Purpose of Prayer/Praise in Prayer

Session 1: Introduction and Praise

Session 1: Introduction and Praise

Read Chapter 1 and 2 before the first meeting.

Lesson Objectives

- Definition of Prayer

- Developing a structure for prayer

- Explanation and Discussion of Praising God in Prayer (1st 5 minutes)

Session 1: Introduction and Praise

1) How is your prayer life?

1) How is your prayer life?

2) If you were grading yourself on prayer, how well are you doing?

3) Why did you give yourself that grade?

Most all of us would admit there is much growth needed in the area of prayer in our lives.

But what is the measure of a good prayer life?

Time spent in prayer?

How well we speak our prayers?

The content of our prayers?

Whether our prayers are answered or not?

God says:

2 chron

2 Chronicles 7:14 ESV

14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

God’s measurement of effectiveness and genuineness in prayer is not in how often we pray, how well we pray, or how many answers we get.

Humility

Prayer is HUMBLY expressing our NEED for God.

Seeking God’s face

It is SEEKING HIS FACE

It is something God has given to His children to communicate to

It is ADMITTING our INABILITY and our WEAKNESS before HIM.

turning from sin

David Hubbard shares, “Our prayer expresses our commitment to Christ. By talking to God we affirm our basic decision to depend on Him.”

I don’t think our lack of prayer is entirely rooted in rebellion or disobedience, but in lack of understanding of the what, why, and how of prayer.

What is prayer?

Why do we need to pray?

How do we pray?

What is Prayer and why do we need to Pray?

Charles Spurgeon says “Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence.”

Think about the simple act of standing up. What muscles are necessary for you to use in order to stand to your feet?

You will use your arms to push yourself off the seat.

Your core muscles must contract in order to give straighten out your body.

Once you are standing, the muscles in your legs have to hold up the rest of your body.

Every one of those muscles are being directed by nerve impulses from your brain.

The decision to get up out of a chair prompts your brain to send signals to a multitude of nerves to get those muscles moving.

Spurgeon compares what we do in prayer to this very cause and effect in our body.

Have you ever thought of prayer like that?

The simple act of bowing our heads and speaking to God has the power to change the world we live in, both physically and spiritually.

With our words, through the power of God, we can have a part to play in the magnificent purposes of God.

IMPORTANT: God doesn’t NEED US! But He allows us to be a part of what HE is doing.

Acts 17:24–25 ESV

24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

If God NEEDED us to pray then He would not be God, but the very fact He created prayer displays His relational, caring, and gracious heart.

My dad used to let me hammer nails and turn bolts.

He could have done it himself faster and more effectively, but he allowed me to be a part of the process.

So, though prayer is not giving God permission to act, our prayers matter to God and are powerful and effective.

1 John 5:14 ESV

14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.

james

“ask anything according to HIS WILL...”

God listens and responds.

What is prayer?

Simplest answer is “talking to God”

it is a conversation with God. It can be asking Him for help, confessing our sin, seeking His guidance, thanking Him, praising Him...but it is ultimately talking to God.

It is a conversation with God. It can be asking Him for help, confessing our sin, seeking His guidance, thanking Him, praising Him...but it is ultimately talking to God.

But is also an exercise in growing our faith

Eastman defines prayer this way, “It gives eyes to our faith. In prayer we see beyond ourselves and focus spiritual eyes on God’s infinite power.”

And, “Prayer is man’s ultimate indication of trust in his heavenly Father.”

It is the building of relationship and the development of faith in God.

When we pray we are seeking God’s help, His power, and His face.

When we experience the peace of prayer and/or the answers to prayer, it grows our faith in God more and more.

So if prayer is what Eastman’s says it is, then what does the lack of prayer in our lives indicate about our faith in Him?

We may never admit it, but when we don’t pray we are expressing our faith in something other than God. Maybe it is faith in our own abilities, our resources, or people around us. Or maybe we have “faith” in luck?

Eastman says on page 17 “If I seldom talk with God, it indicates He plays a secondary role in my life. Soon the world commands more of my attention than does God.”

What gets in the way of you praying?

Jobs, kids, family, friend…the thousand things on the to-do list. We are busy and sometimes, if we really admit it, prayer just seems like a waste of time. I could be doing something more productive, more exciting.

Perhaps when we understand the purpose and power of prayer it will become the instinctual thing we go to rather than the last ditch effort.

Intention, Disciplined Prayer

If knowing what prayer is and why we pray is the first step in developing a life of prayer, the second step would be the intentional effort to practice prayer.

With all the distractions life throws our way, this can be a difficult discipline.

Eastman asks a question that I think we all should answer: “Would you consider giving God a daily, sacrificial offering of time?”

If you have ever sought to pray for an extended time, you know how challenging it is to stay on track and persevere to the end.

That really is the mission of Eastman’s book, to give believers a framework for spending regular, consistent, and powerful times in prayer.

He gives us a framework for spending 1 hour in focused prayer.

In the book, Eastman give us a 12-part framework for our hour of prayer.

Each element is 5 minutes long and has an intentional purpose, whether to praise, listen, or intercede for others.

It is a structure that will encourage and equip us to endure and enjoy our time with the Lord in prayer.

The wheel image will become a regular part of our times together and, hopefully, a guide for you as you seek to engage with God in focuses prayer.

You might be thinking “who has time for a whole hour of prayer?”

