Free Youth Group Games — youth ministry prayer activities

YOUTH GROUP GAME ON PRAYER

Bible: Psalm 145:18

Bottom Line: When we talk to God, He hears our prayers.

SUPPLIES 

• Bucket
• Pieces of paper with words/phrases (listed below)
• Prize for the winning team

GAME PREP

Divide students into two teams of equal size and have them sit down with their team.

Have a leader on hand to keep time for each round and keep score.

Write down each of the following words/phrases on pieces of paper and place in a bucket:

• Artist
• Mom
• Ironing a shirt
• Bicycle
• Washing a dog
• Riding a motorcycle
• Ice skating
• Scuba diving
• Baking cookies
• Flying a kite
• Fishing in a boat
• Mowing a yard

HOW TO PLAY THE GAME

Say: Today, we have a fun twist on the game of charades.

Call one person from each team to stand with you in front of the students.

In this bucket, I have words and phrases that you will be acting out—just like in charades.

But, we’re going to do a couple of things differently.

First of all, both of you will be acting out the same word or phrase at the same time, so you could actually be helping the other team guess the word.

As both of you are acting it out, both of your teams will be able to guess what the word or phrase is.

Here’s how scoring will go:

If your team guesses correctly in under one minute, you get 5 points.

If you guess correctly in under 2 minutes, you get 3 points.

In you guess correctly in under 3 minutes, you get 2 points.

In 5 minutes or less, you get 1 point.

At the five-minute mark, if no one has guessed correctly, that round is over and no one gets a point.

Here’s a twist: Whatever amount of points your team wins for that round will be deducted from the other team.

If you don’t have points to take away, you will have a negative score.

Oh! And here’s the last twist.

Each of our charades actors will not be facing you.

They will have their backs to the audience!

So, I suggest that both of you use very large motions and your whole body to act out each of these words.

The team with the most points at the end of the game wins!

TEACH

Say: I’m not sure we could have made it more difficult to communicate to each other.

That was really tough!

Especially since you were really trying to get your message through to your team.

Ask: Have you ever had something exciting happen and you are dying to tell your friend, except they won’t text you back or answer their phone?

Allow a few responses from students.

That has happened to me quite a few times and it can be frustrating!

Why?

Because when you want to talk to someone, you expect them to be ready to talk to you in an instant—even if that isn’t a realistic expectation.

But, what we can’t reasonably expect from each other is an actual promise that God gives us. 

Read Psalm 145:18.

“The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.”

Our minds can’t fully grasp the fact that the Creator of everything is close to us.

Why?

One reason is because we can’t see Him.

Also, people rarely hear the audible voice of God.

And we can’t physically touch God.

So, it’s not difficult to understand why people question if God can hear their prayers.

Ask: What would you say to someone who questions whether or not God hears us when we pray?

Allow a few responses from students. Share a personal story about a time when God answered a specific prayer that you prayed.

Let’s talk about the second part of that verse, “to all who call on him in truth.”

Have you ever done something nice for your siblings or parents and their response is, “What do you want?”

Your family knows you—the real you.

And when they question your motives, that might mean you have been insincere in the past, so they are expecting that behavior again.

In our prayer life, God wants our sincerity and the truth.

He really knows the real you—your motives and desires.

He just wants you to be sincere.

That means when you pray, don’t try to be someone you aren’t, or use fancy words and showy prayers.

Just talk to God because He wants to talk to you.

Ask: Do you think people try to impress God?

How would it benefit someone to be dishonest in their relationship with God?

Allow a few responses from students.

If we can’t come to God in truth, then we most likely aren’t being truthful in other areas of our lives.

Because there is nothing we can hide from God, we are only deceiving ourselves when we are dishonest with God.

Prayer is an opportunity for us to become the best version of ourselves as we become more like God, and that begins with being authentic when we talk to God.

You see, the act of praying is as simple as just talking to God.

But what it does in us, and how it builds our relationship with God, is deep and has profound results in our lives.

We can develop a closeness with God as we spend time with Him in prayer.

We gain confidence in our faith knowing that God hears and answers us.

So, today, I want to encourage you to remember, when we talk to God, He hears our prayers.