The Armor of God · Lesson 7
The Armor of God: Praying at All Times
1 Kings 18:1, 41-46; James 5:16-18; Ephesians 6:18-20; Luke 18:1 Old Testament PrinciplePrayer
For three and a half years there was no rain. God promised Elijah, "I will send rain." So Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bowed down and prayed. Seven times he sent his servant to look at the sea. Six times there was nothing. The seventh time, a tiny cloud rose, as small as a man's hand. Then the sky went black, and the rain poured down. God's armor is worn with prayer. We pray at all times, and we keep praying, because our Father hears us.
We put on God's armor with prayer. God our Father hears us, so we talk with Him at all times and keep praying, even when the answer hasn't come yet.
- CreationGod made it
- FallWe broke it
- RedemptionJesus fixes it (this lesson)
- RestorationJesus makes it new
Memory verse
“Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.”
Ephesians 6:18 BSB
Christ Connection · Better than
Elijah bowed on the mountain and prayed for his people. Jesus does something even greater. He "always lives to intercede" for us (Hebrews 7:25). Before He went to the cross, He prayed for everyone who would believe in Him, and that means us (John 17:20). Because of Jesus, we can "approach the throne of grace with confidence" (Hebrews 4:16), and the Holy Spirit helps us pray even when we don't know what to say (Romans 8:26).
Hebrews 7:25; Hebrews 4:14-16; John 17:20; Romans 8:26, 34
The Big Story · Redemption
God keeps His promises and invites His people to pray them back to Him, and through Jesus, who always prays for us, we can come to the Father at any time.
Teacher Guide
This version includes:
- Background and context for the passage
- Hidden in Plain Sight: the detail most people miss
- The Christ Connection: how this story points to Jesus
- A 50-minute class plan and prep checklist
- Object lesson: Suit up with prayer
- Bible Kitchen (taste the story): Seven-layer prayer cups
- A skit to act out the story
- Review game: Look toward the sea
- Pronunciation help, tips for every age, song ideas and a note for parents
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Preschool (ages 3–5)
God hears me when I pray.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 4-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 3 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Seven looks, Color the praying child
- 6 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, with friends
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Free preview · Kindergarten – 2nd grade
For three and a half years there was no rain. God promised Elijah, "I will send rain." Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel and prayed. Six times his servant looked at the sea and saw nothing. The seventh time, a tiny cloud came. Then it poured! We wear God's armor with prayer. We pray every day, and we keep praying, because God hears us.
Memory verse
“Pray in the Spirit at all times.”
Adapted from Ephesians 6:18
Start here
Name the armor together: belt, breastplate, shoes, shield, helmet and sword. Ask, "Is that everything?" Say, "Today we learn how to wear the whole armor. We pray at all times!"
Bible story 6 min
It had not rained in Israel for three and a half years. The ground was dry and cracked. The plants died. People and animals were thirsty.
God told Elijah, "I will send rain." Elijah went to the top of Mount Carmel. He bowed down low and put his face between his knees. He prayed.
"Go look at the sea," Elijah told his servant. The servant went. He came back. "There is nothing."
The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.
Try an activity
Seven times 8 min
- One child is the servant. They walk to the "sea" (a wall) and back. Each time, the class prays a short prayer together, like "Thank You, God!" or "Please help my friend!"
- On the seventh trip, the servant shouts, "A cloud as small as a man's hand!" Everyone makes rain sounds.
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
3rd – 4th grade
After three and a half years with no rain, God promised, "I will send rain." Elijah climbed Mount Carmel, bowed low and prayed. Six times his servant saw nothing over the sea. The seventh time, a cloud as small as a man's hand appeared, and then a heavy rain. Paul ends the armor with "Pray in the Spirit at all times." Prayer is how we wear God's armor, talking with our Father all day long and not giving up.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 8-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Every kind of prayer, Armor checklist
- 6 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at school, with friends, at home
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
5th – 6th grade
God had promised rain, and Elijah prayed for it anyway, face to the ground on Mount Carmel, sending his servant to look seven times until a cloud the size of a hand rose from the sea. James says he was "a man just like us." Paul closes the armor of God the same way. "Pray in the Spirit at all times… stay alert with all perseverance." Prayer is how the whole armor is worn, and through Jesus, who always prays for us, we can keep coming to our Father.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 10-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Persevering prayer, My prayer watch
- 6 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: online and on screens, with friends, at home
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
More lessons from this story
Same Bible story, a different principle.
More lessons on Prayer
The same principle in other Bible stories.
The Lord’s PrayerMatthew 6:5-15; Luke 11:1-13When His disciples asked, "Lord, teach us to pray," Jesus gave them a prayer that begins "Our Father in heaven." Because of Jesus, we can talk to God as our loving Father about everything, from His glory to our daily bread.New TestamentPrayer
The Church BeginsPeter Escapes PrisonActs 12:1-19; Exodus 12:11King Herod put Peter in prison, chained between soldiers. The church prayed hard for him, and God sent an angel to lead Peter out. When Peter knocked at the door, the praying friends could hardly believe it!New TestamentPrayer
Kings and ProphetsDaniel and the LionsDaniel 6:1-28When a law made prayer to God a crime, Daniel kept praying as he always had, and God shut the lions' mouths and kept him safe.Old TestamentPrayer
With Building BricksNehemiah Rebuilds the WallNehemiah 1:1-6:16; Psalm 127:1Jerusalem's walls lay in ruins. Nehemiah prayed, and God opened the way for him to go and rebuild. He prayed at every step while the people worked, and in just 52 days the wall was finished. Everyone could see that God had done it.Old TestamentPrayer
Spread It Out Before the LORD: Hezekiah’s Prayer2 Kings 19:1-37; 2 Kings 18:5; Isaiah 37:14-20; 1 Peter 5:7The king of Assyria had conquered nation after nation, and now his huge army surrounded Jerusalem. He sent King Hezekiah a letter full of threats – "Do not let your God, in whom you trust, deceive you." Hezekiah was scared. But he took the letter to the house of the LORD, spread it out before God and prayed – "You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth… please save us." God answered through the prophet Isaiah – "I have heard your prayer." That very night the angel of the LORD struck the Assyrian camp, and the king went home. Prayer means bringing everything to God, because He alone is God and He cares for us.Old TestamentPrayer
Our Eyes Are on You: Jehoshaphat’s Singers2 Chronicles 20:1-30A huge army came to attack King Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah. Jehoshaphat was afraid, but he turned to the LORD. He gathered everyone, even the little children, and prayed, "We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You." God answered through a prophet, "Do not be afraid. The battle is not yours, but God's." The next morning, Jehoshaphat sent singers out in front of the army, praising God. As soon as they began to sing, the LORD defeated the enemy armies. When we don't know what to do, we can pray and keep our eyes on God.Old TestamentPrayer