’s Power Principle: God delights to provide for people who are fully devoted to Him.

How to Pray

KnowGod will provide everything they truly need.

FeelConfident that God will respond with the best answer for their needs.

DoPray for the needs of someone they know.

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In this lesson, your children will...

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SPARK INTERESTChoose from the following activities and ideas to engage kids and grab their attention.

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Welcome!—Request Wall(For complete details on the Prayer Wall, please see Lesson One.)

For this third lesson, in very large letters above the Prayer Wall write: REQUEST WALL. As the children arrive, invite them write prayer requests to God. Explain that they should write one-sentence prayer requests to God. They do not need to sign their names, but if they want to, they should write only first names. Let them continue to write until it is time to begin your service. Do not correct children who write silly or childish things such as a request for a toy. Instead, gently guide them toward more meaningful requests by asking thoughtful questions and have them write another request. A loving Father delights in giving His children all good things, toys as well as their more serious needs. Leaders are encouraged to write as well to model the kinds of requests that please God.

Consider photographing the wall and later e-mailing it to your leaders and perhaps parents—suggesting it as a list of ways to pray for the children of the church.

PowerPoint PresentationAs you plan your lesson, select PowerPoint slides that correspond to the lesson elements you choose. In the “Slide Sorter” View, you can rear-range and/or delete the slides as necessary. For descriptions of the included slides and tips on their use, see the notes accompanying each slide.

General Supplies Bibles, puppets, video projection (optional) Pencils, pens, paper

Spark Interest WELCOME!: markers, posterboard (optional) LET’S PLAY!: soda cans, paper plates CONNECT WITH YOUR KIDS: none

Explore Scripture KEYVERSE: none

Inspire Action DRAMATIZE THE POINT: gadget prop

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Let’s Meet-n-Greet!Use the letters of the word “FISH” to show an interest in other people and get to know them. When you meet a new person, it helps to have something in your mind to guide you in asking questions to know the person better. If you want to “swim with a new friend,” remember F-I-S-H and ask about the person’s:

F—Family (parents, siblings, pets, etc.) I—Interests (books, movies, video games, etc.) S—School (subjects, sports, clubs, etc.) H—Hobbies (collections, musical instruments, themes, etc.)

Have kids use the F-I-S-H acrostic with someone near them. After the children are finished, say, This same principle is true in our relationship with God. Asking God is not just about asking for things from God; we also need to ask God questions—to get to know Him better so our friendship with Him can grow.

Leaders, be sure to stop whatever you are doing to move through the audience and greet the children, especially those you do not recognize. Announce any birthdays for the week. (See the How to Use DiscipleTown guide for quick and easy ways to acknowledge visitors and birthdays.)

Let’s Worship!As you shift to worship, open in short prayer, focusing on how wonderful it is that God loves us as a heavenly Father. Just like our parents or guardians take care of us, God takes care of our needs and loves to give us what we ask for. We can go to Him in prayer and present our needs to Him. That is one of the reasons He is worthy of our worship.

Recommended Song: Give Me Jesus from God’s Kids Worship—Modern Worship Spring, May DVD, available at Kidology.org

Puppet IntroLeader & puppet introduce today’s lesson. You will find a scripted version of this intro at the end of the lesson. Supplies: puppet

Puppet comes out with a stack of catalogs and mail fliers and a long list that flows all the way to the floor! Leader asks what Puppet is up to, and he replies, “Well, I have really been convicted by this series on How to Pray that I really do need to pray more, so I’ve been doing some research to increase my prayer time.” Leader says, “Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. What kind of research have you been doing?” Puppet says, “On stuff.” Leader repeats, “Stuff?” Puppet says, “Yeah, that’s what I said, stuff.” Leader looks confused, “I’m not sure I understand. What kind of stuff?” Puppet answers, “Why, stuff I want, of course. This is my list, and these are all the catalogs and mail fliers where I am finding the stuff I want. And there is more where these came from!” Leader says, “Wait a minute. What does this have to do with prayer?” Puppet says, “Well, when I pray, it usually only lasts a few minutes because I usually only have a few things I want. If I want to increase the time I pray, I’ve got to increase the amount of stuff I want. So I’m making a really long prayer list of stuff I want. This list is gonna take me at least thirty minutes to pray through! God is gonna be really impressed!” Leader says, “I think you’ve really missed something during our lessons. Prayer is not just about asking for things.” Puppet says, “But doesn’t God give us stuff?” Leader replies, “Yes, God delights in giving us what we need, but He isn’t Santa Claus or a vending machine—He is our heavenly Father, and He wants to have a friendship with us. How would you feel if you had a friend who came to you only to ask for stuff all the time?” Puppet says, “I used to have a friend like that.” Leader says, “Really? What happened to him?” Puppet

