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Lesson 1

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 14, 1912

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 89, No. 46.

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Lesson 1

How to Pray

MEMORY TEXT: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Matt. 7: 7.
Do any of you have a telephone at home? (Speak briefly of the use of the telephone, how we talk to friends far away, but do not see them, etc.) Sometimes we send long-distance messages.
Then we have something more wonderful still than the telephone that we call wireless, where we do not have even a wire to connect us with those with whom we talk. The sound goes through the air, even far across the ocean.
No inventor has yet been able to talk with beings in other worlds through any of these inventions; but there is a way, we can not tell how, that we can talk, and get answers, too, from the center of God's universe,—a country so far, far away that it would take many years to travel there by the swiftest means we know. We do not need to “ring up,” to call or shout, for Jesus hears even a whispered prayer; yes, even a prayer in the mind, such as Nehemiah made. Neh. 2: 4.
Who can tell how we talk with God? Yes, by prayer. Now we are to have a week of prayer, when we shall lay aside other things as far as we can, and talk with him.
Some people are too busy to pray. (Illustrate by the man with the muck-rake described in “Pilgrim’s Progress.”) “The darkness of the evil one encloses those who neglect to pray.” “The adversary seeks continually to obstruct the way.” (A blackboard or picture illustration of a path filled with rocks or other obstructions, will help them understand.) Show how Satan puts things in our way to prevent prayer. Some of these we will name:—
  1. No love for God.
  2. No desire to pray.
  3. No time to pray.
  4. Unbelief in his promises.
Close the meeting with a season of prayer, in which several may take part. All may join in a few sentences of petition, led by the teacher, that this week of prayer may, in truth, be such to each one.
Encourage the children to go by themselves in secret to pray before the next meeting. The special subject of petition may be that each child may be led to love God, and to pray more earnestly.