1. LESSON 19 CHRISTIAN PRAYER Opening Prayer:
Dear Savior you taught us how to pray when you lived on earth. You prayed constantly! When your followers asked you for a good prayer, you left us our “Lord’s Prayer.” I confess that too many times I’ve just mouthed the words and not really prayed it. That’s the same way I’ve said too many bedtime and mealtime prayers…just mouthing the words without thinking. Savior, forgive me. You gave your life so that I really could pray! You’ve removed all my sin so that God will listen…if only I will talk to him.
Help me to be a better pray-er. Remind me to pray in ways that show my love for you and for my family, friends, church and people around me. Help me listen to you too, and not just talk to you. In your Word, you will answer many of my prayers for direction and give me help for decisions I have to make. Make me both a good listener and a good “talker”! I pray this because my sin has been removed and I know you will hear, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

2. WHY PRAY? Parent asks: “Why Pray?” Share some first-hand experiences.
When did you first pray?
Do you find it easy to pray?
What is the hardest thing about prayer?
Has God answered any specific prayer?
What questions do you have about prayer?
In this lesson on prayer we are asking 2 important questions, offer some guidelines on prayer, and share what the Lord’s Prayer teaches about prayer.
Our first question: “Why pray?
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3. 1 Corinthians 10:31
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Youth reads passage.
Reflect on these important truths from our study of the Catechism. We belong to God. The Father created us; the Son redeemed us; the Holy Spirit brought us to faith in Jesus and made us members of God’s family.
As we belong to God we can talk to him about all facets of our life. We can talk to him about anything from A-Z, at any time, from anywhere.
In talking to God about our life and everyone and everything it impacts we are giving Him honor and glory. Thus we speak of prayer as worship. It is truly important for us to come to Him.
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4. Psalm 50:15 15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
    I will deliver you, and you will honor me."
Parent reads passage.
Unfortunately when we talk about prayer as worship we usually think of our Sunday worship service we have each week. In that service we read and hear God’s Word, sing hymns, and pray. But prayer is not worship only when we worship in church. Prayer is always an act of worship.
Some Christians put prayer in the same category as a tire jack. Prayer is something they use only when they are “stuck”. We pray when we have a problem and then put “the tire jack(prayer)” away until the next problem surfaces.
God is there for us in all situations. May the Spirit help us grow in our prayer life.
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5. Why Pray? 1) Because by prayer we honor God (prayer is worship)
Youth records note.
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6. Philippians 4:6
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Youth reads passage.
God wants us to talk to Him in prayer and then also thank him.
Illustration: A make-believe story talks about God assigning two angels to carry the prayers of believers to him. One was to bring the “give-me” prayers to God and the other was to carry the “thank-you” prayers. At the end of the day, one of the angels was very tired. He had been so busy all day long that he had not been able to take a single break. The other angel wasn’t tired at all. He’d had little to do all day. I’m sure you can guess which one was busy and which one didn’t have much to do. This little story reminds us that it’s easy to ask God for things, but not so easy to remember to thank him—but that’s also part of what God wants us to do.
See the Morning, Evening, and Table prayers on page 16 of Luther’s Catechism.
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7. 1 John 5:3
3This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
Parent reads passage.
God wants us to pray. God directs us: “pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18).
Have your youth list places where he/she could pray during the day. Offer these suggestions to get started: in bed, in the shower, at breakfast.
Then remind them that God’s “phone” is never off the hook. Nor will God put them on hold or transfer them back to an answering machine that tells them: “No one is available to take your call. So leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” God is open to our prayers 24/7. God is always eager to listen to our prayers and our praises.
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8. Why Pray? 1) Because by prayer we honor God (prayer is worship)
2) Because God wants us to and we want to
Have youth record note.
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9. Luke 11:1-13 Jesus' Teaching on Prayer
   1One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”    2He said to them, “When you pray, say: “ ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
   5Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
Youth reads verses 1-6
“Lord, teach us to pray!” In verses 2b-4 of Luke we have the Lord’s Prayer with 5 petitions. In Matthew’s Gospel there are 7 petitions. Why the difference? Scripture gives us a pattern to follow rather than a rigid formula to memorize. Jesus’ instruction in prayer remains the same.
In verses 5-8 the parable of the man “bothering” his friend is intended to reflect on how we go to the “Father”. With boldness and confidence we go to the Father. He welcomes our child-like requests.

