Prayer

Have the children sit in a circle.

The king gave Daniel time to seek God in prayer. Daniel went home and asked his three friends to do something. Their Hebrew names are Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah—and their Babylonian names are Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Did he ask them to pack their suitcases so they could run away from the angry king? No! Daniel asked them to pray.

Read Daniel 2:17–18:

¹⁷ Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. ¹⁸He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them His mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.

That night, the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision. There is great power in prayer when we gather together as followers of Christ. Here is what Jesus tells us about praying together in Matthew 18:19–20 (nkjv):

¹⁹ “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Jesus is here with us today. Think of a prayer need right now. It could be for you or a friend or family member. Allow several moments of silence for children to think.

Now, let’s agree in prayer for those needs, asking God to answer each one.

Dear God, thank You that You are with us right now. We praise You that when we call upon You, You hear us and answer us. Right now, we have some needs, and we want to share them with You as we pray silently in our hearts. Allow time for children to pray silently.

Ask the children: Would anyone like to pray out loud for any needs? Allow time for prayer.

Conclude by praying: We agree in prayer for each other, and we thank You for answering us as we pray together in Jesus’ name. Amen!