Pray
Pray – Jesus Did It
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Thessalonians
Who’s your favorite
hero? What about your favorite sports
star? Do you have a favorite
relative? What is it that makes them
your favorites? Are they really good at
what they do? Popular? Brave?
Caring? Do they set good
examples? I love a good example setter,
someone who practices what they preach, someone who is
true to what they say. Jesus is the
perfect example. Not only does He
encourage us to pray but when asked by the disciples, He taught them and us to
pray. “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said
to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” He said to them, ‘When
you pray, say: Father hallowed be Your
name, Your kingdom come. Give us each
day our daily bread. Forgive us our
sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’” (Luke
11:1-4)
Jesus also prayed
Himself. Scripture is full of examples
of Jesus at prayer.
“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left
the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.” (Mark
“One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent
the night praying to God.” (Luke 6:12)
Jesus prayed – before making a big decision – choosing the twelve
disciples.
“He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed.”
(Luke 22:41) Jesus prayed in the
Need a reason to pray? Lonely, tired, burdened? These are good reasons to go to God in
prayer. Big decision? Tough day ahead? Major test coming? Good reasons
to go to God in prayer.
After all, Jesus did it. What a
great example. Follow His example and
you can’t go wrong.
Questions:
1. Who sets a good prayer example in your life
for you to follow?
2. Say a prayer
this week for your Pastor and tell Him that you did it. They need your prayers.
3. Why do you think Jesus prayed before making
big decisions?
Prayer
Dear Jesus, Thank You for being such a great example. Your example reminds me that I need to be
sure to set aside time to pray. I know I
should always be seeking Your advice. Help me to do that. Thank You for forgiving me when I
forget. Amen.
Pray
Pray – With God’s Word
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” (Romans 8:26)
Do you ever find yourself talking to yourself? I do. Sometimes it bothers me. Sometimes it annoys me. But when I answer myself, it scares me!
I would much rather talk to God than to myself. He is so much wiser. One of the ways I like to talk to God is with His Word. I read a little bit of His Word then I talk to Him about it. Ask Him questions and just pray about it. What do you say you and I try it together right now with God.
Open your Bible to Ephesians 2:8-9. Read along with me. “For it is by grace you have been saved…” Wow, Jesus do you mean that you did it all? You saved me from my sin and I didn’t do anything? “…through faith…” Boy, Jesus, You are really great giving me this wonderful gift through faith “…and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” You mean I can’t earn it. I don’t deserve not even a little? “…not by works, so that no one can boast…” I really am thankful that it’s all You, God. There is no way that I should be proud because it’s not my actions. I am a sinner and deserve only Your anger. But because of Your grace and gift of faith I can be saved. Thanks God for loving me so much! Wasn’t that fun? Maybe next time we will take a look at verse ten, too.
Questions:
1. What’s your favorite Bible passage?
2. Why don’t you try reading a little and praying a little, then reading and praying a little more?
3. Ask grandma what her favorite verse is and try praying through it with her. If grandma and grandpa live far away, you might try it on the phone or maybe even on-line.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, You have given us a whole big, wonderful book. Help us to read it, study it, and pray through it. Thank You for the gift of Your Word. Help us to grow in love and understanding of You and Your ways. Amen
Pray
What to Pray For
”We always thank God for all of you,
mentioning you in our prayers. We
continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith,
your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord
Jesus Christ” (I Thessalonians
1:2-3).
Have
you ever wondered what to pray for? (My
English teacher would have a fit – ending a sentence with a preposition!) Do you sometimes get stuck in a rut with your
prayer life? Would you like your prayers
to be more spiritually oriented? Why not
use Paul as an example?