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admits, “I don’t know—I avoid him like the plague!” Leader says, “The Bible says that God loves us and wants us to take our needs to Him, but I highly doubt you have any needs in all those catalogs.” Puppet admits, “Nope. These are more like ‘wants.’ Maybe I’ll put them on my Christmas List instead.” Leader says, “That’s a good idea. And why don’t you spend that thirty minutes just talking with God? Spend some time praising God for how amazing He is, then repenting for your sin, then go ahead and ask for what you need. Finally, ask if there is anything God would like you to do or change. He’ll make it clear to you—He always does.” Puppet says, “Thanks, [leader name], I’ll go do that now. I kinda feel the need to repent of my greed. Later.”

Let’s Play!—Pray It ‘n’ Play It—Can & Plate StackSupplies: fifteen empty soda cans (without tabs), four paper plates

During this unit, hold a game show called PRAY IT ‘n PLAY IT: One Minute Challenges! It is based on a television show* that features challenges that contestants must complete in sixty seconds to win. Use the suggestions provided here, or visit the show’s website and watch the videos there and try some of the games they use. The games appear simple but are difficult to accomplish in only sixty seconds!

The Challenge: Contestant must construct a tower of cans starting with one can on the floor, two on the next level, three on the next, four on the next and five on the top with a paper plate between each level.

The Point: These challenges are hard to do in only sixty seconds! With more time they would be much easier. The same is true in our relationship with God. We need more than one-minute spurts of prayer to truly connect with God. Talk to the children about how many people never pray for more than one minute and then wonder why they find their lives so challenging. If they spent more time in prayer, they’d find the closeness to God that makes challenges easier to overcome.

*Minute to Win It on NBC

Connect with Your KidsIt is one thing to talk about how God answers prayer—it is another thing to make it real for your kids by sharing a personal story of a time when you experienced God answering prayer for you. Think of a time when you saw God dramatically answer your prayer. Children need to hear these real stories to increase their hope and faith and to see that God is real and alive today, not just in pages of Scripture long ago. As you share your excitement and joy over what you have experi-enced—how it increased your faith and confidence in God and in the power of prayer—it will encourage children to make prayer a regular habit in their lives, too.

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DiscipleTown VisitorFind a script version of this segment at the end of this lesson.

Waitress Wanda or Waiter Wayne: As you finish up the previous segment, Waitress Wanda walks down the street. The leader notices her and asks, “Are you a waitress?” Wanda asks, “Yes, how could you tell?” Leader says, “Oh, I could tell by your outfit, and that you seem to have a sense of purpose to your walk—like you knew where you were going.” Wanda laughs and says, “Well, I’m not in a hurry, but it comes with the job. A waiter or waitress is always in a hurry and eager to serve. We always have people asking us for things, and we kinda get in the habit of hurrying to please. I guess I need to slow down now that I’m not on the job.” Leader says, “So what is it like to be a waitress?” Wanda pauses and thinks. “Well, I do like to serve people, but sometimes it’s hard—I guess it all depends on how people ask. If they are bossy and demanding, it can be hard. But if they are pleasant and nice, and say ‘please,’ I enjoy it.” Leader says, “Do some people visit with you besides just asking for things?” Wanda smiles, “Oh, those are my favorite customers. They treat me like a person. They ask about my family, or my studies in school, or for advice about the area if they are tourists.” The leader says, “You know, today we’re learning about prayer and, more specifically, about asking God for things in prayer.” Wanda says, “I know the Bible says God loves to give to those who please Him.” Leader says, “It does! In Psalm 37:4, it says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. But too many people are like your demanding customers. All they do is demand good service from God, asking for this and that, expecting good service, instead of relating to Him.” Wanda agrees, “I bet God is like me, wishing more people would take the time to get to know Him, ask Him for advice, and befriend Him. He has a lot to offer them besides refills of the Holy Spirit.” Leader laughs, “That’s a good one.” Wanda says, “I’m just saying, here’s a tip from a waitress—if you want good service from God, don’t just snap your fingers at Him in prayer. Get to know Him, and He will bend over backwards to take great care of you. I know that’s how I am with my good customers!” Leader, “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

