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One 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.” He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” Luke 11:1-4

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

So far this week, we’ve learned two things about prayer:

Now we learn something new: Prayer brings our hearts closer to God—not the other way around.

Some people think prayer is just a way to tell God what we want and then hope he gives it to us. But Jesus gives us a special prayer called the Lord’s Prayer—and it teaches us to pray for things that we probably wouldn’t pray for if Jesus didn’t tell us to!

Let’s look at the Lord’s Prayer and what it really means:

Here’s something amazing: God doesn’t need us to pray these things for his plans to work. He’s going to do what’s best anyway! But Jesus still teaches us how to pray—because he loves us.

It’s like when a parent helps a little child say, “May I please have a banana?” The child is learning how to ask, not just demand. And the parent is happy to teach them because they love them!

God does the same. He teaches us how to talk to him—with love, trust, and the right words. And the more we pray like Jesus, the more we start to sound like Jesus too.

Dear God, teach me your ways. Help me trust you with my whole heart. I will praise you, because your love is great and you have saved me. Amen. (shortened version of Psalm 86)

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

Questions for Elementary Age Children

Questions for Middle School and Above

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