YOUTH GROUP LESSON ON PRAYER

YOUTH GROUP LESSON ON PRAYER

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Lesson Overview: Prayer is foundational to the life of a believer. But how do you pray? Is God really listening? What should we say when we pray? This Youth Group Lesson unpacks prayer

Bible: Matthew 6:9-13, John 1:12, 1 John 5:15

Bottom Line: God hears us when we pray.

Capture: Grab their attention with an illustration.

• Illustration/Story: Have you ever had a friend who always looks at their phone when you’re trying to talk to them? It’s never fun to talk to someone who isn’t paying attention! You want to have someone’s full attention when you’re talking to them.

• In the same way, so many people avoid talking to God because they feel like He isn’t listening. It’s easy to find ourselves comparing God to these friends who just can’t be bothered to really listen — but that’s just not true. More than any person in your life, God listens when you talk to Him!

   

• Tension Question: Have you ever avoided praying because you thought God wasn’t listening? Tonight, I believe Scripture is going to show us that not only is God listening, He really cares about what we have to say.

• Scripture: Matthew 6:9-13 — Prayer is important to God — if prayer wasn’t important, Jesus wouldn’t have taken the time to teach us how to do it! And not only is prayer important — it’s simple. He wants us to share anything and everything with Him!

   

• Scripture: Romans 8:16 — We are God’s children! Good parents listen to their children, and because we know God is a good Father, we know He listens to us!

• When we view God as our Father, it changes the way we approach prayer.

• Oftentimes our earthly father can impact our view of our Heavenly Father. The truth is, God is the perfect Father. The best dad in the world couldn’t compare to Him.

• We become God’s children when we accept Him into our lives. This means we can trust that He wants us to talk to Him as our Father.

• Bottom Line: God hears us when we pray.

Collide: How do we apply this in our lives?

• Scripture: 1 John 5:15 — The Scriptures make it clear that all we need to do is bring our requests to God. Our needs, desires, and questions — God cares about all of it.

• God knows what we need, yet He still loves for us to bring our needs before Him. We can bring anything before the Lord in prayer knowing that He listens without judgement. Whether you are on the go in the car, in the hallways at school, or alone in your room, He is listening!

• Share about a time you saw someone you had not seen in a long time. What was your conversation like? Did you have a lot to catch up on?

• God wants to catch up, hear about what is going on in your life, and encourage you.

• We are entitled to every benefit of being a child of God including the right to communicate with and have a meaningful relationship with Him. God does not love us from afar, we can feel His love up close when we pray.

• Application: Talk to Jesus confident that He is listening!

   

• Altar moment: Tonight, talk to Jesus. Tell Him about your worries and your fears (maybe take some time to share an example of prayer with them and how easy it is). As you open your mouth and share what’s on your heart, know that you have a loving Father who is listening and cares about what you have to say.

• Small Group Questions:

  1. Have you been in conversations where you weren’t being heard? How did that make you feel?

  2. Is your view of God affecting how you pray? Explain.

  3. What are some things that hold you back from praying to God?

  4. Do you feel like right now, God would say He misses you? Discuss what can you do to remind yourself to pray every day.

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