*CHARACTERS: These are suggested characters and names. Please feel free to change or adjust according to the actors and props you have available.

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Let’s Search!—Bible DashSupplies: Bibles

Ask all kids with Bibles to participate, or invite a few volunteers to come to the front. As children hold Bibles closed with hands on covers, state the Bible reference twice, then on the command “SEARCH!” have the students race to locate the verse. Once they have a finger on the verse, they can stand and call out, “FOUND IT!” Have the first child read the verse aloud while you project the verse on a screen via PowerPoint. See suggestions below for comments on each verse. Keep your comments brief and to the point of the lesson.

Hebrews 4:16 We can approach God’s Throne with confidence to find help.James 1:6 Ask, believe, and don’t doubt.James 4:3 If you ask and don’t receive, you may be asking with wrong motives.1 John 5:14-15 If we ask according to God’s will, He hears and we will receive.John 15:7 If you remain in Christ, whatever you ask for will be given to you.Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, seek, and knock—and you will receive, find, and be opened to.

Paul’s Power Principle: God delights to provide for people who are fully devoted to Him.

Let’s Learn!—Prayer Opens the Door to Asking Matthew 6:11, 13Supplies: Bibles, walkie-talkies, loaf of bread, classic mousetrap, small piece of cheese, wooden pencil (Optional: slips of paper with needs and wants and a container to draw them out of)

Who is your favorite person to talk to? Who do you talk to the most? Why? What do you talk about?

Bring in a pair of walkie-talkies, but it is important to have only one visible on the stage at all times. The other walkie-talkie needs to be turned off and hidden out of sight until the very end. Show the walkie-talkie and ask the children what it is. They will answer, “a walkie-talkie.” Then ask for a volunteer to come up and demonstrate how to use it. When the volunteer comes up, just hand the walkie-talkie and step away. You can even sit down and just watch expectantly for the child to “demonstrate” the walkie-talkie. Some children may start to demonstrate it, others will immediately ask for the “other one.” At this time, act as though there is no other one and you are confused. You say that is the only one, and you’d like a demonstration, please. The more you insist on a demonstration with only one walkie-talkie, the more frustrated the child will become because it is impossible to demonstrate a walkie-talkie with only one. Your goal is to get the child to explain to you that you must have two walkie-talkies in order to dem-onstrate because it takes two to have a conversation. If it isn’t happening naturally, you may need to ask leading questions such as, “Why can’t you demonstrate with only one?” or “Are you telling me you can’t have a conversation with only one person?” Finally, after really belaboring the point to the exasperation of the audience, you can apologize to your volunteer and pull out the second walkie-talkie. Do a demonstration, perhaps even going out into the hallway yourself, and then reward your volunteer with a candy bar for putting up with you.

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EXPLORE SCRIPTURESeize on the children’s interest and direct them into God’s Word.

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The Point: Prayer takes two. It isn’t just you talking at God—you need to listen to God, too. In prayer you may ask for your needs, but you should also listen to His response.

Read Matthew 6:5-13 to give a general overview of the entire passage. If you’ve challenged children to memorize the passage, ask if any have done so and give them an opportunity to recite it for the group. (Ideas for motivators can be found in Lesson One.)

