The Perfect Father – The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in Heaven
See the Bible Crafts on The Lord’s Prayer: Our Father in Heaven(Matthew 6:7-15)
Main Objective: In The Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus modeled how we should pray, the opening line reminds us that God is our Heavenly Father. He provides for us, helps us, and loves us, just like an earthly father. This message considers the roles of fathers, but also notes that they all make mistakes. A Biblical example is given with the patriarch Jacob, father of Israel, who was used by God but also showed favoritism and made mistakes in his life. Fortunately, though, God has no flaws, shows no favoritism, and always listens when we pray.
Law/Gospel Theme: The beauty of prayer is that we have direct access to God the Father, through Jesus His son. The Lord’s Prayer provides us with a wonderful “template” that we can use to pray anytime. We don’t earn or deserve communication with God, but He provides it to us out of His love for us.
Note: This lesson is the first in a series on the Lord’s Prayer. Each lesson will consider another part of the Lord’s Prayer, examining what it means and how we can use it in personal prayer. Each lesson will also include a story from the Bible that illustrates the point.
Optional Materials: Pictures or items that have a connection to fathers (specifically your own dad).
Bible Passage: Matthew 6:7-15 (reference Genesis 30)
True freedom in Christ (John 8:36) — a complete Bible lesson with printable activities, free from the Sunday School Store.
Message: Note: As with most messages, the details of how you choose to communicate this are adaptable and should cater to timing as well as to your audience and student needs.
Greet children, and start out talking about fathers…
Hello, children of God!
Can you tell me anything about your dad? Is there something special that he does with you or teaches you? Maybe he helps you with homework, or coaches you in sports. Maybe he likes music, or reading, or watching old movies. Provide a few examples and possibly pictures from your own father. Our fathers are very important and special to us. They provide for us, love us, and care for us. But you know, none of them is perfect. Even great dads make mistakes sometimes. That’s part of being human.
In the Bible, we read about some special fathers, who God chose to be part of His plans for salvation. But all of them made mistakes, and some were pretty big ones! One of the most famous fathers in the Bible was Jacob. He had 12 sons! And one daughter…not sure I’d want to be her. But Jacob’s 12 sons eventually became the 12 tribes of Israel, and one of them was an ancestor of Jesus. Even with all of that, though, Jacob didn’t do everything right. In fact, he played favorites, liking one of his sons more than the others. The other sons knew it, and that caused some big problems (read the story of Joseph to know more about that!). Jacob also had more than one wife, and he deceived his father and brother. God used him, but he had a lot of issues.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a father who never made any mistakes and loved us perfectly? Fortunately, there is! God is our heavenly father, and He is perfect. He doesn’t have favorites or mess up. Even if our earthly fathers aren’t the best, or if they aren’t very present, God is there, and loves us each as if we were His only child. In what we call the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus taught us to pray, the opening goes “Our Father in Heaven…” God wants us to remember that we are His beloved children and He is our father. He loves us, cares for us, and provides for us, giving us all that we need for this life. He gave us Jesus to save us from sin and death. And He wants us to call on Him in prayer! We can go to Him any time and know that He listens to us.
Our dads now might not be around every moment. They might have to work a lot, or someday you might move away and be physically far from them. But God is always ready to help us, and is always present with us. Even if we can’t see or hear Him, we know that He is near, and that He always will be. What a blessing!
Let’s pray now and thank God for being our good and perfect Father.
Prayer:
(Have kids repeat each line)
Dear God,
Thank you for being our father
And providing all that we need.
Help us to trust in you and serve you.
Help us to pray and listen for your voice.
Thank you for your love.
We love you, God!
In Jesus name, Amen!
Bible Verses/story to Reference:
“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
True freedom in Christ (John 8:36) — a complete Bible lesson with printable activities, free from the Sunday School Store.
-Matthew 6:7-15
Our Father in Heaven – Sunday School Lesson on The Lord’s Prayer Opening
There are many different dads out there, and many fathers who are mentioned in the Bible. Despite what a great blessing our fathers are, though, we know they make mistakes (past and present) and aren’t perfect. However, we have a Heavenly Father who loves and cares for us with utter perfection. This lesson reminds us that God is our father, and wants us to come to Him in prayer and spend time with Him, no matter what.
This lesson is the first in a series on The Lord’s Prayer, examining the prayer line by line to understand what it means for us and how it helps us have a blueprint for prayer. This lesson focuses on God as our Heavenly Father, and the blessing of relying on a perfect and loving father.
