This week’s topic is on how God answers prayers in many ways. It’s confusing as it was also last week’s topic and my good counselor already covered how God answered Joseph Smith’s Prayer so I was left wondering what I should share.
SO, I am sharing something near and dear to my heart — God is in charge, don’t jump off the plane. 🙂
I am going to give basically the same lesson to both Jr and Senior Primary, adjusted for age. It is a personal experience story, so you’re going to have to find your own, but here’s how mine will go (I would strongly recommend finding something in your own past, not using my story).
1. Sing I will follow God’s plan for me
2. I want you to think about that song while I tell you a story
3. I will show a picture of a good friend I had when I was younger (hopefully, if my Dad can find one)
4. This girl and Iwere best friends since were little, we had the same teacher in 1st grade and we always walked to school together
5. When we were about 10, her dad was diagnosed with cancer
6. She was still one of my best friends, and we still walked to school together, played together and had fun together.
7. Our ward fasted and prayed for her dad.
8. I thought, if we just fasted an dprayed that he would be just fine.
9. Do you think that is true?
10. When we were 11, her dad died (I hope she doesn’t read this blog, because 11 was as good as I could remember).
11. I was really sad, and I thought Heavenly Father didn’t hear our prayer and he certainly didn’t answer it.
12. I want you to think about that song we sang {I will follow God’s plan for me… }
13. Do you think that him dying was in God’s plan?
14. Testify that God’ splan was for him to die and that it’s OK not to know why.
15. Talk about some of the reasons he could have died. a) God needed him in Heaven b) His family became stronger because he was watching them from Heaven (his wife did become one of the strongest and most amazing women I know)
16. Show a picture of the temple
17. Share how her parents were married int he temple, which means that her family will be togehter forever and she will see her father again someday.
18. Share how she was still one of my best friends even after he died. We were friends through college and we still send Christmas cards. She knew that Heavenly Father had a plan for her.
19. Go through the first few lines of A Child’s Prayer
- Heavenly Father are you really there (He really is)
- Do you hear an answer every child’s prayer (yes, he does, but not always how we wanted, testify that He DID hear our prayer for that family, and perhaps it just made our ward love them all the more when he did die)
- Some say that heaven is far away, but I feel it close around me when I pray (it is nice to feel heaven close when we pray, and sometimes when our prayers aren’t answered in the way we wanted, we can just ask for the comfort of Heavenly Father to accept His plan for us and that can make heaven feel very close, and us feel very special)
20. It is a really hard thing to know that Heavenly Father hear our payer, but didn’t answer it. Many grown-ups have a hard time with this.
21. As you grow-up, think about Heavenly Father’s plan for you and how many blessings he has given you, and how wonderful His plan is for you.
22. Testify that I am grateful for the times Heavenly Father has answered my prayers and I am VERY grateful to know that even when Heavenly Father doesn’t answer our prayers, the way I wanted, He has a plan for me.
I was hesitant to put this online. I think you need to be careful in the way you share your story in not to scare the children about their parents dying. I tried to kind of channel Mr Rogers in this one. I believe I am a pretty descent story teller and I plan to focus mostly on my friend and how this was God’s plan for her and how AMAZING she is now.
Anyway, that’s my plan. 🙂 Do you have a plan? Do you think God has a plan for you?
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