Remind the children of the P-R-A-Y outline for the four lessons:P = Praise (Expressing love or devotion to God)R = Repenting (Going the other way)A = Asking for our Needs (And the needs of others)Y = Yielding to God

This week we are learning about asking. We start with praise, because prayer should first be about God—and if we truly focus on God, it will cause us to realize we have sin in our lives and as a result, we should be willing to repent of that sin. That will restore our relationship with God and draw us closer to Him. With that relationship made right again, God invites us to bring our requests and needs before Him, just as children on earth bring their needs before their parents.

Who takes care of your earthly needs? Read John 1:12. When you become a Christian, the Bible says you become a child of God! You are now a part of God’s family! God is now your heavenly Father! And just as your parents take care of your earthly needs the best that they can, your heavenly Father takes care of the rest of your needs, earthly and spiritual.

Read Matthew 7:7-11. Verse 7 tells us to ask, seek, and knock. Ask: talk with God and tell Him what your needs are. Seek: you must make an effort. Knock: be persistent with your requests. Verse 8 promises that God will respond! Then Jesus goes on to explain why—just as earthly parents love their children and want to give them good things, all the more so, God as our heavenly Father truly desires to give us what we ask for!

Read John 16:24. Jesus says that many Christians haven’t asked for anything in His name, and so they have missed out! Christ encourages us to ask for what we need so that our joy can be complete!

Let’s review praying from our H-E-A-R-T:H = Honor God with PraiseE = Examine your lifeA = Ask for Personal NeedsR = Request Help for OthersT = Thank God for blessing you

This week focus on ASKing for personal needs, but also REQUESTing help for others. Asking for needs shouldn’t be just about ourselves—we should pray for others as well.

Optional: If you have older elementary children in your audience, go ahead and mention that praying for others is called “interceding” and that prayers for others are called “intercessory prayers.” The children may have heard of intercessors—Christians who pray for others. These terms are often used in missions, because missionaries especially need people to pray for them on the mission field.

Refer back to Matthew 6 and read verses 11 and 13. Show the loaf of bread. In verse 13, Jesus says to pray for our “daily bread,” which means to pray for our needs.

Optional: Prepare a collection of “needs” and “wants” on slips of paper. Draw them out of a container, read them, and have the children tell you whether each is a “need” or a “want.” Examples of needs—food, water, clothing, money, safety, or help with something. Examples

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of wants—a new video game, a million dollars, a new bike, a mansion, the latest popular book, other humorous things you can think of.

Show the mousetrap, explain how it works, and demonstrate by setting it off with the pencil. In verse eleven, Jesus says to pray that we won’t be led into temptation. This verse isn’t saying that God will tempt us, for God doesn’t tempt anyone. (James 1:13) What it is saying is that we can ask God to help us avoid temptation by guiding us away from the things that tempt us. God knows our weaknesses. A mouse’s weakness is cheese. Our weaknesses are anything that lead us away from God. God knows our heart. We can ask God to help us not sin, and to help us follow Him by clearing the path ahead of us and guiding us away from the things that might cause us to trip and fall and sin. We can ask God for a little divine assistance in our struggle to live for Him. That is a prayer that God delights in answering, because it shows Him that we sincerely desire to follow Him and that we are admitting that without His help, we are weak and prone to fail. Both Matthew 26:41 and Mark 14:38 say, “Watch and PRAY so that you do not fall into tempta-tion. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” That is why Jesus gives this advice, to pray and ask for help in not sinning. Isn’t it sad that we spend so much time in prayer asking for God to give us stuff, when we should be asking for help not to sin! Asking God for our needs is a wonderful privilege we have as His children.

Suggested Bible NarrativeThe Faith of the Centurion —Luke 7:1-10

This is a fascinating story about a man who understood all Jesus had to do was give the order, and his servant would be healed—and this man wasn’t even a Jew! It is a wonderful story about the power of asking with faith. Jesus saw the centurion’s faith and answered his request. The God who answered his request is the same God who hears our requests today!

