LESSON THREE
PRAYER
MEMORY VERSE
“Pray continually” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (NIV)
This lesson will
teach you how Christians grow in their relationship with God through praying.
In this lesson, you will find answers to the following questions, which are
common to all new followers of Christ:
Why do Christians pray?
How do I pray as a faithful follower of Jesus?
Did Jesus pray when He was on earth?
Does God listen to me when I pray?
Prayer is not an exercise in vain, desperation and performance to
impress people or God. Also, it is not the use of a lot of meaningless words
(babbling like pagans) or the repetition of words. However prayer is both a
conscious and spiritual communication with God.
“Call to me and I
will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know”
(Jeremiah 33:3).
The Bible teaches
us that God is always ready to listen to us and help us as His children. Now
that you are a child of God, He wants you to share with Him all your needs. You
can approach God freely and tell Him about your dreams, goals and needs. Do you
know how to express your needs to the creator of the universe? Jesus understood
this better than anyone else. God is patient and has a loving heart in
listening to His children. When Jesus was on the earth, He frequently went
somewhere alone to have a private prayer time with God.
a)
At what time did
Jesus wake up to pray, according to Mark 1:35?
……………………………………………………………
The disciples
were witnesses of the wisdom, strength and power that Jesus received through
prayer. On one occasion, they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke
11:1). Jesus gave them the instructions about prayer that we find in Matthew
6:5-13.
Read the passage and answer the following questions:
b)
What kinds of prayer
will God not listen to (verses 7, 8)?
……………………………………………………………
c)
What is meant to
be babbling like pagans? (James1:6-8)?
……………………………………………………………
In this model
that Jesus gave us, we can find some fundamental purposes of prayer:
1. TO WORSHIP AND GIVE THANKS
To worship God is to recognize His greatness and serve Him. We can
see this in verses 9 and 13.
a.
What does Jesus
affirm in the opening and closing of His prayer?
………………………………………………………………
Gratitude is
closely related to worship. Jesus taught that the children of God should be
thankful for everything they receive from their Heavenly Father. This does not
only include material things, but also friends, family, job, rest and
everything else they receive every day from God’s hand.
2. TO ASK WITHIN THE WILL OF GOD
When Christians pray, they demonstrate that they want to live
close to God and know His will for their lives. Through prayer, they can get to
know their Heavenly Father more and more, and grow in their love for Him every
day. A believer who does not pray every day will soon become discouraged and
weak; they would not be able to overcome trials and temptations. Because of
this, many fail in the Christian life.
a.
What did Jesus
ask for in His prayer, in verses 11-13?
………………………………………………………..
b.
Are Jesus’
requests selfish and focused only on His personal desires?
………………………………………………………………
In the same way, the believer should seek to be guided by God
every day in prayer, to do His will at all times (verse 10). The believer also
has the privilege of interceding for other people.
c.
Who do Ephesians
6:18-20 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2 say we should remember to pray for?
………………………………………………………………
3. TO CONFESS SIN AND RECEIVE FORGIVENESS FROM GOD
The word “sin” refers to actions, words, thoughts or desires that
ignore the known law of God. When someone sins, he or she offends God and
breaks his or her relationship with Him. That person needs to ask for
forgiveness in prayer. Jesus taught that God’s children should also be merciful
and forgive those who wrong them.
a.
According to
Matthew 6:12, what is the relationship between the way a person treats someone
who has offended him or her and the forgiveness that they want to receive from
God?
………………………………………………………………
b.
According to
Matthew 5:44-45, what does God expect from His children in their relationships
with others? ………………………………………………………………
Conclusion
Now that you have learnt how to pray and you know God would listen
to you, prayer must be a daily activity. Pray for yourself, loved ones, family,
church members and even enemies. Bible teaches us to even pray for those who
persecute us for vengeance is of the Lord. For further
enrichment answer the following questions;
1)
How can you put into practice what you learned?
2)
Would you encounter any obstacles incorporating these principles
into your life? If yes, how could you overcome them with the help of the Lord
and your discipler?
Discipler’s Confirmation (to
be filled by New Convert Teacher)
I (Discipler),……………………………………………………………..
do affirm that ……………………………………………………… (name of
new convert) has completed this lesson and all his/her questions have been
discussed. He/she is therefore grounded on this topic.
Signature
of Discipler: ……………………… Date: …….……...
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