Follow In His Steps - Lesson 11

By Stafford North

LESSON 11

We Pray—Part 2 

Background Information for the Teacher

Objectives:

  1. The student can list from memory at least three reasons why Jesus prayed.
  2. The student can relate his/her prayer life to why Jesus prayed.
  3. The student can sing prayerfully the song “Take My Life and Let It Be.”

Preparation for the Teacher:

  1. Have the words and music for “Take My Life and Let It Be.”
  2. Have ready a board to write on.
  3. Have 3x5 cards to hand out.
  4. Have copies of the prayer opportunities worksheet ready to hand out. 

Theme:  We need to be prayerful as Jesus was and need to pray for the same reasons He did.

Lesson Plan for Conducting the Class

Introduction:  (15 minutes)

  1. Call the roll and welcome visitors.
  2. Let the class help you to write on the board the five reasons Jesus prayed.  (The plan is to spend a few minutes later in the period to note specific items for which we could pray that would fit these same reasons. 
  3. Hand out cards and ask the class to write the five reasons on the front and back of the card with space to write beneath each.

Learning Experiences:  (20 minutes)

  1. To seek God’s refreshing presence in our lives.  Q:  How would we pray to achieve this purpose?  A:  To pray often and fervently.  To sense that when we are praying we are in the very presence of God.  Read Heb. 4:16.  Imagine that you are walking into the throne room of God with great respect and reverence and God motions you to come forward to kneel before Him and speak to Him.  There you feel the great exultation from this experience.  We can feel something like this refreshing from our daily prayers and then can carry that sense of His presence with us though the day.  Q: What would you need to do to bring this reason to pray into your life more often?  A:  To have specific times each day when I will withdraw enough to sense that I am in God’s presence.  To spend more time thanking Him for the blessings in my life.  To read a psalm of David about being with God (like the 23rd Psalm) and to make that my prayer.  Write on your card what you will seek to do to bring this reason for prayer more into your life.
  2. To ask God’s help in our work.  Q: What is something you pray about that would be asking for God’s help in your work for Him?  A: That I can teach a class well.  That I can raise my children well.  That I can find someone with whom to have a Bible study.  Etc.   Each of us has his/her own ministry for God.  We should pray regularly for God to help us with our work, just as Christ did for His work.  Write on your card what you want to pray about that will be asking for God’s help in your work.  Maybe that will be something to help you in your growth in  SERVE, TELL, AND EXEMPLIFY.
  3. To seek God’s assistance in difficulty.  Q:  What is a difficulty or need you pray about or have known of someone else to pray about?  A:  That someone who is ill will get well.  That God will help me make a difficult, important decision.  That God will help me through the loss of a loved one. That I can help a friend or loved one to do the right thing before God.  Etc.  Q:  Can you share about God’s having helped you in the past with a difficulty or need?   Remember that Jesus prayed about such things and that sometimes the prayer did not remove the difficulty but helped Him to bear it.  We need to pray with this same spirit.  Write on the card something that you want to pray about that would fall into this category.
  4. To bring God’s power to others.  Q:  Who are others you pray for or could pray for and what would you pray?  A:  (Make these answers as specific as possible—not just pray for family but what might we pray about for our family.)  That my child who is going away to college will be faithful.  That my child may someday find a mate with whom he/she can serve the Lord.  That someone who is drifting away will be stronger in his/her faith.  That someone who has lost a loved one can have God’s strength to go on.  Etc.  Jesus prayed for others and so should we.  Now write on your card some people for whom you want to be praying regularly.
  5. To extend God’s glory.  Q:  What are some things we do not often thank God for but we should thank Him for?  A.  That someone brought me to Christ.  That I have opportunities to serve Him.  That I have Christian friends.  Etc.  Q:  How might I pray for others to see God’s glory?  A:  That individual Christians will be like Christ at their work or where they attend school so God will be glorified.  That when we have difficulties to work through, people will see God’s glory from our dealing with the issue.  That our worship will so praise God that others will want to glorify Him.  Now, write on your card, something you want to pray about which would extend God’s glory to more people in more ways.

Application:  (10 minutes)

  1. Q:  How will our study of Jesus’ prayer life affect you personally in your prayer life?
  2. Q:  How can we help our congregation to be more of a praying church?
  3. Hand out sheet on opportunities to pray, and ask the class to consider these at home. 
  4. Let’s sing together a prayer and mean it earnestly.  “Take My Life and Let It Be.”

Assignment:

  1. Read your card each day this week and pray for the five reasons Jesus prayed.  To follow in His steps, we must be a person of prayer.  If your prayer life is not what it should be, start this week to make improvements.  That may mean praying more as a family and/or spending more time in private prayer.   Determine right now, however, that you will make this week a better week in prayer.

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