Middle School Week 1: Prayer
The Main Thing:
Spending time with Jesus through prayer changes me.
Start Talking (Conversation Starter):
If you could have a five-minute conversation with anyone in the world right now, who would you choose, and what would you talk about?
Need some movement-based icebreakers for your group? Find some options here!
Explore the Scripture:
Read Luke 11:1-4 as a group. Help students start talking about it together. What stands out? What doesn’t make sense? Are there things that confuse them or words they don’t understand?
Unpack It:
Discuss what you read and what you heard.
The disciples had seen Jesus pray, but they still asked Him to teach them how. Why do you think they did that?
Look at the different things Jesus includes in His prayer. What do you notice? What does His example teach us about what we can talk to God about?
Think back to the message you heard. What takeaways did you have?
Own It:
Make the Scripture personal.
When you hear the word “prayer,” what comes to mind? When does prayer feel easy for you, and when does it feel difficult or awkward?
Sometimes, we think of prayer as something we’re supposed to do instead of time we get to spend with Jesus. How could thinking about prayer as time with Jesus change the way you pray?
How do you think spending time talking and listening to Jesus could change you? (e.g., what you think about, how you respond when you’re worried, how you see yourself, how you treat people, etc.)
Share something from the message that challenged how you think about prayer. What do you want to do differently this week?
Live It:
Take action to apply what you learned.
In your Leader Overview are three ways students can spend time with Jesus through prayer. Talk about each one, and challenge your group to do one of them.
Prayer:
End your meeting by thanking Jesus that we can spend time with Him through prayer. Ask Him to help your group remember that prayer isn’t about having perfect words; it’s an opportunity to know Him and let time with Him change us.