The Lord’s Prayer

The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. – James 5:16b

We all want to know how to pray. And kids are no exception. Thankfully, the disciples asked Jesus “how to” and the Teacher was willing to oblige. Jesus was careful to instruct them not to merely babble on using empty repetition (Matthew 6:7). Prayer is not a matter of reciting some magic incantation; it’s a matter of the heart (Lamentations 2:19, Colossians 4:2).

In this lesson, we break up Jesus’ model prayer into 5 integral parts. Jesus told His followers to start with Praise, followed by matters of the Kingdom, expressing our Needs, seeking Forgiveness, and ended with requesting God’s Grace not to give in to sin. We teach kids how they can pray similar prayers, addressing each area, and adding in the specifics of their life. Our FIT family devotions and craft reinforce these 5 pieces, helping kids to remember the various components that Jesus included.

We also take a good look at Jesus’ prayer life as an example. Jesus not only told His disciples how to pray, but He showed them time and time again. He prayed for them, He prayed in their presence, and He snuck off to pray in private. For Jesus, praying was as natural as breathing. He practiced a continual conscience connection with His heavenly Father. Because of their 2-way communication, He spoke only what His Father spoke and did only what His Father did (John 12:50, 5:19).

As parents and leaders, are we doing the same? When a child brings us a need, do we simply tell them we’ll pray, or do we show them, right there, on the spot? Let’s teach as Jesus taught, by example. Let’s model a fervent prayer life and share the answers we receive. Let’s hear from the Father daily so we speak only what He wants us to say and do everything He wants us to do.

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