Lesson 15

PRAYER

Objective: To know that prayer is a gift from God to always be able to talk to him. Whether it is a prayer of gratitude, help, guidance or loneliness, God is just a prayer away.

Lesson ideas:

* Guidelines for prayer are to start by:

            1. Addressing Heavenly Father

            2. Thank him

            3. Ask Him

            4. End in Jesus’s name.

* Prayers can be said at any time, any place and under any conditions.  We can pray for safety, help with a project, health issues, school, tests, jobs, marriage and other matters of concern.

* Prayers have been used many times in the scriptures. Here are some examples:

1. Eli tells Hannah her prayer will be answered and Samuel is born. (1 Samuel 1: 17)

2. Queen Ester saves her people by the power of their fast and prayers. (Ester 4: 16)

3. How was Jonah’s prayer answered? (Jonah 2:10) whale vomited him.

4. Story of Enos praying all day for forgiveness (Enos 1: 4)

* What kind of prayers are there?  Some prayers include the Sacrament Prayers, Priesthood Blessing, Patriarchal Blessings, Baptismal prayers, meeting prayers, Individual prayers, family prayers, prayers of thankfulness, ordinance prayers, and more.

* Joseph Smith wanted to know which church to join and as he was reading, he knew he needed to ask God through prayer. (James 1: 5)

* God knows our heart but we still need to ask through prayer.  Prayers can be said out loud or silently.

* Story of Oliver Cowdery trying to translate the Golden Plates and wasn't able to.  He was told, “You have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.”  We need to study it out and then also pray. (D&C 9: 7, 8)

* We have been asked to be prayerful. We need God’s help. Express the righteous desires of your heart.  The miracle is that he hears you.  He responds and he answers not always as we might wish but he will answer.

* Polar Star or North Star is constant, something you can count on.   Prayer is a constant, something you can count on.  You can look at prayer to give you guidance, peace, comfort and direction.  When you see the North Star, let it remind you to say a pray especially a prayer of gratitude.

* Review Elijah who didn’t hear the voice in the wind or earthquake or fire but in the quiet still small voice (1 King: 11-13)

* Answers to prayers usually come with a just simple peace of mind feeling.

* Counsel with the Lord with all thy doings.  Counsel is different than just praying.  It is listening to the answer for the counsel you desire. (Alma 37: 37)

* Be near me Lord Jesus.  That is, the simplest desire we have is to want Jesus to be near us. (“Away in a Manger” pg. 42 or hymn 205)

* Listen to your prayers.  Are your prayers thoughtful and meaningful or more like a Santa’s wish list.

Scriptures:

Bible

Psalm 6:9 the Lords hath heard my supplication

Daniel 9:3 to seek by prayer

James 1:5 lack wisdom let him ask of God

LDS Scriptures

Psalms 55:17 morning and noon will I pray

3 Nephi 18:21 pray in your families

D&C 59:14 fasting and prayer – rejoicing

D&C 67:1 prayers I have heard

D&C 109:16 may be a house of prayer

Activities:

* Prayer Rocks:  Place by bed to remind us to pray every morning and every evening. Small pebble can also be placed in a shoe or pocket to also remind us to say prayers during the day to remember how much we need Christ in our lives

* Sometimes remembering to say our prayers can be the hardest thing, so play a remember game.  A Bean Bag remember game. (Remember who you tossed it too.)

* Play Hide and Seek: Sometimes we ask our Heavenly Father, “Are you really there?” and we find ourselves seeking him in prayer.  Just a simple “hide and seek” game can help us remember we need to seek him through prayer.

* Make a Warm Fuzzy;  Prayer gives us a warm fuzzy feeling.

Warm Fuzzes:  With yarn and a three inch flat piece of cardboard, wrap yarn around the cardboard several time (about 100 times) then slip the yard off the cardboard, tie the yarn tight in the middle and trim to make a round fuzzy ball.  These balls represent a warm fuzzy feeling that could be given out when nice acts of kindness are done.

* Put everyone’s name in a jar. Pick a name out of the jar for someone to say family prayer, food prayer, etc.

* Riddle:  What is something you can say alone or with a group of people, you can say it day or night or indoor or out or even in your heart. (Pray)

* Take the challenge to say some prayers of thankfulness.

* Have the younger children try and find places they could go to pray. (Like: bedroom, laundry room, kitchen, bathroom etc.)  They need to know they can pray anywhere.  You could also bring in a few big boxes to hide in to know they can pray anywhere.

* Challenge:  Either in groups or individuals, ask everyone to make a list of things you can pray for.   (Forgiveness, blessings, helps you with studies, righteous and worthy ambitions, help with worries or fears. Find a companion, or peace for the loss of a loved one.)

* Telephone:  Make a pretend telephone call to a grandparent and pretend they talk back.  You then make a telephone call to Heavenly Father. A prayer is similar to a real telephone call to a grandparent because they really hear you and you can hear back.  A prayer is real but we have to listen in different ways to hear the answer.

* Play tic-tac-toe

Tic-Tac-Toe:  On a piece of paper, draw nine boxes with a number in each box from 1-9.  Divide into two teams and ask a question.  If the question is answered correctly, that team gets to mark off one of the boxes.  Keep trying until a team gets three checked off boxes in a row.  If the lesson was on Prayer the questions could be like:

            1.  Are most prayers answered with a loud voice?

            2. Can a child say a prayer?

            3. Can we say prayers outdoors?

            4. Should only men say prayers?

            5.  Are we allowed to say prayers at lunch time?

            6.  Can silent prayers be given?

            7.  Are prayers only said at church?

            8. Do prayers get answered?

            9.  What do we say at the end of a prayer?

* Read the poem, “Simply kneel and pray”

SIMPLY KNEEL AND PRAY

By Shirley Wright

Christmas 2002

“What would you like for Christmas?” We all hear people say

Believe it or not a wonderful gift is to simply kneel and pray

 Would you like to build a snowman or go for a ride in a sleigh?

Did you know the best thing you can do is simply kneel and pray?

Did you go to see the lights tonight or trim the tree today?

A light within us seems to shine when we simply kneel and pray

Was there a banquet on the table or cookies on a tray?

There’s always a feast in store for us when we simply kneel and pray

Did you hear a Christmas bell today or a concert or a play?

There’s harmony in our souls you see when we simply kneel and pray

With all the Christmas kindness and love that’s shown each day

The best way to say “thank you” is to simply kneel and pray

 Will you be home for Christmas or somewhere far away?

Remember our heavenly home is near if we simply kneel and pray

Is there someone with a heavy heart or someone who’s gone astray?

We can be led to those in need if we simply kneel and pray

Even in our darkest nights or loneliness of days

We have a helping hand for us when we simply kneel and pray

Remember the star when Christ was born, the one that led the way

We can be shown the way to go if we simply kneel and pray

The children love to see the scenes of the Baby on the hay

But do they know they can speak to Him if they simply kneel and pray

Do you wish the feelings of Christmas would always be here to stay?

Let me tell you it can be when we simply kneel and pray 

Songs:

Hymns

# 158 Before Thee Lord, I Bow My Head

# 140 Did You Think to Pray?

# 142 Sweet Hour of Prayer

# 145 Prayer Is the Soul’s Sincere Desire

Children’s Songbook

# 141 I Pray in Faith

# 12 A Child’s Prayer

# 189 Family Prayer

# 109 Search, Ponder, and Pray