Uncomplicating Prayer

Prayer doesn’t have to be mysterious and scary. It’s mostly about growing in relationship with God.

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How to Pray for Your Family

Posted: September 15, 2022
God has a great plan for our kids, and prayer is a big part of seeing it happen.

Talking Points:

  • Kids aren’t automatically Christian just because they’re born to Christian parents. Trusting Jesus is a decision each person must make for themselves. We need to pray that our kids put their trust in Jesus. Matthew 19:13-15
  • Honoring God is about living lives in obedience to God’s will and allowing him to make us into the kind of people he desires. We need to pray that our kids will live a life submitted to God. 2 Thessalonians 1:11, James 4:7
  • We should pray for our kids to be “light and salt” to kids they know and teach them how to walk with their peers to help them to pursue God. Matthew 28:19-20

[Related: Prayer – What? Why? When? Where? Who?]

Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. When you were growing up how did your family pray? How do you pray in your home today? How do you invite your children to pray for your family?
  3. Read Matthew 19:13-15. What do you think Jesus means when he says, “For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children”?
  4. Read 2 Thessalonians 1:11. How can praying for your kids have an impact on their lives? Explain.
  5. Read James 4:7. Do you believe that you can successfully resist the enemy’s plans for your children in prayer? Why or why not?
  6. List the three biggest concerns you have for your kids/family. How can prayer affect those concerns?
  7. Read Matthew 28:19-20. Do you feel like your kids can make an impact in their peers’ lives? How can your prayers support them?
  8. How can you help your kids to become disciple-makers?
  9. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

 

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How to Uncomplicate Your Prayers

Posted: August 1, 2018
The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. His simple answer can transform the prayer life of every Christian today.

Talking Points:

  • Pray to grow close to your father, like you’re in an actual relationship with him. He loves us and desires relationship with us. Matthew 6:9
  • Pray to get in step with your king – for his will to be done and not yours. Matthew 6:10
  • Pray to lean on your provider because you need what only he can offer. Matthew 6:11-13
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. Do you ever feel like prayer is complicated? Explain.
  3. Read Matthew 6:7-8. What would you say is the essence of “Gentile” or pagan prayer? How is Christian prayer different?
  4. Describe a time God has seemed distant to you. What is it about God – or us – that can make God seem distant when we pray?
  5. Read Matthew 6:9, What does it mean to address God as a father?
  6. Does your experience with your earthly father help or hinder you in approaching God as your heavenly Father? Explain.
  7. Read Matthew 6:10. What does it mean for God’s kingdom to come? What does that look like in this world?
  8. When you pray “Your will be done,” what are you actually saying to God?
  9. Read Matthew 6:11-12. If God already knows our needs, why pray for daily food?
  10. If Jesus already paid for all our sins on the cross, why pray, “Forgive us our sins”?
  11. Read Matthew 6:13. What inner battles – spiritual, mental, or emotional – do you face on a regular basis? How can prayer prepare you for those battles?
  12. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

 

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The 4 Ways God Answers Prayer

Posted: August 23, 2018
God is not a cosmic vending machine, answering requests exactly how we expect. There’s more to prayer than that.

Talking Points:

  • God has four different kinds of answer to our prayers. Each of them requires us to have the right perspective on prayer.
    • If the timing is wrong, God says “slow.” John 11:5-6
    • If the request is immature, God says “grow.” Isaiah 59:1-2
    • If the request is out of God’s will, God says “no.” 1 John 5:14-15
    • If the request is right, God says “let’s go.”
Discussion:
  1. Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. Read John 11:3-6. How would you have felt if you were in Mary and Martha’s shoes?
  3. Read John 11:43-45. Why did Jesus delay in answering Mary and Martha’s plea?
  4. Why is it hard to trust God’s timing with our prayer requests?
  5. Read Isaiah 59:1-2. Why did God refuse to respond to Israel’s prayers? When God doesn’t answer, can we assume that sin is involved? Explain.
  6. Read 2 Corinthians 1:8-9. Describe the situation Paul was in. What would you have prayed for in that situation?
  7. In what ways did God grow Paul through those hardships?
  8. Read 1 John 5:14-15. What confidence can we have in prayer?
  9. How do we know what God’s will is? If we’re not sure about God’s will in a given situation, how should we pray?
  10. Read Matthew 26:37-39. What was Jesus’ prayer request? Why did God say “No”? What was Jesus’ response to God’s refusal?
  11. Think of a time God said “No” to your prayer. What was your reaction? What did you learn from that experience?
  12. When God doesn’t answer “Yes” to our prayers, why do you think some people turn their back on God, while others continue to trust him?
  13. Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?

 

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