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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
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.
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.
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.
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