In
Philippians 1:3-11, Paul starts off his prayer with thanks. “I
thank my God every time I remember you” (v 1:3). Isn’t that a great way to start off a
prayer? Thanking God for others? Gee, I hope someone is doing that for me. Next, Paul prays with joy that Jesus will
carry out this work in His people. “Because
of our partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident
of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion
until the day of Christ Jesus” (v 1:5-6). Paul even calls his friends
“partners.” Then Paul says he carries
these people in his heart because they all share in the grace of Jesus. “It is right for me to feel this way about
all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or
defending and confirming the Gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with
me. God can testify how I long for all
of you with the affection of Christ Jesus” (v 1:7-8).
Finally,
in Philippians 1:9-11, Paul gets serious and he prays that their love might
grow, their knowledge increase, their insight would deepen, and they would know
right from wrong. Finally, Paul prays
for them to be filled with the fruit of righteousness which only comes through
Jesus. He then closes with giving all glory
and praise to God. What a great
prayer. What an uplifting prayer.
So,
wondering what to pray for? (Oops,
there’s the English teacher after me again.)
Just follow Paul’s example:
ü
Pray for others
and remember them with joy.
ü
Pray for your
partners in the Gospel.
ü
Pray that you and
others will have strength to do the Lord’s work.
ü
Pray for God’s
grace to strengthen you and others.
ü
Pray for love.
ü
Pray for
knowledge and insight.
ü
Pray for
discernment (knowing right from wrong).
ü
Pray to be filled
with righteousness.
ü
Pray that all the
glory goes to God.
Wow! Quite the list. Well, what are you waiting for? Get started.
Lots of things for which to pray.
Questions:
1. What things do you find easy to pray for?
2. What things do you find are difficult to pray
for?
3. Out of the big list above, what things would
you like to pray for now? Go ahead and
pray.
Prayer:
Dear
Jesus … (you fill in the rest).
Pray
Prayer – Talking and Listening
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).
Have you ever spoken to someone who is a really good listener? Have you ever listened to someone who is a really good communicator (talker)? Were you ever sad when someone wouldn’t listen to you or ignored you? Well, guess what, you have a perfect listener, someone who is always ready, willing, and eager to hear what you have to say. This someone will never turn His back on you or refuse to listen to you. He will never tell you to go away. He will never talk behind your back, won’t gossip about you, and won’t give you bad advice. Know who this great listener is? That’s right; it’s our Heavenly Father, “The Great Listener.” Jesus gives us the confidence that God very much wants to hear from us and will always listen to us.
ü Had a bad day? It’s ok. Don’t be afraid to talk to God about it!
ü Not sure what to do? Talk to God about it!
ü Having a little trouble with your friends? That’s ok. Talk to God about it!
ü Or, maybe you’ve had a great day. Wonderful. Talk to God about it!
ü He would love to hear your joys and concerns.
“Let us then approach the Throne of Grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)
But guess what, not only should we talk to God, we should listen to Him, also. Because not only is God a great listener, He gives great advice, too! So, next time you’re praying take a little extra time and listen, too. God has promised to answer prayer. Remember He gives great guidance. After all, He wrote an entire book for you. Read it! It’s God speaking, talking with you.
Questions:
1. Are you a better talker or a listener?
2. What qualities make a good listener?
3. In what ways does God talk to you?
4. In what ways do you listen to God?
Prayer
Thank you, God, for listening to me. It’s great to know that You are always here and available. Help me to bring all my thoughts and concerns to You. Help me always seek Your will. Thank You for loving me so much. Amen.
Pray
Who do you trust?
His will or mine?
“This is the
confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1John
As a child, I can remember riding home from Grandma’s after Christmas, usually during a snowstorm. What great fun it was riding along the curvy mountain roads and looking out the window at the fresh blanket of snow. And if the storm got really bad, we would stop, pull off the side of the road, and I would help dad put on the chains. As a child, I trusted that dad would get us home safely. So, a car ride in a snowstorm was fun. As an adult a snowstorm is not always so fun. What makes the difference?
One difference might be that adult responsibilities and children’s responsibilities are different (as well they should be!). Another difference may be that a young child can have such complete trust, but adults are sometimes more cynical. As a child, trust was easy. You trusted God and mom and dad. God loves a child-like heart, a trusting heart.
