Whisper A Prayer | Psalm 55:17

Psalm 55:17 comes from a psalm of David where he’s expressing deep anguish over betrayal from someone close to him. In verse 17, David reveals his practice of regular, consistent prayer throughout the day. Despite his distress, David maintains his faith that God hears him.

Welcome Sensory Activity: Draw a Butterfly

Items Needed:

• Butterfly Playdoh Mats
• Playdoh
• Buttons

Children can use Playdoh or Buttons to decorate the butterfly. While they’re decorating, explain to them that our Bible Verse today is about whispering prayers to God throughout the day. When we whisper prayers they can be quiet like butterflies, but they go straight to God, like a butterfly flying away with them.

Bible Verse Activity (10:30-10:40 a.m.)

Psalm 55:17 Bookmarks

Materials needed:

• Pre-printed bookmarks (print on cardstock)
• Crayons, markers, stickers
• Hole punch and yarn for tassels (optional)

Instructions:

1. Gather children in a circle and say: “God gives us a special verse in the Bible about prayer! Our verse today is Psalm 55:17.”
2. Break down the verse into simple parts to repeat together:
   • “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray” (hold up three fingers)
   • “And he shall hear my voice” (cup ear with hand)
3. Explain simply: “This verse tells us we can pray to God anytime – when we wake up, during the day, and before bed. And God always hears us!”
4. Hand out bookmarks and invite children to decorate them. They can color the front and back.

Song and Movement (10:40-10:50 a.m.)

“Whisper a Prayer”

Instructions:

1. “Our Bible verse tells us to pray in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. This reminds me of a special song!”
2. Teach the song “Whisper a Prayer” with hand motions:
   • “Whisper a prayer in the morning” (pretend to wake up, then pray)
   • “Whisper a prayer at noon” (point to the sky/sun overhead)
   • “Whisper a prayer in the evening” (pretend to get sleepy)
   • “To keep your heart in tune” (hand over heart)
   • “God answers prayers in the morning” (pretend to wake up, then pray)
   • “God answers prayers at noon” (point to the sky/sun overhead)
   • “God answers prayers in the evening” (pretend to get sleepy)
   • “He will keep your heart in tune.” (hand over heart)
3. Connect to Psalm 55:17: “This song matches our Bible verse perfectly! God wants us to pray all through the day!”
4. Sing the song again, having children use their butterfly crafts to “fly” at different times of day.

Prayer Pocket Butterflies Craft

Materials needed:

• Butterfly templates (one large, three small per child)
• Washable paints and brushes
• Paper plates for paint
• Wet wipes for cleanup
• Optional: glitter, sequins, stickers

Instructions:

Welcome children and explain: “Today we’re learning about prayer and how God always listens when we pray!”

“We’re making special butterflies! The big butterfly is your ‘prayer pocket butterfly’ to remind you that you can pray to God anytime – morning, noon, and night! The small butterflies are to share with friends!”

Demonstrate how to paint the butterflies, encouraging creativity.

As children work, talk about how butterflies remind us of our prayers flying up to God.

Set butterflies aside to dry during the rest of the lesson.

Prayer Pocket Butterfly Practice (10:50-11:00 a.m.)

Materials needed:

• Draw a Prayer Page
• Crayons or map pencils

Instructions:

1. Hand out Draw a Prayer Pages
2. Ask each child to draw something they can pray for at morning, at noon, and at night.
3. Once they’re done, have each kid hold their butterfly in their hand and pray.
4. Ask the kids to stand up and pretend they are butterflies flying their prayers up to God.

Conclude by saying: “Just like our verse says, we can pray morning, noon, and evening! Our butterfly prayer pockets will help us remember to talk to God all day long. And remember, God always hears our prayers!”

Coloring Page

Materials needed:

• Coloring page
• Crayons or markers

If children finish any section early, they can do the coloring page until everyone is ready for the next segment of the lesson.

1. Hand out coloring pages
2. While they color, review: “Our verse tells us we can pray to God anytime, and He always hears us!”
3. Practice saying Psalm 55:17 together one final time with motions.

Lesson at a Glance