10. Luke 11:1-13
7“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.’ 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Parent reads verses 7-13.
In verses 9-13 Jesus brings his point home. Going from the lesser – human fathers; to the greater – our heavenly Father – Jesus points out that our heavenly Fathers gives the best of his blessings/gifts to us. The best gift of all is the Holy Spirit.
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11. Why Pray? 1) Because by prayer we honor God (prayer is worship)
2) Because God wants us to and we want to
Youth records note #3.
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3) Because God promises His blessings to those who pray

12. WHO PRAYS PROPERLY? Ask: “Who prays properly?”
If we turn to Matthew 6:5-8 from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount’ on the subject of prayer, we hear some strong cautions about praying. Jesus warns of praying to “be seen by men”, or to “keep on babbling like pagans”. In short, Jesus warns about praying to “be seen and heard” – to call attention to ourselves.
So it is a valid question: “Who prays properly?” because praying does involve us as God’s people. We do see one another in prayer. We do hear the prayers of one another.
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13. John 14:13-14
13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Youth reads passage.
According to these verses “How are we to pray?” The answer is given twice.
Answer: Jesus directs to pray: “in my name”. We come to God through Jesus who has removed the barrier of our sin.
Therefore we pray properly when we come to him “in the name of Jesus”.
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14. Who Prays Properly? Those who …..
1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)
Youth records note.
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15. Matthew 4:10
 10Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’
Parent reads passage.
Satan came to Jesus and wanted him to worship power, things, and Satan himself. Jesus knew Satan’s temptations led to the worship of false gods or idols.
Ask: Whom alone are we to worship and pray to?
Answer: The one true God—God who reveals Himself in the Bible—our triune God.
As we add the next note, ask: “Who prays properly?”
Answer: Jesus instructs us: “Worship the Lord and serve Him only!”
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16. Who Prays Properly? Those who …..
1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)
2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
Youth records note.
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17. Psalm 66:18 18 If I had cherished sin in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened;  
Youth reads passage.
Ask: What separates us and our prayers from God?
Answer: The sin in my heart.
As a child of God seeing sin in my life what does God call me to do?
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18. Mark 11:25
25And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Parent reads passage.
Ask: As we go to the Father in prayer what are we not to do?
Answer: Hold onto those sins or grudges we have with others.
Reflect back to Lesson 15. Ask: What do we do when we sin?
Answer: Practice Spiritual Breathing.
Take a few moments to review: Spiritual Breathing
EXHALE
Confess sin and by faith put them on Jesus.
Turn away from sin as a forgiven child of God.
INHALE
Trust that I am forgiven because of Jesus and life a new life
Thankfully serve God and expect His blessings.
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19. Isaiah 59:1-2
1 Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Youth reads passage.
Ask: What does my sin or iniquities do to my relationship with God?
Answer: Sin or iniquities separate – they are barrier or obstacles and keep my prayers from reaching God.
What is the Bible word for Spiritual Breathing?
Answer: Repentance
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20. Who Prays Properly? Those who …..
1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)
2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
3) Repent daily and turn away from sin
Youth records note.
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21. James 4:3
3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Youth reads passage.
Ask: According to this Bible passage what is one reason we do not receive what we ask for?
Answer: WE ask with “wrong motives”.
We may thinking of having “pleasures” – what’s good for me; thus being selfish in our motives.
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22. Who Prays Properly? Those who …..
1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)
2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
3) Repent daily and turn away from sin
Youth records note.
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4) Pray with God-pleasing motives

23. James 1:6-7
6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
Parent reads passage.
We have the cliché: “he has no backbone” meaning that one does not stand up for what he believes—that he is wishy-washy.
Ask: How does this passage describe such a person?
Answer: That a person is a doubter—blown and tossed by the wind.
Ask: What does a doubter receive from the Lord?
Answer: He will not receive anything.
Ask: How does God the Father want us to pray?
Answer: To believe He hears and answers our prayers.
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24. Who Prays Properly? Those who …..
1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)
2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
3) Repent daily and turn away from sin
Youth records note.
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4) Pray with God-pleasing motives
5) Pray trusting that God hears and answers

25. 1 John 5:14
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
Parent reads passage.
Ask: With what confidence are we to approach God?
Answer: As we pray according to His will God will hear us.
Again: “Who prays properly?”
Answer: We ask according to God’s will.
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26. Who Prays Properly? Those who …..
1) Are able to pray in Jesus’ name (believers)
2) Pray to God above – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
3) Repent daily and turn away from sin
Youth records note.
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4) Pray with God-pleasing motives
5) Pray trusting that God hears and answers
6) Seek God’s will

