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The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
Prayer is conversation with the Lord (Arcana Coelestia 2535). It is a conscious decision to talk with the Lord about what is on our minds and in our hearts. Prayer can lift our minds to consider the spiritual aspect of our lives, inviting the Lord to help us see our way. Just as the sweet smoke of incense rises, so our prayers look to a higher authority.
READ: "The Nature of Prayer" by the Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith
The Lord is always with us, and so we can always speak with Him. In a sense, prayer is our link with the Lord; it makes it possible for us to communicate with Him, tell Him what we care about, what we are thinking. And it allows us to ask Him for help in our lives. The Lord, through prayer, can be ever present, for whenever we need Him, whenever we feel the desire to call upon Him, He will be with us.
ACTIVITY: Prayer and Incense (ages 10-16)
Burn incense or light a scented candle and notice what happens. Then reflect on how incense is like prayer.
SING: I Pray You, Lord, to Guide My Ways
"Lord, teach us to pray...."
(Luke 11:1)
The angels in heaven say the Lord's Prayer every day. This is a prayer that we can use all our lives. There are infinite levels of meaning in the Lord's Prayer, so there is always something more that we can learn from it. As we say this prayer, the Lord can help us understand it more and more.
READ: "The Lord's Prayer," a sermon by the Rev. Patrick Rose
The Lord wants us to pray to Him. He wants us to communicate with Him and to ask Him for spiritual life, not as a way of telling Him what we need, but as a way of opening our minds to what He already offers us.
FAMILY WORSHIP: The Lord Teaches Us to Pray (all ages)
Read Matthew 6:5-15 and discuss the Lord's instructions about prayer.
SING: Heavenly Father, Thou Art Near
COLORING PAGE: The Lord Showed Us How to Pray
READ: "Our Father Who Art in Heaven," a family talk by the Rev. Kenneth Stroh
This is the best prayer because the Lord Himself gave it to us and because in it are secretly hidden all the wonderful things that the Lord can give us. As you learn more and more about the prayer, you will be learning how to turn your minds and open your hearts toward the Lord when you kneel down and pray to Him. In this way you will be making yourselves ready to receive the blessings and the happiness of heaven.
COLORING PAGE: The Lord Praying in the Garden of Gethsemane
ACTIVITY: Understanding the Deeper Meaning of the Lord's Prayer (ages 11 and up)
This is an overview of the prayer's meaning followed by a closer look (for teens and adults). These ideas were drawn from the Heavenly Doctrine and presented in a series of college chapel talks written by the Rev. Ormond Odhner. He writes: "The Lord's Prayer itself is undoubtedly the high point of the Lord's presence in worship. As we repeat it, we are on holy ground...." Odhner also observes: "It is a prayer of complete charity. Never once does it mention I, me, or my, but only we, us, our, and Thy will be done."
PROJECT: Mural of the Lord's Prayer (for all ages)
Make a mural with a section depicting each portion of the Lord's prayer. Then illustrate what each part means to you, by drawing a picture or finding a picture in a magazine to cut out and glue to the mural.
PROJECT: The Lord's Prayer (ages 4-7)
Put the text of the Lord's Prayer in hands that can be folded in prayer.
PROJECT: The Lord Is Our Father in Heaven (ages 5-9)
Make a picture of our Father in heaven!
PROJECT: Make a Book about the Lord's Prayer (ages 5-9)
Illustrate your own book about the Lord's Prayer, following the suggestions given below each phrase of the prayer.
PROJECT: Calligraphy of the Lord's Prayer (ages 8-16)
Make your own border for the Lord's Prayer or color one of the borders provided.
FOR REFLECTION: What the Lord's Prayer Means (ages 11 and up)
Look at each part of the prayer and reflect on its meaning. How might you explain it in your own words? How could you apply this part of the prayer to what is happening in your life?
ACTIVITY: Analyzing the Lord's Prayer (ages 11 and up)
Look at each phrase of the Prayer and decide whether it is a statement or a request. Then look at the Prayer again to see which parts are words of praise, which parts acknowledge our struggles with evil, which are words of petition, and which parts thank the Lord.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The Lord's Prayer (teens and adults)
Explore ways that the Lord's Prayer is related to the Ten Commandments.
