Lesson Six—Prayer
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What is Prayer?
What is Prayer?
Key Point
Key Point
Prayer is the communication from the heart of a believer directed to God. We have bold access to God’s throne through our relationship with Jesus Christ.
12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.
16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
A. Prayer can be Spoken audibly or silently.
6 I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God;
Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
1 Samuel 1:13a (NKJV)
13 Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard.
B. Prayer can be spoken publicly or privately.
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Why Should You Pray?
Why Should You Pray?
The topic of prayer can be overwhelming. Many believers are missing out on the blessings that God promises because they do not spend time with God in prayer. God is interested in every intimate detail of your life, and He promises to hear your prayers no matter how large or small they may be.
A. God answers prayer.
1. You should be confident when you pray, knowing God hears your prayers.
6 Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me.
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
2. You should be confident when you pray, knowing God will answer your prayers according to his will.
13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
B. Prayer produces a change in you.
1. Prayer produces peace within your heart and mind.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
2. Prayer conforms you to the will of God. It does not conform God to your will.
36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. 38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”
39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
3. Prayer changes your perspective in the midst of your circumstances.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
C. Prayer draws you close to God so that He alone can prove His sufficiency for your every need.
4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,
1. God knows exactly what you need even before you ask.
8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
2. God allows needs to come into your life so He can draw you closer to Himself.
15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”
3. You must recognize that you have needs in your life. It is dangerous to convince yourself that you do not need anything.
16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—
DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION:
Are you sometimes afraid to pray in front of others? If so, why?
Do you ever doubt that God is really listening to your prayers?
Has your attitude ever changed after spending time with God in prayer?
WHEN SHOULD YOU PRAY?
WHEN SHOULD YOU PRAY?
A. God desires that you continuously communicate with Him in prayer.
1 Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart,
17 pray without ceasing,
B. God desires that you give thanks in every circumstance in your life.
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Learn from the many examples in scripture of individuals with a consistent lifestyle of prayer:
1. Nehemiah prayed instantly when he had an immediate need.
4 So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?”
So I prayed to the God of heaven.
2. Daniel continued to pray even when a law was passed forbidding it.
4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him. 5 Then these men said, “We shall not find any charge against this Daniel unless we find it against him concerning the law of his God.”
6 So these governors and satraps thronged before the king, and said thus to him: “King Darius, live forever! 7 All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree and sign the writing, so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” 9 Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.
3. David maintained a lifestyle of prayer at all times.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
I will pray, and cry aloud,
And He shall hear my voice.
HOW SHOULD YOU PRAY?
HOW SHOULD YOU PRAY?
A. You do not need to go through any other person to talk to God. You have direct access to God personally.
5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
B. Talk to the Lord as a friend.
13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. 14 You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
11 So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
C. It is not necessary or biblical to use repetitious prayer.
7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
D. Pray specific prayers. The prayers of many believers are wasted because they are too general and are not biblically based.
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION:
Do you find that your prayers are sometimes vague and sound repetitious?
What are you specifically trusting God for in your life right now?
WHAT SHOULD YOU PRAY?
WHAT SHOULD YOU PRAY?
There is not a special “formula” to follow when you pray. However, the Word of God does mention and demonstrate different types of prayer throughout the Bible. You will not have an effective communion with God without spending careful and committed time with Him in four major areas of prayer.
1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,
A. SUPPLICATIONS – These are earnest and fervent requests for God to move.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;
For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication;
The Lord will receive my prayer.
16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
B. INTERCESSIONS – These are specific requests on the behalf of others.
30 Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 that I may come to you with joy by the will of God, and may be refreshed together with you.
C. PRAYERS – These are communications with God that are based in his Word.
18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.
19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them.
D. THANKSGIVINGS – These express your gratitude to God for His wonderful works.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
E. CONFESSION – A formal admission of one's sins with repentance and desire of absolution.
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
IMPORTANT NOTE:
God wants you to live in complete fellowship with Him in prayer. Many believers choose not to pray because they do not believe that God is interested in working in their lives or their specific circumstances. When believers fail to pray, they will fail to see answers to prayer. God commands you to watch with expectation to see how He will answer your continuous prayers.
2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
“Our praying needs to be intense and fervent with an energy that never tires. It must have persistency that will not be denied and with a courage that will never fail. The praying Christian is like a brave soldier who, as the conflict grows more severe, exhibits a more superior courage than in the earlier stages of the battle.” – E.M. Bounds
DISCUSSION:
DISCUSSION:
How often do you pray?
Can you share a recent example of how God answered your prayer?
