Prayer

I will be posting the notes that Heath and I create for our lessons. I will also try and post links to videos, websites, or other cool stuff we use or come across. Our lesson on Prayer was from our first Sunday, July 2nd.

Prayer

When YOU pray do you honestly believe that anything is going to change?

Why Pray

·         God loves the prayers of imperfect people, people, who know they’ve done wrong, who know they are helpless on their own, who reach out to God, who know they need him.

·         Wandering Minds – Why does it seem that we can stay focused on Work, School, Family, Etc. but prayer with the Creator of the Universe seems boring?  When you pray do you realize who you are talking too?  I think if we truly thought and felt we were having a conversation with the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth we would be more excited.

·         Praying as if God were our Friend – How many of you talk to a close friend every day?  If that conversation with your friend was a boring, one way and meaningless conversation do you think that friend would want to talk to you much after that?  God longs to hear from us every day and to hear everything that goes on in our lives.

·         Is God listening?

·         Read the top of pg 80.  Talk about how God’s answers come in many different forms. 

Honest Communication

·         Pray whatever is on you mind.  It is nice to have someone that you can just talk to about anything.  You can tell them how great your day was or even how bad it was.  You can ask them for help and advice.  God wants to be that person for each and every one of us. 

·         Don’t wear masks when talking to God.  God wants to hear from YOU and about YOU.  He does not want to hear how fancy you can talk to him.  Read Matthew 6: 5-8 put emphasis on verse 8.

·         Are we always happy with God?  Does God want to hear from us when we are unhappy with him?

·         Read the bottom of pg 81, about child telling Father he is afraid of the dark.

·         Why do we think that the fancy, long and repeating prayers are what God wants to hear?

Constant/ Two Way Communication

·         Are our Prayers long enough?  God commands us to pray continually which does not mean longer prayers but maybe just more often.  If you have something that you are not sure of say a quick prayer asking for guidance.  It does not have to be long, simply ask “God give me guidance”.  Remember he KNOWS what is going on in our lives he just wants you to ask or tell him for yourself.

·         God desperately wants to hear from us but even more than that we NEED God and his guidance.  We need to hear from God.  “Frequent, honest prayers open our hearts and minds to God.”  The more you talk to God the more you have a “God Conscience”.  Your heart, soul and mind are going to be more open to God and what he has to tell you. 

·         How does God communicate to you?  Pg 83  God has many forms of answering us we just have to be listening. 

Unanswered and Answered Prayers

·         Does God always answer our Prayers?

·         We tend to believe that what we want is what we need but God’s Will is not always what we want and our feelings get hurt sometimes when that happens.

·         Does how we live and our relationships with others affect our prayers to God?  Micah 3:4 pg1042 in Bible.  Read Mark 11:24-25 pg 1155 in bible

·         Do your Motives matter when you pray?  Read James 4: 1-3 pg 1460  Do we pray to communicate personally to God or do we pray so that others will see us and do it for our own glory? 

·         Are our prayers Self Centered?  Do we pray to God asking him for things that we want or do we pray to God in hopes to truly hear from him so that we can follow through with HIS plan no matter where it may lead.  We need to remember that our lives here on earth are merely a vapor and I think that God communicates to us more on that regard, preparing for eternity, rather than what is going on in our earthly lives.  The things that we pray for in our earthly lives may very well be or seem valid to us but are we focusing on what we want or are we dropping to our knees and telling God here I am, I am here to serve you God, to do YOUR will, use me God to serve YOU.

·         The Effectiveness of our prayers are often tied to the holiness of our lives and the faith we show. Read James 5:16 pg 1462,  Psalm 34:15 pg677, James 1: 5-8,

·         Faith like a child.

·         God’s Will

·         Does God always Answer our prayers the way we expect.  Pg 88, 89

Many Christians today don’t pray regularly for many different reasons but the sooner we realize the God of the Universe WANTS to hear from you and to talk to YOU the better off you will be.  God does answer prayers; it just may not always be the answer that we want to hear.  We may not think that God is answering but usually it is because we are so wrapped up in ourselves and what WE want from God that we may not hear him.  Build your relationship with God, talk to him Honestly and Often and you will be amazed at what you will get from GOD.