Unit 2 :Basic prayers
Prayer and how to conduct yourself during prayers (Isaiah 30:18-19)
Look at the following picture.
2.1. The way we should behavior during prayers/ when praying (Luke 18:10-14, John 15: 7)
During the time of prayers, we thank, we praise, we glorify and we ask God what we need.
Some of the good words that are used in prayers are like:
i) Our father in Heaven
ii) Our king
iii) We ask you
iv) Holy God
What describes a Christian in the time of prayer are as follows:
i) Being calm and humble when we are praying
ii) Be quiet
iii) To be in a quiet place.iv) Show respect and honor to God
Activity 2.1
What do we do when people are praying at home, at school and in church?
2.1.1. The parable of the Pharisee and tax collector (Luke 18: 10-14)
The Bible teaches us about prayers where we are to humble ourselves before God (Luke 18: 10-14).
Whenever we pray we are supposed to honor God, why should we honor God?
• The Pharisee and the tax collector prayed to God, after God answered the tax collector because he prayed
with humility.
Have you ever prayed for something and later you received it? Share with your neighbor something
that you prayed for and after God answered you.
Activity 2.2
What do we do when people are praying at home, at school and in church?
2.2. Basic prayers
a) The Lord’s Prayer / Our father in heaven Jesus is the son of God.
He had a group of 12 people that followed him, who were called the Apostles.
Jesus taught his them the Lord’s Prayer.
Our Lord’s Prayer
Our father in Heaven
Hallowed be your name
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our sins as we also,
Forgive those who sin against us
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from the evil one.
For kingdom, the power and the glory
Are yours now and forever moreAmen!
In the book of Luke 22: 38-44, the Bible teaches us that Jesus went to the Mount of Olives with his apostles to pray.
Why do Christians say the Lord‘s Prayer (Psalm 95:1-7, Isaiah 6:5, Psalm 118:1, Phillipians 4:6-7)?Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer focusing on the following:
• Thanking God and asking Him for blessings, praising, asking for forgiveness and for protection.
b) The prayer before sleeping (Psalms 1:2)
Do you go to pray before sleeping? We are supposed to pray to God at night before sleeping.
We ask God to protect us in the night while we are sleeping. How do you pray before you go to sleep?And do you always pray to thank God when you wake you?
In Psalms 1:2, the Bible teaches us, a good person is well pleased with the commandments of God.
And he follows/obeys them during day and night..
An example of a prayer of a child before he/she sleeps
My God, I come before you this night.
I thank you for protecting me today.
I am going to sleep now, protect me.
Enable me to sleep well.
I know I feel fine and peaceful whenever you protect me .
Bless my friends and protect them too.
Protect our country of Rwanda and bless it.
I have prayed this believing in your Holy name.Amen!
c) A prayer before eating (Matthew 26:26-27, Luke 22: 17-20, Psalm 81:10,Exodus 23: 25)
We should always pray to God before eating. We pray to God thanking Him for giving us what to eat and we ask
Him to bless the food. The food that is blessed by God nourishes our bodies.
Say this prayer before you eat
Our God, we thank you for the food you have given us.
We are grateful.
We thank you for the people that have prepared it.
Even those that were not able to get it give them what to eat and
bless them.
We pray in the Holy name of Jesus.
Amen
We should be like Jesus and pray before eating.
d) The prayer for thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:18, Exodus 15:21, Psalm 118:1)
A prayer of thanksgiving is a prayer we offer to God by thanking Him
for all the good things he has done in our lives.
We can repent in the prayer of thanksgiving to God:(i) When the wedding is successful.
(ii) After getting a great harvest
(iii) The time when someone gets healed from sickness.
Say the following prayer in your heart silently:
An example of the prayer of thanksgiving to God
Our everlasting father, I thank you because of your blessings.
I thank you for the knowledge you have given me
I thank you because you guide my life.
I thank you for enabling me to pass my exams
Your name be praised now and forever more.
Amen!
Exodus 15:21. Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, led the Israelites to thank God.
She did it after crossing the Red Sea because God had protected them from the Egyptians.
Activity 2.3
1. Lead a prayer for thanking God at school and in the group of many people.
2. Mention some of the opportunities that you thank God for that He gave people.
e) A prayer for praying for others (Romans 8: 26-27, 34: , Colossians 4: 2-3, Romans 15: 30)
A prayer for others is when you pray specifically for them. Do you always remember to pray for others?
Examples of people that need to be prayed for:
i) Sick people / the sick
ii) The orphans
iii) The widows
iv) The poor people
v) The refugees
vi) The elderlyvii) The street children
Say this prayer with a peaceful heart:
An example of a prayer to pray for others
Our God the creator of heaven and earth
I pray for my friend that is sick
Heal her /him and give her strength
Lay your healing hands upon her,
I have prayed believing in the name of Jesus Christ
Amen!
(f) A prayer before work (Philippians 4: 13, Luke 1:37)
People work in different places, they work in different ways. It is God that gives us strength to work.
The reasons we pray before working
We need to dedicate our daily different activities to God, because there is nothing difficult for Him.
All workers need to pray before working; God protects us whenever we pray.
An example of a prayer made before workingSay the following prayer in your heart.
Our father in heaven we thank you for protecting us this night
And for we have managed to wake up in peace this day, help us and
give us strength and we work well today.
Protect us from all kinds of evil at work
Guide us in everything
We have prayed believing in the name of Jesus Christ.Amen!
It is important for people to pray before starting to work.
Look at the following pictures.What are people and say what they are doing?
The time of praying and its appropriate prayers. (Ephesians 6:18, 1
Thessalonians 5:17, Luke 18:1-5, 1 Timothy 2:8).
When do you pray?
We are supposed to pray every time.
In 1 Timothy 2:8 the Bible teaches us to pray without anger or quarreling. Read the parables below.
Do you remember what we said about the parables? In what we saw before, we learnt that parables
are the stories Jesus used while He was teaching His disciples.
g) The parable of widow and the Judge (Luke 18:1-5)
There was a widow, her enemies wanted to take her possessions and she told the Judge.
The judge did not listen to her, that widow did not give up on asking the judge.
The judge made a decision to help her. Every time we pray without stopping our prayers are answered.
Activity 2.4
1. What is the right time to pray?
2. Share with others the time you pray when at home.
3. Using examples, mention how God answers us whenever we pray.The appropriate prayers (1 John 5: 14-15, John 14:13-14, Philippians 4: 6-7)
Activity 2.5
1. Why do we pray to God?
2. How do you think we should pray for situations in our lives?
3. Why does God take time to answer some of the prayers?
End Unit Assessment
1. What other name of God?
2. Jesus taught …………….. Prayer to His disciples.
3. What did Jesus do before He was arrested in Gethsemane?
4. The people who followed Jesus was called ……………………..
5. Before Jesus fed the 5000 people, Jesus ……………….. Food.
6. What did Jesus and His disciples do in Jerusalem before Jesus was caught?.
7. Miriam led the Israelites in ……………….. after crossing the Red Sea.
8. How do we call the prayer that we make for others?
9. The time we pray to God we need……………….
10. What is the right time to pray?
11. When our parents or friends give us time we should say that……………………….
12. What are we supposed to do for people that need help?
13. Write two words of honoring God in the time of prayer
a)……………………………….………..
b)…………………………………….…..
14. What should we do incase God does not answer our prayers?15. Give two reasons why we should pray to God before working.