Jesus and Prayer | Kid's Club

Prayer. So, part of God's story is about prayer, and it goes like this. Prayer is what we call a conversation we have with God. That means even though God created the entire universe and has power over all things, He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to know Him. That's pretty amazing. We can talk to God anytime, anywhere, about anything. But let's look at four examples of different ways we can pray. One way to pray is to praise God. That's when we tell God what we love about Him, like a guy named Jehoshaphat. He was King of God's family when some big-time armies declared war on them. Jehoshaphat was terrified, so he talked to God about it. He said, "God, you are the mighty ruler of all things. "We don't know what to do, but we're looking to you for help." King Jehoshaphat believed God could help them. So as he went into battle, he sent people ahead of his army to praise God. They said, "Give thanks to the Lord, "His faithful love endures forever." Yep, that means he thanked God before he won the war. And when God heard his praise, he caused those big armies to attack each other. Jehoshaphat didn't even have to fight. A second way to pray is to repent. See, we all mess up, which means we turn away from God.

When we repent, we ask Him to forgive us, and we turn back to Him. One time, another King named David made a big mistake. He took something that wasn't his. Then David tried to cover it up, which turned it into an even bigger mess. When David's good friend Nathan told him he disobeyed God, David repented. He said, "Have mercy on me, O God, "because of your unfailing love." Mercy is when someone gets forgiveness, they don't deserve. And guess what? God will always forgive us when we repent. Of course, anyone can pray to God, not just kings. One woman named Hannah reminds us of a third way we can pray. We can ask God for something. Now, Hannah really wanted to have a baby, and she told God that. But you know what was crazy about her prayer? Even though she really wanted a baby, she said, "God, if you give me a son, "then I will give him back to you." Kids, isn't that unusual? To ask for something you want, then give it back? Well, a year later, Hannah had a son, and she did exactly what she promised. She gave her son back to God by sending him to live with a priest named Eli and do God's work.

And Samuel just so happens to be a great example of a fourth way we can pray. Like any good conversation, we shouldn't do all the talking. We should listen, too. That's because God is in control, and we've got to yield or give in to what he wants. We yield when we listen to what God says and obey him, no matter what we want. One night, God called Samuel's name three times. When Samuel finally realized God wanted to talk to him, he said, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Samuel stopped to listen, and God told him things. When Samuel obeyed what God told him, God kept talking to him. And when we pray, when we praise, when we repent, when we ask, and when we yield, we remember that he's the one in charge, and that we get to talk to him because we're loved by him. And that's someone what the Bible says about prayer. So in case you missed it, here's the quick version. Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is also listening to God. There are a lot of ways to pray. Joseph had praised God. David repented. Hannah asked God for what she really, really wanted. Samuel listened, and they all wanted what God wanted, more than what they wanted. Prayer reminds us that God is in control. He loves us and wants to be close to us.

And that's a part of God's story. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (music) You