Welcome
This Family Discipleship Guide is designed to give you ideas to keep the Sermon text in front of you each week. Each week, there will be a blog post featuring a brief recap of the sermon passage, and a few quick ideas for how your family can dive deeper into the passage together during the week.
Recap
Matthew 7:7-11
When I was younger, I liked to be with God on the swing set. As long as I can remember, I have loved to swing as high as I can, and I have felt close to God when I am swinging. I also really love to take a nature hike and talk with God about lots of different things. Sometimes I don’t talk at all, sometimes I just listen. Another thing I love to do to be with God is listen to an Audio Bible and paint with watercolors while I listen. Sometimes, I read or listen to a passage of scripture—especially stories about Jesus— and I try to imagine what it was like: the smells, the sounds, the tastes, the way Jesus’ voice might have sounded or his face might have looked. What do you like to do to be with God? If you haven’t tried one of these things before, maybe you would like to try one this week.
In this passage, Jesus teaches us about prayer. This isn’t the only time Jesus teaches us about prayer, but it is a special time, because this time Jesus tells us that we are praying to a good Heavenly Father. Did you know that God loves you very much? Did you know that he is doing good things in this world all the time? God has promised that he will never stop doing good to his people. Do you know who that means? That means you. That means me. That means everyone who belongs to God in this whole world. And do you know what? He has never stopped. He sent Jesus to show us just the kind of good gifts that God loves to give his children. The kind of good gifts that are beautiful and true, that make wrongs right and sad things come untrue. Jesus invites us to tell God everything—even the things that we feel like we can’t tell anyone else. Because God won’t ever trick us or trap us, we can’t bargain with God, and we don’t have to be afraid that he will tell our secrets to someone else. God is good, and he loves you. He is only going to do or give you whatever will make you more like Jesus. So you are free to tell him everything, with no fear.
Check this out
Nature is a very easy place for children to connect with God in prayer. If you want to do something to feed your child spiritually this week, take a nature walk or three together. Or think of a way you enjoy being with God and share this with your child.
Going Deeper With …
Preschoolers
Jesus emphasizes that the length or content of prayer is not as important as the attitude in which we pray. This is good news for all of us, and should remind us that in this sense we have a lot to learn from our small children. Securely attached children are free to pray to God and ask parents for things earnestly, expecting good from those they ask. This week, observe your child in prayer. Ask God what he would have you learn from your child. Spend some time thinking back on your earliest experiences of God. When did you feel closest to God? Ask your child when they feel close to God. Share some of these things with your child.
Elementary Kids
Read Matthew 7:7-11 in a child-friendly version of the Bible (like the NIrV).
What does this passage say about …
what God is like?
what people are like?
what our response should be?
How do you see God’s goodness when you look at Jesus? Can you make something, write a story, think about it while you take a walk, talk to God, a parent, or a friend about it?
Middle & High Schoolers
Read Matthew 7:7-11 in the New Living Translation.
What do the words of Jesus in these verses tell you about
what God is like?
what people are like in relation to God?
how Jesus invites us to respond to “your heavenly Father”?
Jesus was both God and man. How do you see the generosity of God in Jesus, the Son of God? How do you see perfect dependence on God in Jesus, the son of man? When you pray, do you believe that your heavenly Father hears you and wants to give you good gifts to make you more like Jesus? Take time to pray today.