Eastman shares the story of Susanna Wesley:

The mother of nineteen children, including John and Charles, Susanna Wesley still found time to pray daily. This godly saint seldom gave the Lord less than a full hour each day for prayer. “But I have no place to get away for prayer!” some might object. Susanna Wesley, likewise, had no specific place for prayer. So, at her chosen time for spiritual exercise she would take her apron and pull it over her face. Her children were instructed never to disturb “mother” when she was praying in her apron.

Mrs. Wesley embraced the purpose and the power of prayer in her life. The demands of a mother of 19 children in early 1700s with an absentee husband were probably overwhelming at time. But Susanna found strength, wisdom, power, and rest in her faith-filled prayers to God. Prayer was not only productive for her, it was the power behind all she sought to accomplish.

“Only as we apply our knowledge of prayer to the actual practice of prayer will we discover the practical power of prayer.” Eastman pg 19

Do you desire to tap into the power of prayer? I hope you do. The goal of this study is to empower us to pray and to develop a structure to guide our prayer lives.

Praise

We often think of prayer as a time to ask God for His divine assistance with matters in the world.

We, of course, spend time thanking Him for what He provides and how He has answered prayer, but then we move on to the health concerns, the daily struggles, and maybe splash in some big picture mission or world events.

All these are important to pray for and I am not intending to make light of them, but, as Eastman points out, the first 10 words of the prayer Jesus uses to teach His disciples how to pray (commonly referred to as the Lord’s Prayer) provide the believer with a biblical foundation for commencing all prayer with a season of praise.

“Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” ().

Matthew 6:9 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Jesus us telling His followers to begin their prayers with an acknowledgement of God’s wonder and holiness. He is saying “Begin your prayers with praise for the one you are speaking to.”

Jesus us telling His followers to begin their prayers with an acknowledgement of God’s wonder and holiness. He is saying “Begin your prayers with praise for the one you are speaking to.”

Eastman defines praise as “praise is the vocal adoration of God.” He goes on to say:

“To praise God is to prize God. The word prize means “to value, esteem, and cherish something.” During our times of praise, we cherish and esteem God with our words of adoration.”

It is when we recognize and vocally express how awesome, powerful, and worthy God is. Praise is adoring God for who He is, what He has done, and what He can/will do.

You might be thinking “I am not sure I can praise God for 5 minutes.”

What can you say about God that He doesn’t already know, right?

But the reality of our time of praise is that it is not for God, it is for US. Beginning with praise allows us to fix our attention on God and off ourselves.

Paul Billheimer is quoted “One of the greatest values of praise is it decentralizes self. The worship and praise of God demands a shift of center from self to God. One cannot praise God without relinquishing occupation with self. Praise produces forgetfulness of self—and forgetfulness of self is health.”

So turn you attention to God right now.

Think about what you know about God from His Word and from your experience of Him.

He is so powerful that with one word He spoke creation into existence, with one breath He breathed life in to humanity.

God is faithful to His promises, always doing what He said He would do.

He is love, so that every sort of experience we have had of love comes from and is an experience of Him.

He is just so all the injustice and evil in the world we live in WILL be justly punished in Him.

He is wise, good, holy, creative, caring, intentional, authoritative, pure... and many, many more things.

Take a moment as a group to speak out some reasons to praise God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Lead the group to give reasons to praise God:

- What do you know about God? Speak it out loud

o He is gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

o He is powerful and, yet, He is loving and personal.

o He helps me to live, breath, make decisions, and raise my family.

- Don’t focus just on what He does for you, but who He is that makes Him worth of praise.

o He is just and righteous, yet He is patient and generous.

o He is the judge of all, yet He is the author of salvation.

Now we want to lead the group in a time of putting praise into action in our prayer time. Our hope is that each week we would finish our time together applying what we are learning. So find a place you can focus and pray to yourself within the room.

Now we want to lead the group in a time of putting praise into action in our prayer time. Our hope is that each week we would finish our time together applying what we are learning. So find a place you can focus and pray to yourself within the room.

Once everyone is situated think about a specific aspect of God you would like to focus your praise on during this time. It could be His power and greatness, or His patience and generosity. During your times of prayer this week, choose 3-5 themes to guide your time.

Now let bow our heads and pray:

Father God, your name IS holy. There is no other part of creation that matches how great you are. And yet, as we pause now and speak to you, we can be confident that you are listening to our prayers. Your abilities are not bound by human limitations, even as you literally hold the whole universe together, you are still intimately involved in every aspect of our lives. That is an incredible thought and should cause us to praise you for who you are.

Your wisdom, oh Lord, is limitless. You created everything that exists in all the earth. You know how every tree is put together; you know how many blades of grass exist on the face of the earth; there is no creature outside of your knowledge; there is no situation you can’t help us navigate; decision your wisdom cannot speak to; and struggle we face that is outside of your understanding to guide us through.

Your righteousness, God, is perfect. There is no decision you make, no path you take, and no Word you speak that is not right, just, good, and true. Deep down and every person is a desire to know what is right, what is just, what is good, and what is true, and though we search countless places, what we truly long for is you. We can find rest in your righteousness, because whatever way you direct our path is right and will always lead to what you find is best.

Now take a moment to praise God to yourself as you think about who He is.

Encourage Participants to take a moment each day this week to put in to practice “Praise” in their prayer life.