Sunday School Lesson: Praying Properly

By Elder Richard Wayne Wood Scriptures: Matthew 6:5-15 By the end of this lesson, we will:  *List Jesus’ key preaching about prayer in Matthew 6:5-15; *Explain the purpose(s) of the prayer’s six parts;   *Resolve to devote more prayer time to one area identified in Matthew 6:5-15 that may currently be lacking. Background: The disciples were hungry to connect with God through prayer. Jesus could have used any prayer from Old Testament scripture but He knew that they would not properly understand examples of prayer without first understanding the principles of prayer. The prayer we commonly refer to as “The Lord’s Prayer” could more aptly be named “The Model Prayer” or “The Disciple’s Prayer.”  Jesus gave this prayer to keep us from babbling on. He did not say, “Pray in these words.” He said, “Pray like this”; that is, “Use this prayer as a pattern, not a substitute.”  Prayer is about communication with God, not public performance and not many words. In this concise prayer Jesus gives a guideline that may be used for all prayers. The details of this prayer demonstrate reverence to God, a firm belief in His purposes for our lives and dependence on His provision.  Lesson: Directives...