Rotation.org Writing Team

The Lord's Prayer

"Why and How We Pray" Workshop

Summary of Activities

Students begin by watching and discussing two short videos about why and how we pray. Then with a quick voting exercise, they'll explore the various ways and postures people use to pray. They will then look at what Jesus taught us about prayer, and experientially learn about the phrase "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." 

Scripture for the Lesson

Matthew 6:5-13 (NRSV)

Key/Memory Verses:  Verses 9-13, the Lord's Prayer, with a special emphasis on verse 13, "lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." 

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives. 

Preparation and Materials

• Read the Bible Background and scripture.
• Arrange for the playback of the two video clips from YouTube (links below). Ideally, you have an internet connection, computer (or cellphone, or tablet) connected to a large screen, or a modern Smart TV with a YouTube app. If you don't have an internet connection in the classroom, learn how to download these videos for playback on a device, or how to hook up your cellphone to a large screen and use your cell's internet connection).
• Write-out a large version of Matthew 6:9-13 (the prayer part) for use in the scripture reading activity.
• Print copies of the "Postures of Prayer" handout (one per student).
• Print the Word-Study Guide prepared for this lesson set (one copy for the leader).
• Decide which "obstacles" you'll use (see the list within the lesson). Six to eight is suggested, however, consider the number of students and your space/time.
• Mark out an area on the floor with masking tape to be your temptations/obstacle course.
• Gather "obstacles"—folding chairs work well, paper, a marker, and tape to label the obstacles—do this ahead of time, making the labels easy to see. If you have room, set up the obstacle course.
• Blindfolds (wide, long strips of cloth will work), one per student.

Lesson Plan

Opening

Welcome your students and explain what they'll be doing and learning in today's lesson.

Video 1: Why Do We Pray? (What is Prayer)

Introduce this short video by writing the following questions on the board and asking students to "listen for the answers" in the video.

What is prayer?
Why do we pray?
What does God want you to talk about?
What does God want to talk to you about?

Show Video 1: "Why We Pray"  Link: https://youtu.be/jB10aU5t_as

Video 1 Questions to Discuss:

1. What is Prayer? 
   Video: Prayer is talking to God.
   Follow-up: Prayer can also be resting with God or enjoying God's presence. How can we do that?
   
   
2. Why do we pray? 
   Video: So we can have a relationship with God. 
   Follow-up: What is a "relationship?"  (Give some examples.) 
   
   
3. What does God want YOU to talk about?
   Video: God wants me to share everything in my life with him. 
   Follow-up:  What things do you think God wants us to share with him the most?
   
   
4. What things does God want to talk TO you about?
   Video: The video didn't answer this question, but the Lord's Prayer will!
   
     Takeaway: Prayer is a relationship with God.

Video 2: How Do We Pray? (Ways to Pray)

Introduce this short video by asking a couple of students to "show us what you look like when you pray." Accept all offered prayer postures and tell them that after watching the video, you have some questions for them.

Show Video 2: "How Do We Pray"  ("Ways to Pray")  Link: https://youtu.be/qFmOCYj0Fvk

After showing the video, use the following voting exercise to go deeper.

"How Do I Pray" Voting Questions!

Have students stand up and spread out along an imaginary line in the classroom. Then proceed to have them "vote" on the following questions, by moving as you direct. After each "vote," select a student or two to say "why" they voted the way they did. Offer some comments and keep moving.

  Through this voting exercise, you are teaching a number of "how to pray" strategies. None are more important or "better" than others. Some postures and places can be helpful for certain types of prayers and needs. Challenging children to use new postures and places can help them experience a richer prayer life.

If you usually pray with your hands FOLDED, go to this end of the room.
If you usually pray WITHOUT FOLDING your hands, go to the other end of the room.

Question: What's the purpose behind folding hands? (Remove distractions? Show humility? Or perhaps it's just a good reminder that "I'm praying now.")

If you usually pray STANDING UP, go stand at this end of the room. 
If you usually pray LYING DOWN, go lie down over there.
If you usually pray while just sitting down, go sit down over there.

Question: Do you think it matters to God what position you're in? What are the disadvantages of saying your prayers at bedtime lying down?

If you usually CLOSE your eyes when you pray, go over here and close them.
If you usually pray with your eyes OPEN, go over here and keep your eyes open.

Question: Why do some people close their eyes?  What sorts of things can you look at that might make you feel like praying? (scenery, for example)

Quick Voting Questions:  (quickly point one direction or the other for each option)

How do you usually pray?
With your head bowed or looking up? 
With another person or by yourself?
Morning, Daytime, or Night? 
Out loud? Or in your thoughts?