Dee’s Disciple Tip: Here is a “handy” way to think of who to pray for. Use the fingers of your hand as prayer reminders:

Pointer finger—the strongest finger reminds us to pray for those who give us instruction and guidance. Middle finger—the tallest finger reminds us to pray for leaders of our city, state, country, and the world. Ring finger—the weakest finger reminds us to pray for those who are sick, needy, and under persecution. Pinky—the smallest finger reminds us to pray for children around the world.Thumb—the farthest finger from the hand reminds us to pray for friends and family far away from us.

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KeyVerseTopic: Pray about Everything!Reference: Philippians 4:6

There is an important phrase in our KeyVerse that needs to be emphasized—“with thanksgiving.” Point out to the children that it doesn’t say, “and after God answers your prayer, thank Him.” Note that the thanksgiving is mentioned first—indeed “with” the presenting, at the same time. “But how can we thank God for something He hasn’t even done yet?” you might ask. The answer is that we thank God in expectation—in faith—in hope for what He will do, knowing that He has promised to answer our prayers. So even before we have our answer, we thank Him!

Memorization Activity: Read the verse together several times and using the hand motions learned during Lesson One.

Do not be wag pointer finger of one hand in the air motioning “no”anxious about wring hands togetheranything point around the roombut in everything arms extended as in a big hugby prayer hands together in flat prayer poseand petition interlock fingers in prayer posewith thanksgiving right hand flat against face and then extend down, palm uppresent your both hands palms up toward heavenrequests one hand writing on other like a pad of paperto God “pen” hand goes up into a point toward heaven

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Dramatize the Point—The Prayer Reader 4000Act this out or read as a story. Supplies: four actors, gadget prop for the Prayer Reader 4000

This drama continues each week with four different actors (or puppets). The idea is that the leader has a device (The Prayer Reader 4000) that enables him or her to read the minds of four churchgoers as they pray. It is best to pre-record the prayers and play them through the sound system and have the actors only act out the prayers by moving their mouths and folding their hands, being dramatic to match the prayers, etc. If that isn’t possible, have them put a script on their laps and pass a microphone or have them speak loudly. The leader goes behind them holding the Prayer Reader 4000 over their heads as they “pray.” After all four pray, the leader asks the audience, “Which prayer pleased God the most?” and then “Why?” Discuss the other prayers and what was right and wrong with them.

Actor 1: Dear God, I want a Zbox 450—the new kind, not the old one like Josh has. I want him to be jealous of me! Oh, and the new racing game that is out, too. I also need a new bike because Andrew got the same one as me now, so mine isn’t cool anymore. Oh, and just so You know, God, I am going to need some new Zeebok shoes for school next month. You know how the kids pick on anyone who doesn’t have Zeeboks. Hey, who needs Santa? I got God!

Actor 2: Dear God, I don’t deserve your help, I know You are so big, and my problems are just little to You, so I don’t even know why You would help me. You probably don’t even hear me with all the zillions of prayers flying up Your way. Why would a big God even care about my twisted ankle—I mean, You got wars going on. And I know You already know that Dad needs a new job, so I don’t even see the point in asking. I guess I’ll just keep hoping everything works out. I’m sure You’ve got better things to do…

Actor 3: Dear God, I’m really having a hard time at school these days, with people picking on me for my Bible and for not taking that cheat sheet. I wish that school was easy and that I didn’t have any work to do in the first place. I also wish that bully Jeremy would get beat up himself once, just so he knows how it feels. Could You just make things easy for me? That would really be awesome and make it worth being a Christian for all the grief I get.

Actor 4: Dear God, I know You love me and care about the things on my heart. My grandma is really sick in the hospital right now. The Bible says that You can heal sick people, so God would You please heal my grandma, help her to get better soon? It makes me sad to see her in so much pain. And I miss playing games with her. I know You love her. I trust You to do what’s best. Thanks, God.

Which prayer pleased God? Which prayer asked for the right things? Which prayer showed concern for others?