JOURNAL PAGE: Infinite Meaning in the Prayer (teens and up)
Compare the infinite depth of meaning in the Lord's Prayer to grains of sand on a beach or the stars in the sky. This shows us how much there is for us to learn about the prayer. Contemplate the meaning of the prayer over the next few weeks, using the various resources on this website and asking the Lord to help you understand the meaning of the prayer. Then write about your insights into the meaning of the prayer. It may take us a very long time to understand the prayer deeply, but we have to eternity!
PRAYER IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF WORSHIP
O come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the Lord our God.
(Psalm 95:6)
The Heavenly Doctrine suggests that we pray morning and evening, either in church or at home (Charity 174). Why is prayer important? In prayer, we invite the Lord to help us. It has the potential of changing us - making us more receptive of what the Lord wants to give us. Prayer changes us, not the Lord.
READ: "Asking, Seeking, Knocking" by the Rev. F.E. Gyllenhaal
One of the most important things the Lord taught people while He was on earth is how to pray. In addition to giving them the Lord's Prayer, the Lord told His disciples the parable about the man who wanted to borrow three loaves of bread (see Luke 11). Through this parable He taught that all of us should pray as earnestly and persistently to Him as that man who begged bread from his friend. When you say the Lord's Prayer, try hard to think about the Lord and ask Him to help you do only what is right and good.
COLORING PAGE: A Family Praying
ACTIVITY: Why Do We...? (all ages)
Explores why we kneel, close our eyes, and fold our hands when we pray. How can these actions help open our hearts and minds to the Lord?
SING: Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness
[I]n a person offering adoration and prayer,
the Lord pays attention solely to his heart,
that is, to what he is like inwardly so far as love
and consequently faith are concerned.
(Arcana Coelestia 10143:4)
When we pray, the Lord looks at what is in our heart, not just our words and thoughts. For the essence of a prayer is tied to our affections. If we pray from love and faith for spiritual things, then the Lord can give us a feeling of hope, consolation, or inward joy (see Arcana Coelestia 2535).
READ: "Teach Us to Pray" by the Rev. Daniel Fitzpatrick
True prayer comes from our hearts, not merely from our memory or our lips. Genuine prayer is the heart speaking, pleading for help, asking for guidance, or praising the Lord.
PROJECT: Prayer Hearts (ages 7 and up)
Cut out heart-shaped pieces of paper and write prayers "from the heart" on them, asking the Lord to help you use the talents He has given you in ways that serve the neighbor.
SING: Standing in the Need of Prayer
[T]he prayers of little children are much more fully heard in heaven
than the prayers of grown-ups... (Spiritual Experiences 2435).
A child's innocent prayer reaches heaven without the interference that adults may set up when they pray. Teach your children the Lord's Prayer, always saying it with them (rather than listening to them say it, so that saying the prayer is not a "performance"). But also teach them other simple prayers from the Word and perhaps from other sources. The Rev. Ormond Odhner has suggested that it is quite proper for children to use other prayers in addition to the Lord's Prayer, noting that children in heaven are taught "other little prayers."
READ: "Praying to the Lord" a story for preschoolers by Sheila Daum
A story for young children with color illustrations.
SING: Heavenly Father, Thou Art Near
PROJECT: I Feel Your Love when I Say My Prayer (for little children)
This prayer written by Christine Taylor reassures children that the Lord is caring for them. Let your little one "decorate" the border of this prayer with crayons or by applying colorful stickers.
COLORING PAGE: Praying to the Lord God Jesus Christ
A lovely line drawing of a young girl praying to the Lord.
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth.
(Psalm 145:18)
The Lord has given us the Lord's Prayer and many other prayers. The following activities may help you become aware of the variety of prayers in the Word.
READ: "Prayer and the Question of Intercession" by the Rev. Roy Franson
Every aspect or form of prayer is contained in the Lord's Prayer. In it the Lord teaches us to confess our sins, to adore His Divine majesty, and to acknowledge our own unworthiness and inability to be victorious in temptation. It also teaches us to supplicate His pardon and forgiveness, to ask for His Divine blessings, and, when receiving them, to offer up prayers of thanksgiving.
