Prayer

Have the children sit in a circle.

When a messenger told Jesus that Lazarus was sick, Jesus said that the sickness wouldn’t end in death. Jesus then stated the purpose for the sickness. What did Jesus say? It happened for the glory of God so Jesus would receive glory from it.

Let’s read what Jesus said at Lazarus’ tomb.

Have the volunteers read John 11:41–43:

⁴¹So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank You for hearing Me. ⁴²You always hear Me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe You sent Me.” ⁴³Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!”

Did Jesus need to pray out loud so He was sure God could hear Him? No; He said God always hears Him.

Jesus knew that God hears every prayer—even silent prayers. So why did He pray out loud? So the people would believe God sent Him.

Jesus wanted everyone to understand that His power comes from God, and that He is God’s Son. After Jesus raised Lazarus to life, God received glory, and many people believed Jesus is God’s Son! (See John 12:9–11.)

Since Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, do you think there’s anything that He can’t do? No!

That is exciting and gives us hope. Nothing is impossible for God!

In our prayer time today, let’s go around the circle and have each person say the name of someone who needs prayer, or a situation that needs prayer. You may pray a sentence or two if you feel comfortable, or you can simply say something like, “My family” or “My school.” We know God can do anything, so be bold and ask God for something that may seem very difficult or even impossible. Let’s bow our heads and pray. I’ll start, then we’ll go around the circle. Begin by stating your own prayer request, then allow time for each child to give their request.

Close in prayer: Dear Jesus, You prayed aloud to bring God glory. When You answer our prayers today and bless our lives, we want to give glory to You so others can discover Your goodness, love and power. You are the source of life and nothing is too hard for You! In Your name and for Your glory we pray, Amen.

We want God to receive all the glory for answering our prayers—so when you receive your answer, come back and share it with our class. Of course, if your prayer request is private, you don’t have to share details, just tell us that God answered your prayer in a very powerful way.