| LESSON OBJECTIVE |
| Topics:
Prayer
This lesson will help the children understand that God really does
hear our prayers, even when we don't know the right words to say.
|
| AS KIDS ARRIVE ( 10 minutes
) |
Praying Hands (Coloring/Connect
the Dots Activity) Click
Here
|
| WORSHIP TIME (
5 minutes ) Further info? Click
Here |
| |
| BIBLE VERSE ( 7 minutes
) |
"You may ask me for
anything in my name, and I will do it." John 14: 14
This verse will give children the assurance that God hears our prayers
and answers them when they are in accrordance with His will.
|
| BIBLE STORY ( 15
minutes ) |
| Introduction:
Our story today takes place a long time ago, even before Jesus was
born. It is about a woman named Hannah. She was one of two wives
to a man named Elkanah. Hannah was very sad, because she was getting
old, and still did not have any children. The other wife, named
Peninnah, had both sons and daughters. To make matters even worse,
whenever Hannah would go to the temple to worship God, Peninnah
would tease her about having no children. It even made Hannah cry.
Then one day, she decided to pray.
Open your Bible, and Read 1 Samuel
1: 10-17; 20 to the children. (repeated below)
In bitterness of soul, Hannah wept much and prayed to the lord.
And she made a vow, saying, "O Lord almighty, if you will only
look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget
your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord
for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on
his head." As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed
her mouth. Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving
but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk and said
to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk, Get rid of
your wine." "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied. "I
am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine
or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take your
servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great
anguish and grief." Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may
the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."
So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son.
She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for
him."
Discussion Questions:
1. Why was Hannah so sad? (because she did not have any children)
2. How did Hannah ask for God's help? (she prayed)
3. What did Hannah pray for? (a son)
4. Do you think Hannah was happy that she prayed to God? (yes,
because God gave her a son)
5. Can you share a time that God answered a prayer for you?
|
| FUN TIME (10 minutes) |
Guess What You Hear (Activity)
Click Here
|
| PRAYER/SNACK ( 10 minutes) Further
info? Click
here |
For today's snack, bring Rice Krispy treats. Start by
praying to God and thanking him for hearing our prayers. As the children
eat their snacks, ask them what other foods or snacks make noise when
you eat them. (apples, potato chips, raw carrots, etc.) What foods
make hardly any noise? (Jello, pudding, cheese, etc.) To some adults,
young children's voices may seem tiny and childish, like the silly
sounds made by some foods, but to God the words spoken by children,
especially in prayer are very important. God hears and answers those
prayers the same as He does for older people.
|
| CLOSING ACTIVITY |
| Telephone (Game) Have the children sit in a circle,
or around the table. Start with one child and whisper one of the phrases
shown below into his or her ear. Have that child whisper the same
phrase into the ear of the child to his or her left, and continue
around the circle until the last child is told the phrase. Then have
the last child say what they heard out loud, and see how close it
was to the original phrase. As children leave, simply make the circle
smaller. Phrases:
God will always hear our prayers.
It makes Jesus very happy when we pray.
If we ask anything in Jesus' name, He will do it.
We can pray anytime, morning, noon, or night.
Compare this game to how when we pray, God hears exactly what we
mean to say, even when we don't say it exactly the way we want.
|
| NEXT WEEK |
Come back next week to learn more about Jesus.
|
