Your Will Be Done — Sunday School Lesson on The Lord’s Prayer: Part Three. Making choices can be difficult, and there’s no shortcut for knowledge of God’s will. The good news is that multiple options can be the “right answer” when they serve Him. This lesson considers God’s place in our decisions, encouraging students to pray for His wisdom and accept His will, even if it’s much different than our original plans. It pairs with our God’s Will and Kingdom children’s sermon and our God’s Kingdom Crown and Choice Jar crafts — and if you’d like the whole series in a print-and-teach format, start with the free sample lesson from Prayer Power Lab.
This lesson is the third 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 how God reigns as king, and how His will is for all to know Him. When we make decisions, we should aim to serve the Lord and seek His will for our lives.
Passage: Proverbs 16:9, James 4:14-15; Acts 1:12-26
Target Audience: Kindergarten-6th grade
Materials Needed: Dice, cards, mazes, jigsaw puzzles, Bibles.
Lesson Opening: God’s Will and Kingdom
This lesson focuses on God’s will and kingdom. God’s will, ultimately, is that His kingdom would come, and all would recognize His lordship. When we make choices, we want to honor and serve Him with all that we do. Open with some activities related to decisions or following directions.
- Simon says: Play the classic game of obedience and listening tests, to consider how God calls us and we can listen for His voice. You might also have the leader use “God says” instead of “Simon.”
- Decision matching: Play a matching game, requiring students to select cards and choose which they think might be best. Place several sets of paired cards face down, and have students work to remember where the matches are, flipping over just two at a time. Sometimes we make mistakes and pick the wrong ones, but it’s okay!
- Blind Maze: Have students work on paper mazes, tracing their way through to the inside, and deciding which way to go. For added challenge, have them wear blindfolds while doing the mazes, but pair them with another student who can provide verbal instructions. Explain that sometimes we feel lost or blind, but we can listen to God for guidance.
- The big picture: Have students work to put together jigsaw puzzles. For a competitive angle, race to see which student or group completes theirs the fastest. Talk about how God’s will can sometimes seem like a puzzle, but when we work through things one piece at a time, the big picture comes together.
- King Me: Play chess or checkers to talk about kings and the importance of having someone valuable or in charge. Remind students that God is king of everything, and that His will is for everyone to recognize His kingdom.
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 Lord’s Prayer has us pray that God’s kingdom would come and His will would be done. We want to consider what that means and how we can consider His will and kingdom for our lives.
Ask: How do you make decisions? What kinds of choices are challenging to figure out?
Bible Lesson: Seeking God’s Will (Acts 1:12-26)
Begin with a few verses about God’s will in general, and how He directs our lives and decisions. Then look at an event from the book of Acts, which features disciples making an important decision about selecting a replacement for Judas. Students should be able to take turns reading verses, or you can read aloud for younger audiences.
Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” -James 4:14-15
The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. -Proverbs 16:9
These verses remind us that God is ultimately the one in control of our lives. It’s fine to have ideas about things or make plans, but we don’t know everything that is to come, and our best plans can change quickly. We trust that the Lord is in charge. He has all of our moments planned out and He is with us in each of them! Our plans are not always the same as God’s, but His are even better.
Ask: Have you ever had a change of plans that turned out better than what you originally expected?
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. -Acts 1:12-14
This passage takes place after Jesus ascended into Heaven. The disciples were awaiting the arrival of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, and they were gathering together to pray. They were all together, except for Judas, who had betrayed Jesus and hanged himself.
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.” … “For it is written in the Book of Psalms, ‘May his camp become desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it’; and ‘Let another take his office.’ -Acts 1:15-20
The disciples had a task: they needed to find a replacement for Judas. For whatever reason, they needed that twelfth man. They had already been in prayerful contemplation, but they needed to make the final decision, with God’s guidance, to identify the best person for the job.
Ask: Can you think of a hard decision you’ve had to make? What was it, and how did you choose?
So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles. -Acts 1:21-26
The disciples prayed, came up with a couple of candidates, and then cast lots. Explain that this was somewhat like rolling dice. This doesn’t mean rolling dice is the best way for us to make choices, but even those things can be used by God. It’s likely that both men might have made good disciples, but the lot fell on Matthias, and that was the choice.
For us, considering God’s will can mean a lot of things, but it all boils down to identifying how we can serve Him. We want to do what pleases the Lord, and sometimes there are multiple options that can do that well. God’s will is not always just one particular way or “magic formula.” God’s will is that we would know Him, and that we would help others know and love His love, too. When we make choices, we can pray, consider our options, read the Bible, and talk with others to identify what might be best. The most important thing is to consider how our choices honor God. His will will be done, no matter what. We pray that we would accept it and have a part in it.
Review Questions
- What do we mean when we pray “Your kingdom come, your will be done”?
- How did the disciples make their decision when they chose a replacement for Judas?
- What are some tools God gives us for making wise choices?
- Can more than one choice honor God? Why or why not?
Close with prayer, thanking God for being king of all things and asking Him to guide your decisions so that His will is done in your lives.
More Lord’s Prayer Resources
- FREE Lord’s Prayer Sunday School Lesson (PDF download) — sample from Prayer Power Lab
- Prayer Power Lab: 5-Week Curriculum on the Lord’s Prayer (Kids 6-12 and PreK 3-5)
- The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-13) Sunday School Lesson and Activities
- The Lord’s Prayer for Kids: free lessons, activities, and coloring pages