When we pray to Jesus, we need to trust Him. We need to turn our cares over to Him. He knows what is best for us. He knows better than we do what is best for us. So, when you pray, ask Jesus to help you understand His will and His ways. Ask Him to mold you and shape you. We don’t always understand God’s ways. But trust me, His ways are better than our ways. His will is better than our will.
Questions:
1. When is it easy to trust Jesus? When can it be more difficult?
2. What can you do to help us trust Jesus?
3. Ask Mom or Dad, Grandma or Grandpa to tell you a story about the good old days and who they trusted most.
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, I don’t always trust you as I should. Sometimes, I even argue with you. Help me to trust you. Help me to set my will aside and seek your will. Forgive me when I don’t. In your most Holy name I pray. Amen.
Pray
Pray – With a Bold, yet Humble Heart
“This is the
confidence we have in approaching God:
that if we ask anything according to His Will, He hears us” (IJohn
Think of the boldest person you know. Think of someone who doesn’t seem to fear anything. Think of someone who is always on top. Would you describe them as arrogant or humble? Now think of the most humble person that you know. The one who is always thinking of someone else, the one who always has a kind word for all. Would you describe them as meek or bold? Bold and arrogant seem to go together like humble and meek do. But bold and humble is a rare combination. Yet, that’s what God would like us to be…bold yet humble.
When we pray, we should be bold to ask all things of God,
yet humble in our requests knowing that we are sinners. Abraham was bold enough to bargain with God
(Genesis
We can be bold when we go to God in prayer because of Jesus. Because of the love that Jesus showed for us, because of His great sacrifice, we can be bold. We can go directly to God with our requests. Draped in grace, we can be bold to make our request, big or small, known directly to God.
So let’s be bold. Ask God for the things that are in our minds and hearts. Ask Him for wisdom. Ask Him to heal the sick. Ask for understanding and insight. Ask Him to be with the missionaries and bless their efforts. Ask Him to help us to be missionaries where we live. Ask Him for that new bicycle and video game. But, ask Him in humility. Remind yourself that He is God and that He knows what is best. Go to Him in repentance and with a humble heart. Bold and humble – a great combination.
Questions:
1. In what ways can and should we be bold with God?
2. Can you think of an example from the Bible when someone was bold yet humble?
3. What will you ask Jesus for this week?
4. What do you think He might ask of you?
Prayer:
Thank You for letting me come to You with all my prayers. Thank You for the grace that You give me everyday. Help me to be bold in my requests, yet humble in my attitude. Thank You for being my Savior. Amen.
Pray
Prayer – A Call to Action
“Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you.” (II Thessalonians 3:1)
My father used to say, “If you stand there and look at it long enough, do you think the job will just get done by itself?” Grandma would always say, “Can’t never did nothing.” How true those sayings are. In some ways, prayer is the same. When we pray and ask God for something, many times I think we miss the point. Have you ever prayed for God to give you an “A” on a test or a quiz? Perhaps you should ask Him for patience to study hard instead.
Jesus offered us a great example in the
When we ask God to help someone who is lonely, maybe we are really asking God for someone to go and visit. Maybe that someone is us! When we ask God to help someone perhaps we also need to ask God what we should do to help. Don’t get me wrong, if God wants to cure a sick person, He can do it. If there’s a drought and God wants to send rain, He can do it all by Himself. He doesn’t need me. On the other hand, my response to God and others should be one of love and helpfulness. When I go to God with a request, it’s always good for me to ask Him what’s His Will and what should my will be. It doesn’t hurt to ask what should I do or not do, either. That’s a lot of questions, but God has said, “Ask.” So let’s ask. God loves questions. He gives answers. He wants helpers.
Questions:
1. What do you want God to do for you?
2. What do you think He wants you to do for Him?
3. What are some things that God gives you every day for which you can be thankful?
Prayer:
Dear Jesus, please help me to make my prayers more than a wish list. Help me to make Your desires my desires. Help me to make an action plan. Thank you, Jesus. Amen