Object Talks—The 3 Carrot Ring and the BreadSupplies: video projection

The video clip for this lesson features Karl, the Kidologist, doing a short object lesson featuring a plastic ring and a loaf of bread discussing why people should ask God for true needs. Use this short teaching video to show the kids or to train a leader to do the talk “live.” Featured verse: Philippians 4:19

INSPIRE ACTIONEncourage kids to apply the Bible truth to their lives.

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Let’s Talk!—Small Group DiscussionDivide the children into equal groups. Provide each group with a strong piece of yarn or twine that is about three feet long. Divide each group into two teams and have them face each other in opposing lines, like in tug of war. Instruct the children to grasp the twine using their thumb and index finger ONLY. Adding additional fingers is cheating and results in the other team winning. Have a “mini” tug of war competition between the teams, best two out of three. During the third competition, as the leader, choose a team to “help,” using both hands to help them win emphatically.

The Point: In the same way that the leader’s full strength helped a team win, when we ask for God’s help, guidance, and correction, He helps us win victories in our lives. God wants to help us make right choices and follow His plan. Listening to Him and asking for His help gives us a big advantage.

Use the following questions to stimulate discussion:1) Why is it important to ask God for His help in life?2) What sort of things can we ask God for?3) How do we know that God will hear and answer our prayers?4) How can prayer be an advantage to us in our lives?5) What could we be missing out on, if we do not pray and do not ask God for help?6) What are two things you would want to ask God for right now?

Prayer Suggestion: Have the children each take a turn to pray and ask God for one of the things they mentioned in the discussion. As the leader you can open and close in prayer.

DiscipleTown Super CitizenChoose a child who appropriately asked for a need to be met during the service. Even better would be someone who presented a need on behalf of another child.

Let’s Pray!Dear heavenly Father, thank You for the many ways You meet our needs and also for the amazing invitation to come to You and present our needs in prayer. Forgive us for the many times we think only of the material things we want and fail to ask for help in our battle against sin. And remind us to think not only of our own needs but the needs of others. May we be people who lift up others in prayer.

Teach us to ask with thanksgiving long before we even see what You will do, knowing that You will answer our prayers in the wisest and best way for us, out of Your deep fatherly love for us. That is our trust. It is why we turn to You with our requests and concerns. It is why we can say we are not anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, we present our requests to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Cy’s Challenge: Ask God for five things, none of which is for you!

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Let’s Review!If you have extra time, use these review questions to keep the kids focused on the lesson until time to dismiss. A handful of candy will help you keep their attention. After each question, take a minute to reiterate the lesson point related to the question.

1) T/F Only pastors or priests can ask for things from God.2) If God doesn’t answer your prayer, it might be because .3) Jesus said “you don’t have because you haven’t .4) The Lord’s Prayer says we should pray for our “daily .5) “Lead us not into temptation” means .6) T/F We can thank God for answered prayer before He has answered it.7) T/F God will give you anything you want—just ask!8) T/F If we ask for anything according to God’s will, He will grant it.

For the HomeDiscipleTown Table Talker: Give each child a copy of this week’s DiscipleTown Table Talker. Be sure to show the kids how to put it together and encourage them to ask their parents to lead family devotions three times this week.

Parent Email: Copy and send the email below to help your parents connect with their kids during the week. Send them early in the week, but not on Sunday. As a courtesy, be sure parents have opted to receive these emails. Review and edit as necessary to reflect the lesson elements you have used. You can also find this email as a Microsoft Word document in your download bundle.

Dear Mom and Dad,

This lesson we learned about the importance of asking God in prayer. We learned that too often when it comes to asking, we focus only on material things. While our heavenly Father delights in meeting our physical needs, we discovered that the Bible teaches that we are also to ask for help in our struggle to avoid sin, and to ask for others’ needs. As we pray for others and focus less on ourselves, our perspective becomes more like God’s.

We practiced memorizing our KeyVerse, Philippians 4:6. We focused on the idea that we need to ask with thanksgiving—thanking God for His answers even before we experience them, knowing He will do what is best for us as we trust Him.

If you have older children, encourage them to memorize the entire Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6:9-13. Next week will be the final week for them to recite the passage for [a reward or recognition.]

