Do you sometimes wonder what to pray about, or how to pray about those things? This is a very common experience for many Christians and over the course of this year we’re going to be sharing some resources with you which we hope will greatly enrich our prayer lives.
In Luke 11:1 we find Jesus disciples asking “Lord, teach us to pray”. In response Jesus taught them what we call “The Lord’s Prayer”. Over the course of this year we are going to be digging deeper into how to use this as a model that teaches us what to pray, and as a map that teaches us how to pray.
Each month, we’ll be touching on a different part of The Lord’s Prayer and thinking about how it guides our prayer life. We’ll be using resources produced by 24-7 Prayer (https://prayercourse.org/home/), and learning together about worship, praying for ourselves and others, how to listen to God, how to handle unanswered prayer, and how to engage in spiritual warfare.
As we embark on this journey together the most important thing for us all to remember is to keep it simple, keep it real, and keep it up! Keep it simple – our Father in heaven already knows everything and doesn’t need us to come to Him with long winded or complicated words; keep it real – our Father in heaven completely knows us so let’s just be real as we come to Him; keep it up – Jesus taught a parable in Luke 18:1-8 about the persistent widow to teach us to always pray and not give up.
Let’s join the disciples in Luke 11:1 and ask “Lord, teach us to pray”.
In this month’s edition we’ve provided two prayer resources that you can try over the coming month, as well as a short video to help us get started. Please also join this month’s prayer meeting on Wednesday 30th June, 7.30pm at the church building.
My hope is that this will be an exciting journey that we go on together.
Prayer Resources to try over the coming month:
How to have a simple prayer time (using P.R.A.Y.)
· Pause – sit quietly for a minute, stilling your soul.
· Rejoice – read a short Psalm or listen to a worship song.
· Ask – Tell God what’s on your heart. Pray through your day. If you have a prayer list quietly name each person before God.
· Yield – Read a few verses from the New Testament, until a phrase pops out at you and then talk to God about it. Are there any sins you need to confess? Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh.
How to have a longer prayer time (using The Lord’s Prayer)
· Our Father in heaven: Be still. Sit quietly and ask “Where is the evidence of the Father’s love in my life right now?” Give thanks.
· Hallowed be your name: Read a Psalm or listen to a worship song.
· Your kingdom come, your will be done: What would it look like for God’s kingdom to come in the main areas of your life today:
o Pray for your own needs
o Pray for your friends and family
o Pray for the wider world (perhaps focusing on situations in the news)
· Give us this day our daily bread: Using a bible reading guide, if you find it helpful, read from a Gospel, a New Testament epistle, and then from the Old Testament. The emphasis here is on quality not quantity. When a phrase resonates with you, treat it as if God is starting a conversation by pausing to pray about it.
· Forgive us our sins as we forgive others: Review the last 24 hours, allowing the Holy Spirit to challenge any sinful thoughts, words and deeds. Are there people to whom you need to apologise, or others you need to forgive?
· Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil: Pray protection for yourself and for those you love, especially in areas of vulnerability. If you are under spiritual attack, take authority, standing on relevant promises from the bible.
· For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours: Finish by listening to another worship song or returning to the psalm with which you started.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO1WIawSAkQ