PROJECT: Searching for Prayers (for teens and up)
The Lord is present with us through His Word. A very quick project about prayer would be to open the Word at random to any page. Now read that page and see if you can find a verse or two which is a prayer. You may want to repeat this exercise several times to get some of idea of how many "ready-made" prayers are waiting for us in the Word.
ACTIVITY: Four Kinds of Prayer (teens and up)
There are 4 kinds of prayer: prayers that praise the Lord, prayers in which we acknowledge our tendencies toward bad habits or evil actions, prayers asking the Lord for help, and prayers of thanks to the Lord. This activity explores the 4 kinds of prayer by giving some examples and suggesting that we can find these in the words of the Lord's Prayer as well.
PROJECT: Prayers in the Psalms (ages 11-up)
The book of Psalms is a rich source of prayers. Look in the Psalms to find one prayer that praises or thanks the Lord and one prayer that is asking the Lord for help. Copy these prayers in your best printing or handwriting (or use a computer word processor), then add a border to them.
RECOMMENDED: Learning to Pray by the Rev. Kurt Horigan Asplundh
This book is sub-titled "Prayers from the Word for Personal Use" and is available from the General Church Book Center.
Prayer, regarded in itself, is speech with God.
(Arcana Coelestia 2535)
There are prayers from the Word, prayers written by other people (such as the Serenity Prayer), personal prayers that you write to the Lord, and spontaneous prayers. All of these are conversation with the Lord. He hears our prayers, and He answers them, although we may be largely unaware of His response.
No matter which kind of prayer we offer the Lord, the very act of praying helps us shift our perspective. Problems - large and small - seem more manageable when we turn to the Lord. Praying to the Lord can also change our spiritual state, making it easier for us make good choices.
Remember that the Lord knows what is going on in our life anyway so we might as well talk about it with Him!
ACTIVITY: Prayer Organizer for Talking with the Lord (ages 7 and up)
While there is no one way to pray to the Lord, this chart gives a basic model for our prayers.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The Lord Answers Our Prayers (teens and up)
Prayer is conversation with the Lord - two-way communication. Though we will not hear a voice telling us what to do, eventually the Lord will answer our prayer. This activity explores the different ways that the Lord may choose to answer our prayers and invites us to look back and see if we can think of examples in our own lives.
PROJECT: Make a Prayer Journal (for teens and up)
Keep a journal of prayers that you find in the Word as part of your ongoing conversation with the Lord. You could also include your own prayers on the kinds of spiritual assistance you may want to ask for from the Lord.
PROJECT: Write a Personal Prayer to the Lord (ages 10-up)
Fill in the open spaces to write your own prayer to the Lord.
"And I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you...."
(Luke 11:9)
The Lord answers our prayers in a variety of ways. For example, we may feel more hopeful about a difficulty we are facing. Or new ideas may come to mind, helping us to do effective problem-solving. But we are assured that the Lord does answer our prayers in whatever way is most beneficial for us from the perspective of our eternal welfare.
READ: "Answers to Prayers" by the Rev. Donald L. Rose
The Lord answers our prayers at the time He sees best and in the way that He sees best. The Lord may answer the prayer of one person by secretly touching the hearts of other people. The Lord can answer our prayer in a wiser way than we know. This is why our petitions are to be followed with the prayer that not our will, but His, shall be done.
FAMILY WORSHIP: Our Heavenly Father Knows What We Need
Read the gospel of Luke 11:9-13 where the Lord tells us that everyone who asks receives and then reminds us that our heavenly Father knows what is truly best for us.
NOTE: Parents and teachers might enjoy reading "Good Gifts for Our Children", an article on Luke 11, written by the Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss.
FAMILY DISCUSSION: Ways the Lord Answers Our Prayers
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Does the Lord tell us what we should do?
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Does reading the Word help us hear the Lord's answers to prayer?
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Will the answer to our prayer come immediately after we pray?
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Does the Lord always give us what we ask for? Why or why not?
ACTIVITY: Write a Story about the Lord Answering a Prayer
This kind of story can be a powerful way to illustrate the truth that the Lord answers all of our prayers. The story can be entirely made up, based on personal experience, or inspired by the experiences of friends or family.