Passage: Matthew 6:7-15; Genesis 29-30 (referenced and paraphrased); Genesis 37 (paraphrased); other optional passages based on story focus.
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade
Materials Needed: Pictures; post-it notes; construction paper; markers; Bibles.
Lesson Opening: This lesson focuses on God’s role as our father, and the importance of prayer as communication with our Heavenly Father. Consider opening with an activity surrounding fathers and/or prayer. Some of these are also good for Father’s Day lessons.
- “Who’s Your Daddy?” Show students several pictures of fathers of famous people, and have them guess who each picture shows. Include your own father for added fun!
- Telephone: Play a game of telephone, and talk about the joy of prayer. We can talk to God any time, all the time, and we don’t have to worry about our words being misinterpreted “along the line”!
- Dad Match: play a matching game of Biblical fathers. Place cards face-down, with some cards listing fathers in the Bible (Abraham, Isaac, David, Jacob, etc.), and other cards providing the names of their sons. Have students work to match the fathers to sons.
- Father Abraham Song: Pull out an old classic and invite students to sing “Father Abraham,” complete with hand motions!
- Post your prayers: Create a prayer wall that can continue throughout the lesson series. Have students write down prayer requests on post-it notes, and place them on one side of a large wall. Other students can look at the requests and pray for them. When a prayer is answered in a positive way and becomes a praise, the post-it can move to another part of the wall.
Explain that this lesson is focused on a special prayer that Jesus taught His disciples (and us!). In the Bible, we are given a sort of prayer blueprint. We don’t have to say the exact words of the Lord’s Prayer every single time we talk to God, but it helps us get an idea of how we can pray. The opening of this prayer reminds us that God is our Heavenly Father.
Ask: What are some things about your dad that are special? What does he do for you?
Bible Lesson: This lesson is somewhat different from others, as it does not consistently examine passages verse by verse. Some of the passages referenced in this lesson feature content that is a little more mature or harder for young audiences to understand, so it is suggested that those portions of Scripture are given in summary, rather than complete form. Older students can review in more detail.
Begin the Scripture study by reviewing the opening of the Lord’s Prayer. Followers of Jesus wondered how they should pray. Jesus told them not to use prayer as a method of looking impressive, but as genuine communication with God. God wants to hear from us as His beloved children. The first thing that we pray here is “Our Father…” God is our father!
Consider some other father figures throughout the Bible. We read in God’s Word about several important dads. They were part of God’s plan for salvation, but they all made pretty big mistakes, too. They weren’t exactly role models…
Note: Select one or two fathers from Scripture. Describe (paraphrase) or read (verse by verse) their stories, and highlight some of the strengths and mistakes of each one.
Abraham (Genesis 12-22): The father of all nations by God’s plan, but still made mistakes when he had a son by Hagar (Sarah’s maidservant) because they didn’t quite trust the Lord.
Jacob (Genesis 29-30; 37): Jacob was the father of the tribes of Israel, his twelve sons. He was also part of the incredible lineage of Jesus, but he messed up. He deceived his family, had multiple wives, and showed favoritism to his sons.
David (1 and 2 Samuel): Jesus is called the Son of David, but even David had a lot of problems with family. He committed adultery and had someone killed. One of his sons tried to take over the throne and rebelled against him. David may have been a remarkable king and man of God, but he wasn’t exactly the picture of a family man.
All of these great men of God and fathers made mistakes. Our own dads make mistakes. Hopefully nothing huge, but no one is perfect. Some of us might not have the best examples of fathers. However, we have a greater father!
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. -Romans 8:15-17
Point out that this term “Abba” is sort of like saying “Daddy.” God wants us to call Him father and loves us as children, even though He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He never makes mistakes, doesn’t have favorites, and does everything perfectly. There might be times our earthly fathers aren’t present to be with us, but our Heavenly Father is always there and ready to hear us!
Ask:What is most comforting about knowing that God is our Heavenly Father? How does this help us talk to Him?
Jesus wanted to share that we can come to God as we would approach our fathers on Earth. But unlike earthly dads, the Lord will never make mistakes or disappoint us. He always has time to listen and hears us when we pray. We can give thanks that He is ready for us all the time, every time! Whatever else we talk with Him about, we know that He is our Father.
Review questions about the lesson:
- How is God like our earthly fathers? How is He different?
- How do you see God’s care and provision at work in your daily life?
- How do you normally pray? What do you pray for?
Close with prayer, thanking God for caring for us as a father, and for loving us and hearing us when we pray.
