Some lessons are better caught than taught … like praying, though teaching about prayer is important. Jesus verbally communicated about prayer but it was His example that seemed to really motivate the disciples to want to pray.
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray …”
(Lk. 11:1)
This is one of the reasons teacher training must get beyond merely equipping Bible teachers with teaching skills. Their own walk with the Lord is ever so important.
- They will not tend to make prayer a critical part of the classroom if it is not essential to their every day lives. (Students notice the difference between prayer “tacked on” to the end or at the beginning of a lesson and praying that is “indispensable” to proceeding.)
- They will not be able to provide illustrations about answers to their prayers if they haven’t been praying.
- They will probably not spontaneously pray with students if they don’t consistently turn to God in prayer in their own times of need.
Teacher Training Worksheet: The Teacher’s Role in Discipling Students to Pray
More Teacher Training Resources: How to Teach Students to Pray