3. Learning To Talk To God

Materials Needed

• five small brown paper bags or dark plastic bags (they need to be nontransparent)
• five small items made by God. Examples: piece of fruit, plastic or real flower, Bible, stuffed animal, rock or shell.
• children’s book on prayer or a storybook where someone had to pray
• large piece of paper (2’ x 2’) (smaller sheets may be taped together)
• masking tape
• markers or crayons

Setting The Stage

There are many reasons for prayer. We often spend time in prayer only when we have a request. This devotional will help your children appreciate thanking God in prayer. Before you start, you will need to acquire a children’s book involving prayer, assemble the mystery bags, each containing one item made by God, and tape the large piece of paper to the wall.

Project

• Read the book on prayer. If you don’t have one you can purchase one at any Christian bookstore or check one out of your church library. If neither of these options are available to you, read Matthew 14:23. Discuss the prayer of the person in the story or the content of Jesus’ prayer on the mountainside.
• Have the 2’ x 2’ sheet of paper taped to the wall. Let each child draw a picture that depicts details from the prayer in the story just read. Encourage the reluctant and inexperienced drawers to try as well. Once the picture is drawn, let the child describe it to you.
• With the filled mystery bags set off to the side have each person sit down. Pass the bags around and let each child feel the outside and then guess what is inside. Once the guessing is done, remove the items and ask the children what all of the items have in common. The answer is that God made them. Point out how we need to thank God for making them and that thanksgiving is part of prayer.

Prayer

Let each person pick one of the items from the bags and say a simple thank you to God for making that item.

Memory Verse

Luke 11:1b
Lord teach us to pray