As you use the DiscipleTown Table Talkers this week, allow your child(ren) to share things that are on their hearts that you could pray for. You may also have people or situations that you could pray for as a family.

Teaching our kids to pray has lifelong benefits. The more you practice with them, the more natural it will become until one day, prayer will be a vital part of their lives without you or the church prompting them. That is our hope!

Let me know how I can pray for your family as we grow together in prayer.

Building young disciples,

[Your Name]

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Chip’s Snack Time!Supplies: ranch dip, assorted cut veggies (e.g. baby carrots, celery, cucumber, broccoli, cauli-flower, cherry tomatoes)—be sure to have enough for two or three of each per child.

Pre-cut the veggies and seal in bags. Give each child a plate with dressing on it. The dressing represents our veggie garden. What is missing from their veggie garden? Show the children all the various veggies you have cut up. Encourage them to ask for the veggies they would like in their garden. Give them the veggies they ask for with a smile. The same way that we asked for what we needed in our veggie garden, God wants us to ask for what we need in our lives.

Additional IdeasMissionary Prayer Cards—If your church supports overseas or cross-cultural national mis-sionaries and has prayer cards for them available, get a wide assortment and pass them out to the children. Challenge the children to be prayer partners for the missionaries of the church. Give them practical tips on how to pray for missionaries. Consider allowing them to write a letter of encouragement letting the missionaries know they are being prayed for, and mail the letters for the students via the church office.

Windshield Postcards—Make some postcards that ask, “HOW CAN I PRAY FOR YOU?” and during church, have the kids go into the church parking lot and place the cards on the car windshields. The postcards should be pre-addressed with “The Kids of Kids Church” and the church’s mailing address. Include a note promising that the children would pray for anyone who would write out a prayer request on the postcard. The card can be mailed to the church, returned to the church office, or placed in the offering the following week. A name on the card is optional, of course.

Option: Have the card placed as a bulletin insert, and have the senior pastor explain that the children are learning about prayer and would love prayer requests. The congregation could fill out cards and turn them in during the offering. The cards could then be given to the kids before they leave to pray for adults in their church. How incredible would that be?

H-E-A-R-T Bookmarks—While there is a H-E-A-R-T Bookmark included with Lesson One, a bookmark the children make may be more special and used more by the children as a reference.

H = Honor God with PraiseE = Examine your lifeA = Ask for Personal NeedsR = Request Help for OthersT = Thank God for blessing you

BONUS MATERIALSUse these options to extend your time or as substitutes for the ideas above.

How to Pray—Lesson 3 © 2010, DiscipleLand. Permission granted to reproduce for volunteers.

DIRECTOR’S NOTESThe words in italics are notes for you and your puppeteers; they are not to be read aloud.

You will need catalogs, fliers, and a long paper list for the puppet to hold in his arms.

Leader: Hey, [puppet name], what are you doing with all that stuff?

Puppet: Well, I have really been convicted by this series on How to Pray that I really do need to pray more, so I’ve been doing some research to increase my prayer time.

Leader: Oh, I’m so glad to hear that. What kind of research have you been doing?

Puppet: On stuff.

Leader: Stuff?

Puppet: Yeah, that’s what I said, stuff.

Leader: [Confused:] I’m not sure I understand. What kind of stuff?

Puppet: Why, stuff I want, of course. This is my list, and these are all the catalogs and mail fliers where I am find-ing the stuff I want. And there is more where these came from!

Leader: Wait a minute. What does this have to do with prayer?

Puppet: Well, when I pray, it usually lasts only a few minutes because I usually only have a few things I want. If I want to increase the time I pray, I’ve got to increase the amount of stuff I want. So I’m making a really long prayer list of stuff I want. This list is gonna take me at least thirty minutes to pray through! God is gonna be really impressed!

Leader: I think you’ve really missed something during our lessons. Prayer is not just about asking for things.

Puppet: But doesn’t God give us stuff?

Leader: Yes, God delights in giving us what we need, but He isn’t Santa Claus or a vending machine—He is our heavenly Father, and He wants to have a friendship with us. How would you feel if you had a friend who came to you only to ask for stuff all the time?

