Leader Guide
Object Lesson
- Product with a label showing 100% pure ingredients, such as bottled water; or print a label from the internet
- Product with a label showing additives and additional ingredients like coloring, fillers or preservatives, such as a bottle of cola; or print a label from the internet
- Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
We have been praying the Rainbow Promises in our Discipleship Challenge. One of the most powerful ways we can pray is to speak God’s Word in prayer. Think about this—when we pray God’s promises from His Word, the Bible, we can have faith that God hears our prayer and will perform His promise. Why can we trust Him to do that?
Read 1 John 5:14 (nkjv):
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
God’s Word is His will written for us, so we know what pleases Him!
Another reason we can trust God is found in today’s SuperTruth. Who remembers what it says? “God always keeps His promises!”
Sometimes, we may not know a particular promise, or we don’t know how to pray, or we are not sure what would be the best answer to our prayer. Do you think that will limit God?
God provides us with a Helper. Does anyone know who this Helper is?
Here is what the Bible says about this Helper in Romans 8:26–27.
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will.
God’s Holy Spirit lives inside of all believers. He helps us pray in harmony with God’s will.
Show the water bottle, or the label of the product that is 100% pure with no added ingredients. Compare to pure prayer.
Sometimes when we pray, we pray our will instead of God’s will. We pray prayers that may be selfish, foolish or unwise. We may not even realize this when we pray this way! These are not pure prayers—in other words they have additional ingredients that may be harmful or unnecessary. They may be a mixture of our own selfish desires.
Show the soda bottle, or the label of the product with added color, fillers, or other extra ingredients. Read aloud some of the added ingredients and talk about how they may not be good for you.
Read James 4:3:
And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
God always hears our prayers, but some prayers are more pleasing than others. As this verse tells us, prayers that are selfish are not in harmony with God’s will. God may not answer this kind of prayer the way we desire. God knows that what we pray for may cause harm to us or not benefit our growth as a believer.
Even though our Rainbow Promise challenge is ending, let’s all continue to pray that God will fulfill His promises in our lives. Praying God’s will and His Word are pure prayers that are effective every time!