10. Practicing a Life of Prayer

📖 Bible Discovery

💡 Focus Passage

🌱 Main Teachings

1. What is prayer?

   What is prayer? Some may think of prayer as a habit to maintain, a task to check off a list, or something only reserved for church on the Sabbath. However, the Bible invites us to see prayer in a deeper and more personal way.

   • Prayer is relational.
     • Prayer is fundamentally about our relationship with God. It allows us to connect with God through ongoing communication. As we share our hearts, our needs, and our lives with Him, we can experience a deep spiritual communion with Him.
       • Just as children naturally seek closeness and relationship with their parents, we, as God’s children, also yearn to reach out and connect with Him. We can cry out to Him because He is our heavenly Father (Mt 6:9; Rom 8:15; Gal 4:6).
   • Prayer is transformative.
     • While prayer can change our circumstances, its true power lies in how it changes us. Through prayer, God shapes our heart, strengthens our faith, and aligns us with His will.
       • Example 1: Prayer cultivates and strengthens our faith in difficulties.
       • Example 2: Prayer softens our hearts and enables us to carry out God’s will.
       • These examples are elaborated on in Further Study (L10) .
2. How do I pray with the right attitude?

   For our prayers to be effective, they must be well-pleasing to God. What qualities and attitudes should we equip ourselves with in prayer?

   *Additional notes and examples of qualities/attitudes for discussion and teaching can be found in Further Study (L10) . If under time constraints, facilitators can select a few to focus on.

   • Holiness
     • God is a holy God. Without holiness, we cannot see God (Heb 12:14). Therefore, we must also pursue to be holy as He is (1 Pet 1:15-16).
     • God desires that we offer up prayers with holy hands (1 Tim 2:8). In fact, the way we live our lives has a direct connection to the outcome of our prayers.
   • Faith
     • Jesus promised that whatever we ask for in prayer, believe we have already received it and it will be granted to us (Mk 11:24).
       • If we doubt in prayer, we should not expect to receive anything (Jas 1:6-8).
       • Having faith in our prayers is what motivates us to keep praying, even when we feel at a loss or without hope. We must continue to believe that God is faithful to His promises and will never disappoint us. While He may not always give us what we want, He will surely give us what we need.
   • Perseverance
     • When we pray, sometimes we may feel like God is not answering our prayers. However, Jesus encourages us to always pray and not become discouraged (Lk 18:1). Prayer is not just a one-time event. Instead, it is a pursuit that requires our devotion and commitment to persevere.
     • In times of great need, we should not only pray with persistence, but even with shamelessness (Lk 11:8). As our heavenly Father, God loves us and cares for our needs. Therefore, we need not feel shy or reserved when it comes to continually presenting our requests to Him (cf. Lk 11:5-8).
3. What should I pray for / about?

   The content of our prayers is important. It drives the direction of our prayer and gives us something to focus on. Furthermore, if our prayer requests are not according to God’s will, we will only ask amiss and will not receive (Jas 4:2-3). So what should we pray for?

   *This list is derived from “A New Life in Christ” and the rest of the list is available in Further Study (L10) . This list is by no means all-encompassing, but is a good starting point to derive prayer focuses and areas that we can spend more time praying about.

   • Pertaining to God
     • Praise and thank God for His grace and salvation (Ps 50:14; 116:13; Dan 2:19-23; Phil 4:6).
     • Praise and thank God for His blessings in your life and in the lives of those around you (Ps 103:1-5; 107:1; 1 Thess 5:18).
   • Pertaining to others
     • Pray for family members, relatives, friends, or brothers and sisters in church who need God’s help (Lk 22:31-32; Acts 12:5; Col 4:12; 1 Thess 5:25; Jas 5:14-16).
     • Pray for other believers to receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-15).
   • Pertaining to ourselves
     • Pray for the Holy Spirit if you haven’t already received this promise (Lk 11:10-13).
     • Pray for the forgiveness of your sins (Mt 6:12; 1 Jn 1:9).
     • Pray for boldness to preach His word (Acts 4:29-30; Eph 6:19).

👣 Practical Actions

• Barrier 1: “I don’t know what to say to God in prayer.” / “I have a hard time focusing.”
  • Although it is unlikely one has absolutely nothing to say to God, it is often the case that when we are unaccustomed to praying consistently or are feeling distant from God, we find it difficult to focus in prayer and struggle to know what to say.
  • Practical solutions:
    • Treat prayer as a conversation, not a chore.
      • This is about a shift in mindset and perspective. More often than not, if we perceive something as difficult or burdensome, we will naturally grow disinclined to do it. However, adjusting our perspective can help us view prayer in a more positive light.
    • Set a goal and direction in prayer.
      • We ought to enter prayer with a goal and direction. Will we use the prayer to reflect on ourselves or to repent of specific sins? Will the prayer focus on people we want to intercede for? Or do we want to spend the prayer recounting the week’s blessings and giving thanks to God?
    • Use a framework to guide prayer and reflection.
      • If we find that our mind easily wanders in prayer, it may be helpful to use a framework or form of structure to guide our thoughts.
        • Ex 1: Pray the Lord’s Prayer.
        • Ex 2: Meditate on a verse, passage, or hymn.
        • Ex 3: Follow the PRAY acronym.
• Barrier 2: “I don’t have time to pray.”
  • Everyone is given the same 24 hours in a day. While we may all live busy lives, how we choose to use our time is a reflection of our priorities.
  • For the things that are truly important to us, we will always make time for them, regardless of how busy we are. Therefore, not having time to pray may indicate that we need to reexamine our priorities and make adjustments.
  • Practical solutions:
    • Set aside a specific time each day for prayer. Whether it is in the morning, afternoon, or evening, schedule a consistent time where you can quiet your heart, spend time with God, and pray undisturbed.
    • Block it out in your calendar, set an alarm or reminder, and honor that time with faithfulness. If time conflicts arise, we should do our best to work around our existing scheduled prayer time, instead of being quick to compromise or sacrifice prayer for other events or tasks.
    • Pray with someone else! Joining our local church prayers or scheduling a prayer time with a friend or family member can be a good way to keep us accountable. It can also be a source of encouragement and motivation to have support and a sense of community when we are feeling weak in our faith.
• Barrier 3: “I don’t think God is listening to my prayers.”
  • It is true that sometimes we may feel discouraged when it seems our prayers are unanswered, especially after we have been praying for a long period of time. We may doubt whether God truly hears us or we may grow impatient while waiting for His response.
  • Practical solutions:
    • Reflect on our prayer posture and have the right expectations.
      • Sometimes we may not receive what we have asked for in prayer because we ask amiss or with the wrong motives. Therefore, we ought to examine ourselves: Is what we are praying for according to God’s will? Is it pleasing to Him?
    • Have faith in God’s will and timing.
      • God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isa 55:8-9) and He has His own time for everything (Eccl 3:1, 11).
        • Therefore, we must continue to believe that God’s way is perfect, and He is always on time. While God’s answer and timing for our prayer may not be what we expect or hope for, we should not grow discouraged. Instead, continue to pray with perseverance and faith, trusting that God is still working for our good (Rom 8:28).

💭 Food For Thought

• What is your biggest takeaway from this lesson? How can you apply this lesson to your personal prayer life?
• Share about one of the following:
  • An experience in prayer which you felt was especially powerful or meaningful
  • A prayer request you have been praying for recently and why

🎯 Challenge Yourself

• “Our Father in heaven”
• “Hallowed be Your name.”
• “Your kingdom come.”
• “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
• “Give us this day our daily bread.”
• “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”
• “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
• “For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.”