Puppet: I used to have a friend like that.

Leader: Really? What happened to him?

Puppet: I don’t know—I avoid him like the plague!

Leader: The Bible says that God loves us and wants us to take our needs to Him, but I highly doubt you have any needs in all those catalogs.

Puppet: [Stares at catalogs.] Nope. These are more like “wants.” Maybe I’ll put them on my Christmas List in-stead.

Leader: That’s a good idea. And why don’t you spend that thirty minutes just talking with God? Spend some time praising God for how amazing He is, then repenting for your sin, then go ahead and ask for what you need. Finally, ask if there is anything God would like you to do or change. He’ll make it clear to you—He always does.

Puppet: Thanks, [leader name], I’ll go do that now. I kinda feel the need to repent of my greed. Later.

*PUPPET: Develop a puppet character to use regularly. The children will get to know the personality and enjoy these regular visits. Dee, Cy, and Paul puppets are available at DiscipleLand.com

Puppet Intro—Stuff

DiscipleTown Visitor Script

How to Pray—Lesson 3 © 2010, DiscipleLand. Permission granted to reproduce for volunteers.

DIRECTOR’S NOTESThe words in italics are notes for you and your volunteers; they are not to be read aloud.

[As leader is finishing his talk, a waitress walks down the street.]

Leader: Excuse me, are you a waitress?

Waitress Wanda*: Yes, how could you tell?

Leader: Oh, I could tell by your outfit, and that you seem to have a sense of purpose to your walk—like you knew where you were going.

Wanda: [Laughs.] Well, I’m not in a hurry, but it comes with the job. A waiter or waitress is always in a hurry and eager to serve. We always have people asking us for things, and we kinda get in the habit of hurrying to please. I guess I need to slow down now that I’m not on the job.

Leader: So what is it like to be a waitress?

Wanda: Well, I do like to serve people, but sometimes it’s hard—I guess it all depends on how people ask. If they are bossy and demanding, it can be hard. But if they are pleas-ant and nice, and say “please,” I enjoy it.

Leader: Do some people visit with you besides just asking for things?

Wanda: Oh, those are my favorite customers. They treat me like a person. They ask about my family, or my studies in school, or for advice about the area if they are tourists.

Leader: You know, today we’re learning about prayer and more specifically, about asking God for things in prayer.

Wanda: I know the Bible says God loves to give to those who please Him.

Leader: It does! In Psalm 37:4, it says that if we delight our-selves in the Lord, He will give us the desires of our heart. But too many people are like your demanding customers. All they do is demand good service from God, asking for this and that, expecting good service, instead of relating to Him.

Wanda: I bet God is like me, wishing more people would take the time to get to know Him, ask Him for advice, and befriend Him. He has a lot to offer them besides refills of the Holy Spirit.

Leader: [Laughs.] That’s a good one.

Wanda: I’m just saying, here’s a tip from a waitress—if you want good service from God, don’t just snap your fingers at Him in prayer. Get to know Him, and He will bend over backwards to take great care of you. I know that’s how I am with my good customers!

Leader: I couldn’t have said it better myself.

*CHARACTERS: These are suggested characters and names. Please feel free to change or adjust according to the actors and props you have available.

curriculum Map

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How to Grow Spiritual Fruit

How to Make Good Friends

How to Walk in the Spirit

How to Be Jesus’ Disciple

How to Build Character

How to Navigate the New Testament

How to Explain My Faith

How to Earn Eternal Rewards

How to Follow God’s Plan

How to Make Good Choices

How to Navigate the Old Testament

How to Study My Bible

How to Know the Truth

How to Discover Gifts and Talents

How to Walk Victoriously

How to Meet with God

How to Worship God

How to Use My Bible

How to Show Respect

How to Pray

How to Be Faithful Workers

How to Love God

How to Memorize God’s Word

How to Be Global Christians

(DiscipleTown Units in no particular order)

Each DiscipleTown Unit will teach your kids an essential “how to” skill to become victorious disciples of Jesus!