Prayer

What is prayer?

• “Prayer is conscious, personal communication with the God of the universe.” - Marshall Segal

Why is prayer important?

• Prayer is expected
  
  • Matthew 6:5 - “And when you pray…”
• If Jesus prayed, how much more do we need to pray?

•  Often we don’t pray because we don’t think anything will happen.

Quotes about prayer

• “Christians spend little time in sustained prayer. While they may offer a sentence of prayer here and there, they rarely spend more than a very few minutes-if that- alone in conversation with God. ” - Donald Whitney
• "There’s nothing about prayer that appeals to the flesh. Therefore it requires discipline."                   - Mark Clifton
• “As it is the business of tailors to make clothes and of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.” - Martin Luther
• “I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God. It changes me.” - C.S. Lewis
• “To pray is to accept that we are, and always will be, wholly dependent on God for everything.”      - Tim Keller

When do we pray?

• We can pray whenever.
  
  • In other world religions, there are specific times and ways to pray.
  • Because of Jesus, we are able to have access to God anyplace and anytime.
    
    • Hebrews 4:14-16
• Though we can pray anywhere and anytime, Jesus gives us warning about how this is to be done.
  
  • Matthew 6:5-6
• We are not to pray like the hypocrites who pray in the public so they can be seen. When we pray, we are not to do it to boast in front of others.

How do we pray for our own spiritual growth? 

• There is not one specific way to pray.
• Pray using the Bible.
  
  • The Bible is full of ways we can turn passages of Scripture into prayers.
    
    • Matthew 6:9-13
    • Romans 11:34-36
    • Psalm 23
• One model of prayer
  
  • Adoration
    
    • Praise God for who he is.
  • Confession
    
    • Confess any sin in your life and asks for forgiveness.
  • Thanksgiving
    
    • Thank God for what he has done, what he is doing, and will do in your life.
  • Supplication
    
    • Present any requests you have to God.

What is one thing you can do to improve your prayer life?

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