Armor of God: Prayer

5/2/2024

Daniel and the Lion's Den by Jennifer Tolbert

In Ephesians 6: 10-17, Paul tells the Ephesians that to be ready against Satan, we must put on the full armor of God. In addition to the armor of God, Paul tells the Ephesians to pray. He tells them to pray when things are good and pray when things are bad. He says to ask God for anything and everything they may need. He encourages them to pray for all Christians. Paul makes a prayer request too! He specifically asks for them to pray that God will give him the right words and courage he needs to share the gospel.

Prayer is one of the most powerful things we can do. What does a team do when they are in a close game? They put in their most valuable player! The biggest, fastest, strongest person on the team.

When we are praying, we are bringing the most valuable player in on the game-Jesus! Do you remember the different times in the Bible when Jesus heal someone from an unclean spirit? They would beg Jesus not to hurt them or they would leave in fear!

In the Old Testament, Daniel valued his prayer life over his own physical life. He understood that his prayer life is what connected him to God, and he made it a priority.

Key Themes:
1. God wants us to pray!
2. I need to use the power of prayer to defeat Satan. I can't do it on my own. I need God's help.
3. Praying for one another form of protection. It bonds us together.

Memory Verse

Ephesians 6:11 ESV
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

Songs

1,2,3 The Devil's After Me
Books of the New Testament
Be Careful Little Eyes
This Little Light of Mine
There is a Flag that Flies in the Castle of My Heart
I'm in the Lord's Army
My God is So Big
I Am A C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N
Saint's Medley

Story

Begin Class with Songs, Games, Table Activity, or Sharing Time

Open Class in Prayer

Introducing the Story Ideas
1. Sharing Time
Tell me about times that you know that we pray. (Meals, Baptisms, Church, Bedtime, etc.) Why do you think God wants us to pray?

2. Prayer Web
Note: Better for older
Supplies: Ball of yarn, scissors
You may want to take prayer requests at the beginning of class. Hold the end of the yarn. SAY: Today we are going to practice praying for one another. You can pray for things they something they need OR you can praise God for something good about them, such as being a good friend. I am going to pass the yarn ball to you. If you have the yarn, you need to pick someone and pray for them.

For example, I am going to pray for Jane and ask that God help her with her test next week. Then, I am going to hold my part of the yarn and toss the yarn to Jane. Jane will pray for someone else in the group, hold her portion of the yarn and toss it to the person she prayer for.

After everyone has had a turn, point out how our prayers connect us. Imagine that this yarn represents a connection that is actually invisible, but lives in our hearts. That is power of prayer.

Read and discuss Ecclesiastes 4:12.

3. Review
Supplies: Armor of God visual aids
Review each of the pieces of armor. ASK: Imagine you were going out to fight a battle. Would you rather fight alone or with a friend? Why? Read and discuss Ecclesiastes 4:12. How do prayer requests give us strength?

Story: When Paul visited Ephesus, Paul met people who were eager to learn more about following God. However, he could not return and teach them more because he was in prison in Rome! Did Paul let this stop him? No! He used this time in prison to write letters to the churches. We have been studying a part of the letter he wrote to the church in Ephesus.

Like any good teacher, and following the example of Jesus, Paul used an object lesson-a soldier's armor-when teaching the Ephesians about spiritual warfare. The next verse, Paul gives them even more insight into what will give them strength when facing the enemy-prayer! He encourages the Ephesians to pray! He even leads by example with his own prayer requests.

In the Old Testament, Daniel teaches us how important it is to pray. Daniel was taken from his home as a young boy and forced to serve the king in Babylon. The king made a decree that no one could pray to anyone except him. There was no way Daniel was going to serve an earthly king over God!

SHOW the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den or read Daniel 6:1-28 in the Bible.
EMPHASIZE that: