Put it in your pocket!

Five Pocket Prayers 🙏

Good morning, everyone!

I have a question for you: Do any of you have pockets today?

Take a look! Maybe you have pockets in your pants, your dress, your jacket, or your backpack.

What kinds of things do we put in our pockets?

Maybe a little toy, a snack, a coin, or something special we don’t want to lose.

But today I want to teach you about something we can put in our pockets that doesn’t take up any space at all: a prayer.

We can pray anywhere. We don’t have to be in church. We don’t need a long prayer or fancy words. God hears us when we’re at school, on the playground, in the car, at home, or even when we’re lying in bed.

So today we’re going to learn five little prayers that we can put in our pockets and carry with us wherever we go.

1. A Pocket Prayer for Courage 💪

Sometimes we have to do things that make us nervous or scared. Maybe it’s the first day of school, talking in front of the class, trying something new, or being somewhere without Mom or Dad.

When that happens, we can reach into our imaginary pocket and remember:

“Dear God, make my heart brave today. When I feel scared, help me remember You are right here with me. Amen.”

Everybody put your hands over your heart.

Now pretend you’re folding that prayer up really small.

Fold it… fold it again… and put it in your pocket.

Now we’re carrying some courage with us!

2. A Pocket Prayer for Kindness ❤️

What is one way you can be kind to somebody?

Maybe you can help someone who dropped something. You can invite someone to play. You can say something nice instead of something mean.

Let’s pray:

“Dear Jesus, help my hands to be helpful and my words to be kind to everyone I meet. Amen.”

Look at your hands and wiggle your fingers.

These hands can do a lot of good things today.

Now put those hands in your pockets.

We’re carrying kindness with us!

3. A Pocket Prayer for Calmness 🕊️

Do you ever get really angry?

Maybe your brother or sister takes your toy. Maybe someone isn’t being fair. Maybe something doesn’t go the way you wanted.

When we’re angry, sometimes our mouths want to say something before our brains have time to think!

So let’s practice something.

Everybody take a slow, deep breath in…

And slowly let it out.

Now let’s pray:

“Lord, when I feel mad or upset, help me stop, take a deep breath, and choose peace. Amen.”

Take another deep breath and imagine putting that peaceful feeling right into your pocket.

Now if you get angry this week, remember: your prayer for peace is already in your pocket.

4. A Pocket Prayer for Friendship 🤝

God gives us friends, but He also wants us to be good friends to other people.

Being a good friend means sharing. It means listening. It means including people. And sometimes it means noticing someone who doesn’t have anybody to play with.

Let’s pray:

“God, please help me be a good friend today. Help me share, listen, and love others like You love me. Amen.”

Everybody give yourself a big hug.

Now put your hands in your pockets.

We’re carrying friendship and love with us.

5. A Pocket Prayer for Protection 🏠

There are lots of places we go during the week. We go to school, visit family, ride in the car, play outside, and go on adventures.

And wherever we go, we can ask God to watch over us.

Let’s pray:

“Dear God, watch over me when I go to school and play. Keep me safe and bring me home with joy. Amen.”

Wrap your arms around yourself for a moment.

Now imagine taking that prayer and putting it into your pocket too.

What’s in Our Pockets?

Okay, let’s see if we can remember all five.

We have a prayer for:

Courage — when we’re scared.
Kindness — to help us treat people well.
Calmness — when we’re angry or upset.
Friendship — to help us love others.
Protection — to ask God to watch over us.

And here’s the best part:

You don’t actually need pockets!

These prayers aren’t really carried in our pants or jackets. We carry them in our hearts.

And whenever you need one, you can stop for just a few seconds and talk to God.

Your prayer doesn’t have to be long.

You can simply say:

“God, help me be brave.”

“Jesus, help me be kind.”

“God, help me calm down.”

“Help me be a good friend.”

“God, please watch over me.”

God doesn’t care whether our prayers are long or short. What matters is that we remember to talk to Him and trust that He is with us.

So before you leave today, check your pockets.

You might not have a toy or a snack in there…

but now you have five prayers to carry with you all week.

Closing Prayer

Dear God,

Thank You for always being close enough to hear us. Help us remember that we can talk to You anywhere and at any time.

Give us courage when we’re afraid, kindness toward others, calmness when we’re upset, love for our friends, and protection wherever we go.

Help us carry these prayers not only in our pockets, but in our hearts.

Amen.