Curriculum
We Pray to God
Memory Verse:
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” (Mark 1:35)
Bible Background
What Kids Will Learn
Jesus wanted to spend time alone with God. His ministry was full of people—lots of people—who were sick, hurting, and in need of a Savior. So Jesus went off by Himself to talk to and listen to God.
Scripture Summary
With a full ministry of healing the sick, preaching the good news, walking from town to town, and mentoring 12 disciples, Jesus was busy. He had just healed Simon’s mother-in-law from a terrible fever. Later that very day, Jesus healed many from diseases and demon possession. He did it all, but He made time to be alone with God.
God doesn’t sleep—He’s awake and alert 24/7. And He’s ready at any time of the day. Jesus chose very early in the morning, even before the sun was up. This was a quiet time of the day when Jesus wouldn’t disturb anyone else, and He wouldn’t be interrupted.
Simon, one of Jesus’ disciples, and his friends sought Jesus out to tell Him that everyone was looking for Him. Jesus and His disciples continued on to another village for Jesus to preach.
Roman officials divided Israel into three sections: Galilee, Samaria, and Judea. Galilee was the region to the north, about 1,800 square miles. The area of Galilee was a fruitful place for Jesus’ ministry with so many towns and synagogues.
Why Is This Important
No one can do life alone. As much as we might try, we cannot keep up with the pace and demands of everyday life. Even Jesus needed time alone with God, and so do we.
Teacher Devotion
Scripture
“The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
I’m not a morning person. When I was in middle school, my parents lovingly corrected how I acted in the morning. As I struggled each morning before school, I would communicate with my family by simply grunting. I remember their words vividly: “We understand you don’t like mornings. But you must be civil with us.” Oh, I’m so thankful that they put up with me.
Now that decades have passed, things have changed. I still don’t quite embrace the mornings, but I do have a new appreciation for them. My favorite time to run is in the dark before the sun comes up. There’s something so beautiful about the stillness of a dark morning. It’s almost as if the world stops turning.
There is no perfect time of day to spend time with God. Depending on your stage of life, work schedule, and preferences, you may find mornings to be a beautiful time of solitude. Or, you might prefer the night, at the close of a full day, to commune with God. Whatever time you choose, follow Jesus’ lead and go to a place where you can be undisturbed and alone with God.
Each time you choose to spend with God, be sure to thank Him for His new mercies that day; they are new every morning. And great is His faithfulness—each and every day.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for being present even in the dark of the morning or night. I want to spend time with You and to get to know You even better. Please help me get away with You more often. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Memory Verse
You’ll Need: Bibles, Construction paper, Markers, Contact paper, Scissors, Hole punch and ribbon (optional)
Get Ready: Before class, cut one bookmark-size piece of construction paper for each child.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house
and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” (Mark 1:35) Lead kids in these steps:
- Invite children to turn in their Bibles to Mark 1:35.
- Give each child a bookmark-size piece of construction paper.
- Let children use various colors of markers to write today’s Bible memory verse on one side of their bookmarks and people they want to pray for on the other side.
- Provide children with clear contact paper to cover their bookmarks so they can place them in their Bibles as a reminder to pray.
- Add a ribbon at the top, if desired.
SAY: This Bible verse reminds us of how important Jesus thought it was to pray. He got up early in the morning and went and spent time in prayer with His Father.
ASK:
- Tell about a time you needed recharging.
- What can we learn from Jesus’ example in this Bible verse?
Interactive Bible Experience
SAY: Sometimes it can be hard to think about what you would talk to God about. Today we will learn one type of prayer that will help recharge your battery. These prayers are called praise prayers. When you praise God, you’re praising Him for who He is. For example, “God is holy, God is good, and God is loving.” Let’s practice some praise prayers now using the ABCs.
Follow these steps for the experience:
- Invite children to stand in a circle.
- Explain that you will call out a letter from the alphabet.
- If the kids know something to praise God for that starts with that letter, invite them to step forward into the center of the circle and say, “God, I praise You because You are…”
- If more than one child steps forward, allow several to praise God using that letter.
- Remind kids that while this is a fun activity, they are to keep a respectful attitude of prayer.
- Go all the way to Z.
ASK:
- What are some ways you can make praise and prayer a priority?
- What other things do you want to praise God for today?
SAY: You praised God from A to Z, and it was a wonderful reminder of who God is. Jesus made it a priority to get away and pray to His Father. Just imagine that you need recharging and you pause to praise God for who He is. Wouldn’t that be a powerful reminder?
Snack
Alphabet Prayer Snack
You’ll Need: Cereal or small cookies in letters of the alphabet, Bowls
Follow these steps to tie the Bible lesson to the snack:
- Give each child a bowl full of the alphabet-letters snack.
- Explain that as they snack, you‘ll call on each of them to pull out a letter from their bowls. They’ll share something they can pray for that starts with that letter.
- Make sure each child gets a chance to share.
- Enjoy.
SAY: We have so many things we can pray for that we could pick up letters all day long! What a great reminder of all the things we have to talk with God about. And guess what? Not one thing we named is a surprise to God. He knows everything and loves us so well. Spending time talking with Him is a great way to recharge.
Game
Prayer Balloons
You’ll Need: Balloons
Follow these steps to play the game:
- If the balloons aren’t already inflated, give each child one to blow up and tie off.
- Explain to the kids that you are going to give them a prayer prompt and they will pray while they keep their balloon in the air by tapping it.
- When you call time or when their balloons hit the ground, they can stop praying about that topic.
- Prayer prompts:
- Pray for someone you know who is sick.
- Pray for our pastor.
- Pray for a family member.
- Pray for someone you know who doesn’t know Jesus.
- Pray for yourself.
ASK:
- Explain whether you find it easy or hard to pray for yourself.
- What things can you talk to God about to get recharged?
SAY: Life can be really hard and we can get worn out. Talking and spending time with God recharges us and helps us remember who He is and how to follow Him.
Craft
Prayer Collage
You’ll Need: Magazines, Scissors, Construction paper, Glue, Markers, ¼ sheets of poster board
To make the Prayer Collage posters, have kids follow these steps:
- Give each child ¼ piece of poster board.
- Encourage kids to look through magazines and cut out words or pictures of things they can pray for.
- Instruct children to make a collage of the things they find by gluing the pictures and words to their piece of poster board.
- Invite each child to cut out a cross shape using the construction paper.
- Guide children to glue their crosses on top of all the pictures on the collage.
- Ask kids to write “PRAY” on the cross.
ASK:
- What stands out to you as you look at your prayer collage?
- What answers to prayer have you or someone you know had from God?
SAY: Just think about how much more we will know God by talking to Him about all these things. Hang this in your room as a reminder for things you can pray for this month.
Prayer
Interceding Prayers
SAY: Today we’re going to intercede for one another. What does that mean? Praying an interceding prayer is when you go to God on behalf of someone else. You can pray for their needs, their requests, or whatever God brings to your mind to pray for them.
- Invite kids to stand in a circle.
- Ask kids to come stand in the center of the circle one at a time, and ask for two volunteers to pray for that child.
- Repeat until all the children have been prayed over.
PRAY: Dear God, thank You for the gift of talking and listening to You. Thank You for being just what we need when we need to recharge. Thank You for the example Jesus set by getting
away from everyone else and talking with You. Help us make it a priority to spend time with You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