Do and Ask:

Take a quick look at the Postures of Prayer handout. Which posture do you use? Which do you think you'd like to try? Why would someone feel like kneeling or laying on the floor when they pray? Have you ever done that?

Rapid Fire Voting:

Have everyone grab a chair and sit down. They sit down before every vote.
Stand up if you have you ever prayed...  

• In church
• In a bathroom
• In bed
• In a car
• At a meal
• On a bike
• In the woods
• Looking up into the starry night
• During a game
• Before a test
• Because you were scared
• Because you were sick
• Because you were happy
• Because you were hurt by someone
• Because you were being tempted to do something bad
• Because you felt bad about doing something wrong
• To thank God
• For someone who was sick
• For someone who was poor
• About someone who died
• Because you were struggling to forgive someone
• Because you needed forgiveness
• Because you felt lost or alone
• Because you wanted God to do something for you

Conclude with this thought:  If you didn't vote for one of these "reasons to pray" (listed above), be assured that eventually, you will!  Over your lifetime, you will find yourself praying in all sorts of places and ways and postures, for all sorts of things. And as we learned, God wants to hear from us all the time about everything. That's what it means to be in a relationship with God—talking (praying) to God in every part of your life, in many places, and sharing everything with him.

Scripture Reading

This scripture reading & study has two parts. In the first, you'll discuss verses 5-8. In the second you'll do a "word circling" exercise to discuss the meaning of important words in verses 9-13.

Begin by having students find Matthew 6:5-8 in their Bibles and read it together. Pause after verse EIGHT to ask these questions:

What two instructions did Jesus just give his disciples?

1. Don't show off by praying wordy religious-sounding prayers in public. What's wrong with "showing off" by praying loudly or with big words? 
2. Go to a private place and shut the door. What is good about praying privately?  (quiet, be ourselves, say what we want)

Say: Wherever we pray, whatever we pray about, and whatever words we choose to pray, Jesus wants us to be ourselves and be honest with God. 

Continue reading verses 9-13. When finished, display the prepared, LARGE version of the scripture text. 

Say: I'm going to invite each of you to step forward and circle a word in the prayer that you think is important. If someone else has already circled the word you wanted to choose, add your circle around that word too. They are all could be considered important words! But let's see which ones really stand out to you as special.

Invite your first student to step forward and hand them a marker. After they circle their word, ask them to say "why" they think it is an "important" word. Accept their answer and briefly say something about it. Use the printable Word-Study Guide for interesting word meanings. Continue until you think most of the important words have been circled. Then, invite the students to slowly pray the Lord's Prayer using ONLY the circled words, and saying those words which have extra circles with more emphasis. (You may even pause for several seconds between each word, prompting the students to think about what that word means. Say "and the next word" to cue them to recite it together and pause again.)

Lead and Deliver! Game

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Matthew 6:13

Note to the Teacher: We're taking a special look at this one verse because in many ways it sums up the power and benefit of prayer:  "Prayer is one of the important ways we invite God to lead us, lead our choices and deliver (protect, rescue) us from evil."

As discussed in the Bible Background and Word Study Guide, the wording of verse 13 as we traditional speak it in most churches, doesn't quite capture Matthew's original meaning or our understanding of temptation (God doesn't tempt us. See James 1:3). Rather, God leads us away from temptation and prayer is one of the PRIME WAYS God does that leading!  In fact, prayer is about being led, not just talking. ("Delivering" from evil is more complicated because, as we know, Christians are subject to the effects of evil. Thus, "delivering" is about protecting our hope in the face of evil. "Deliver us from losing faith and give us the strength to overcome evil" might be a good way to put this verse with kids.

Prayer is about LISTENING for God's direction, and asking for the strength to steer away from temptation and evil, and to stay by our side when we fail to avoid temptation and evil. The following game illustrates these points. Expand on them as you have time and as you feel is appropriate for the age and life circumstances of your students.

Game Concept: This is a version of the classic "Blindfolded Trust Walk" activity.

Do:  Count off by twos. If you have not already done so, set up the obstacles within the course.
Say:   Everyone who is a "one" will be blindfolded. They will be a "Praying Person." The person who is the "two" will represent God, guiding their blindfolded partner through our obstacle course of life; helping them to not run into an obstacle. These obstacles are different kinds of temptations or evils that you might encounter. Guiding will be without touching. There should only be a quiet voice to guide. The blindfolded "Praying Person" needs to LISTEN.  It is not important where you start and there is no finishing line. This is about your prayer-walk with God. Pause when I say "PAUSE."

