First Main Idea:
“Lord, teach us to pray…”
“[1] Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
[2] Jesus said, “This is how you should pray:
“Father, may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
[3] Give us each day the food we need,
[4] and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation.””
Discuss:
What was Jesus doing right before His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray? (vs. 1)
Can you think of anything else the disciples asked Jesus to teach them?
Time yourself reading this prayer at a normal speed. How long did it take? Do you think that long prayers are better than short prayers?
How interested are you in learning to pray?
Second Main Idea:
Don’t pray to get attention from people or from God.
You don’t need people’s attention and you already have God’s attention.
“[5] “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. [6] But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
[7] “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. [8] Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! ”
Discuss:
Based on this passage, is there a wrong way to pray?
Is Jesus speaking against public prayer, or something else?
Is Jesus speaking against long prayers, or something else?
How does The Father (God) respond to our prayer? (vs. 6, 8)
Third Main Idea:
The Lord’s prayer pattern is based on
intimacy, reverence, expectation, dependency, brokenness and holiness.
“[9] Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
[10] May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
[11] Give us today the food we need,
[12] and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
[13] And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.”
Discuss:
How long does it take you to read this prayer at a normal speed? How many words does it include?
What does this prayer tell us about God?
Is there any part of the prayer that confuses you or stands out to you?
How might we base our personal prayer on this model?
Fourth Main Idea:
Be focused and persistent when praying. Don’t give up.
“[5] Then, teaching them more about prayer, he used this story: “Suppose you went to a friend’s house at midnight, wanting to borrow three loaves of bread. You say to him, [6] ‘A friend of mine has just arrived for a visit, and I have nothing for him to eat.’ [7] And suppose he calls out from his bedroom, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is locked for the night, and my family and I are all in bed. I can’t help you.’ [8] But I tell you this—though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.
[9] “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Discussion
Why did the man give his friend the bread he was asking for? (vs. 8)
Do you think God is more or less generous than the man that was in bed?
When praying, how can we “keep on asking, seeking and knocking?”
How can we avoid becoming impatient or discouraged when we ask keep asking for the same things over and over again?
Fifth Main Idea:
Being right with God makes our prayer powerful and effective.
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”
Discuss:
What does the word “earnest” mean and why is it used to describe prayer?
How does a person become righteous? What does that mean?
What is the biggest answer to prayer that you have ever seen? What made it so big?
Is there anything important that you would like to pray about right now?
Sixth Main Idea:
When we pray based on what we know about God and His will, we can be confident that He hears us.
“ This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
Discuss:
How can we know God’s will?
Is there anything that you already know God’s will about?
How would you pray about something that you know God’s will about?
Based on what you know about God from the Bible, what does God want?