27. SOME GUIDELINES FOR PRAYER
Comment:
Jesus’ disciples saw him praying. Jesus provided some practical advise and then the Lord’s Prayer.
One caution stands out. Jesus says: “the pagans think they will be heard for their many words”; that is, they think they can manipulate the Godhead by their desires. Rather the child of God – heavenly Father relationship is very direct: we tell our Father exactly what is on our hearts and minds.
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28. Some Guidelines for Prayer
1) Use whatever posture, etc, that expresses our inner attitude.
2) Combines prayer with Bible study to balance output with intake
3) Pray in this pattern:
A adoration
C confession
Parent—youth interaction.
1) What practical things can we follow: fold our hands, close our eyes, bow our heads – all to free us of distraction and provide a demeanor or attitude that reflects how as a child of God I am coming before my heavenly Father—the Lord of heaven and earth.
Parents—reflect on some aspect of your prayer life – why do you pray as you do with your son or daughter.
Our prayer life is strongly and powerfully impacted by God to speaking to us through His Word. For example--as God speaks to us in the Psalms – these Psalms become our prayers – “the Lord is my Shepherd…” “God is our Refuge and Strength…” “O give thanks to the Lord…”
Pray in patterns – we are creatures of habit more than we care to admit. We like to learn and follow patterns—so in our prayer life.
Adoration – different names for God, Emanuel, Lord of life, Everlasting Father, etc.
Confession --the awe and respect that I as a sinner am coming before a holy God
Thanksgiving – blessings of creation, physical and spiritual blessings
Supplication – we ask, seek, knock on the door of God’s heart for ourselves
and for others (petition)
Prayer is A C T S – an exercise of our/my faith in God.
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T thanksgiving
S supplication (a humble request)
petition (a request)
intercession (a prayer for someone else)

29. THE LORD’S PRAYER TEACHES US ABOUT PRAYER
Comment: The disciples were keenly aware of how Jesus often went off to a solitary place to pray by himself. Jesus, what are You doing when You pray? Jesus, why do You pray?
Examine verses 1-18 of this chapter and note 9 times Matthew speaks of “the Father”. Yes, the Father sees as we really are in our spiritual life. The Father rewards—He delights in our coming to Him and wants to shine His favor / His pleasure on us as His child.
The Father sees Jesus. The Father rewards Jesus … all part of His prayer life.
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30. Matthew 6:5-15
5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

31. Matthew 6:5-15
  9“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10your kingdom come, your will be done       on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread. 12Forgive us our debts,       as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Parent and Youth read/pray together verses 9 – 15.
Hallowed – holy be God’s name as the Father acts in judgment and mercy.
Your Kingdom –the reign of Jesus in His kingdom of grace; our hearts
in His kingdom of power: over all things—all nations
in His kingdom of glory: heaven with all its splendor
Your will—that God will fulfill His gracious purpose and come. God draws into His purposes as we pray this petition.
Daily – Keep us alive, take care of us one day at a time
As we have forgiven – forgiveness is huge in our lives
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32. The Lord’s Prayer Teaches Us About Prayer
1) We pray as children
2) God’s honor, kingdom, and will are the most important things to pray about
3) Spiritual requests come before physical requests
Youth records these notes.
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4) Praise should be included
5) We end confidently with “Amen” which means, “It shall be so.”

33. ASSIGNMENT FOR NEXT WEEK
Study carefully the notes you have taken in class; be sure you understand them.
Study carefully questions 329 – 376 in the Catechism. Be able to answer them in your own words.
Complete the “Working with God’s Word” section. Have parents check your work.
Memorize these Bible passages:
VIP Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
1 John 5:14 – “This is the assurance we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
Memorize the Lord’s Prayer.
Complete Worksheet #19 at home and have parents correct it. Prepare for Unit Review of Lessons for Wednesday, March 2nd, 5:45 – 7:30 pm.

34. KEY TRUTHS
Lesson Nineteen: Prayer is one way we honor God (prayer is ____________). We pray the right way when we pray in Jesus’ ______ , to ______ alone, with God-pleasing __________, trusting that God _____ and ________, and seeking God’s ______. A good pattern for praying is A____, C________, T_________, S_________. In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus taught us to pray mainly for _________blessings. Amen means ______________. _______

35. Closing Prayer What a friend we have in Jesus,
all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
everything to God in prayer!
O, what peace we often forfeit,
O, what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
everything to God in prayer. Amen.