Do:  Point out the boundaries of the obstacle course marked by the tape on the floor. Start with just one pair of students. Add a second pair if you have a larger group of students. Use "PAUSE" to make an observation or ask a question. Involve the students waiting for a turn. See the discussion suggestions below.

Some suggested temptations (obstacles to be labeled):

• Temptation to say something mean
• Temptation to hit or hurt
• Temptation to take something that isn't yours
• Temptation to cheat
• Temptation to ignore others who need your help
• Temptation to not want to forgive someone
• Temptation to try and hide our sins or think our sins are excusable
• Temptation not to pray because you are too busy or think you don't know how
• Temptation to think that you are not worthy enough or loved by God
• Temptation to put someone down because they are different or unpopular
• Temptation to keep your mouth shut or not get involved when you see others being treated unjustly
• Temptation not to share from your blessings and abundance
  
  

Tips: Watch your theology, and use things that happen in the game to illustrate important ideas. Make the obstacle course difficult enough so that kids DO run into some things, as this too is a teaching point. Keep an eye out for that one student who will intentionally mislead their partner (always seems to happen). Use it as a teaching opportunity about listening to God as opposed to someone who might steer you wrong. Invite the leading partner to show the class "how God would do it."  

Possible discussion topics:

• Point out that the blindfold doesn't mean we are "blind," rather, it is simply a game device to force the player to listen. Make the point that in "real life" we usually see the temptations and are drawn to them.
• Temptations are things that we have a hard time resisting. Why do we find it hard to NOT say hurtful things, to forgive, to help? (Selfishness, self-protection, pride, evil are things within us that can resist wanting to listen to God.) You could illustrate the attractive nature of some temptations by placing a piece of candy on a chair and watching an unblindfolded student be guided away from the temptations.
• Is there a "goal" at the end of the obstacle course? No. The goal is to be in relationship with God. Heaven is not a reward for not being tempted or never sinning. We all sin. The point of the course (daily life), is to train us to rely on God, to enjoy God's forever abiding and guiding love every day.  
• Is there "punishment" for running into an obstacle or failing to obey God's leading? Yes, but it is only the punishment that giving into the temptation and evil can cause. God is trying to lead us away from sin, not into it. God wants to rescue us, not punish us. God is with us even when we fall and fail. God is ready to help us. God does not abandon us. Keep listening!
• What does listening teach us? How much listening did you have to do? Did your confidence grow as you were successfully led around obstacles?  Did you start to doubt your leader when you hit an obstacle?   
• How do we pick GOD'S VOICE out of the crowd?  (We do it by knowing God's voice, which is taught to us through scripture, church, and through prayer.)
• How often do you ASK God for guidance?  Several times a day? Once a day?  Every few days? Once a week?  Never? 
• Where does God's guidance come from? A voice in your heard? A feeling in your heart?  Scripture? The words of a sermon or song?  The help someone else offers you?  (all of the above!)
• What does God do when we give in to temptation or do evil? 
• Try walking the obstacle course WITHOUT God's guidance.
• Try walking the obstacle course with lots of other voices trying to drown out God's voice.

Close by reciting the Lord's Prayer together, inviting students to assume various "prayer postures" from the handout to recite the prayer.

Adaptations

For Younger Students (Non-readers):   

For the scripture reading circling exercise, invite a student to step forward, point to the keywords or phrase you want them to focus on, have them say it out loud with you, and have them tell you which word stands out to them as important. Then hand them a marker to circle as you say the word/phrase out loud.

Have younger students practice getting into the various positions of prayer found on the handout.

Simplify the Leading Game with fewer obstacles and more age-appropriate temptations and language. 

For Larger Groups, Older Students or Intergenerational Groups:

Invite individual groups to create their own labels for the Obstacle Course and invite others to walk it.

Consider adapting the obstacle course into a "prayer labyrinth" that has places to stop and things to contemplate at each stop.

For those with more class time:   

• Explore the Postures of Prayer handout. Which postures seem appropriate for various situations. times, and things you are praying about?
• Expand on the Leading Game by inviting the person being steered to ASK for directions.
• Ask students to add additional labels/obstacles/temptations THEY face.
• Ask students to alter the obstacle course by removing their blindfolds and trying to make it to the other side by following their companion's unspoken (hand) directions.

Based on lesson concepts by Donna Grabert.
Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright 2020 Rotation.org Inc.