Today, we kicked off with an interesting game. We had two buckets on a table and several packages of rice crispy treats. One student had to hide the rice crispy under a bucket while another was outside the room. When they reentered, the first student had two options. Tell them where the rice crispy was or try to trick them into thinking it was elsewhere. The second student was allowed to ask questions and attempt to discern whether the first person was truly sincere in their direction. If they guessed right, they won the rice crispy treat. The idea here was to point out the importance of being sincere and honest. Sincerity and honesty are important not only in our relationships with others but also in our prayers to God. Which led us to our lesson.
The Lesson
Last week, we talked about why we should pray.
Q. What was the answer to that question?
Q. How did everyone deal with the challenge of intentionally praying a bit more every day?
We will break down the attributes of Prayer… the building blocks that make true prayer what it is and what it should be.
The 1st attribute is Sincerity.
Q. What does it mean to be sincere?
“Sincerity is the same in a corner alone as it is before the face of the world.” -John Bunyan.
Matthew 6:5 ESV: “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners so that they may be seen by others. Truly I say to you, they have received their reward.”
Q. What do you think this verse means?
In Jesus’ day it was not uncommon for to see some standing at corners praying loudly and dramaticaly so that people would see “how holy” they really were. Their prayers were a specticle and were more about being seen than truly honoring God. Jesus was was opening calling out these hypocritical leaders in this verse. They would not recieve the answers to their prayers because their heart’s desire was not truly for the things of God, but to be seen as if was by others.
So, sincerity is being real. God wants to hear from you, but he wants to hear the real you, not the you that you allow others to see or the cool you. Don’t pray to show off. Now, do not take this wrong and be afraid or feel bad about praying in public, but when you do so, make sure it’s the real you are doing that, not the wanting to impress you.
Psalms 145:18 ESV: “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
God is perfectly ok with you being honest with you. Are you angry? Tell God what you’re angry at and why. Are you sad? Tell God what you’re sad about and why. Are you struggling with faith and are unsure about things? Be honest with God and let Him know.
This week, check yourself when you pray that you are being real with God.
Adventures in Student Ministry 