Prayer Time

By SoulRio
Posted on May 27, 2005

This is a great study on prayer. We know that we can never pray too much. Sometimes we need to do studies like this to remind our group that this is where real power comes from. Prayer should never be the last resort. It should be the first priority in everything we do. A study of history and great times of spiritual awakening reveals one common denominator. It's not Bible Studies, Fellowship, Serving the community, or great worship music. It's prayer.
____________________________________

Why Pray to God if He knows everything that will happen?
• If God is omniscient and knows everything before it will happen, why pray? If God is sovereign and able to control anything and everything, why would people need to petition God through prayer? In Luke 22:32 Jesus said to one of His disciples, “Peter, I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (NASV) Jesus knew the power of prayer. Jesus knew what choice Peter was going to make and yet still prayed for him.
• Jesus set the example of prayer. In Matthew 7:29, the Bible says, “He taught as One who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” Jesus was and is the Master Teacher on everything including prayer. As His disciples were eager and ready to be taught, there attitude was not, “Lord teach us ‘how’ to pray,” but asked, “Lord teach us ‘now’ to pray.” There was a since of urgency in the disciple’s voice. They saw something in our Lord’s life that was far beyond themselves and they wanted to be in the middle of it.
• One of Christ’s principles of prayer that He gave to us is found in Matthew 6:6. The Bible says, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your heavenly Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (NASV)
• The secret to prayer is secret prayer. Jesus demonstrated this and His followers noticed the different and blessed life that Jesus had. Shepherd Leaders must spend time with the Lord and their people in focused prayer. Spending 30 to 45 minutes a day in prayer for your own life, the purposes of God in your life, and the lives of other people is a great start.

Prayer of Jabez
Prayer should never be used to get what you want. People should never have the attitude of prayer to “blab it and grab it” or “name it and claim it.” God invites us to pray and out of His goodness blesses our lives. There was a man in the Bible who desired God’s best in His life and the lives of others. Lets look at his life through the Scriptures.
• In 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 the Bible says that Jabez was more honorable than his brothers and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm, that I may not cause pain!” (NASV) And God granted him what he requested.

Jabez had incredible character of God. Living for the Lord was his life. He did the little things that brought about big changes in his life.

Tucked away in the genealogies of Judah, this Bible’s Little Big Man has a character quality about his life that needs to be recognized.
• What is it that sets his life apart from so many others in Judas’ family tree? Jabez prayed to the Lord that God would use him to influence as many people as he could.
• Name some people in your family tree that lived beyond the status quo and influenced people around you. What was it about their life that caused you to recognize and remember them?
• What does it mean to be “blessed?"
o To lavish divine care on someone.
o To heap prosperity or happiness upon.
o Enjoying God’s pleasure and God’s happiness to the fullest.
o All of the blessings are received with the attitude of contentment.
o God’s favor on us.
o Being blessed by His supernatural gifts that we do not earn and that we cannot get from someone else. That is why the Bible says in Proverbs 10:22, “It is the Lord’s blessings that makes you wealthy. Hard work can make you no richer.” (NASV)

You can be refreshed with a cup of water from a river or you can jump into the river and not only get a drink but also be carried away by the current. This is God’s plan for you. Life is not about you orchestrating what you want to happen in your life. Life in God’s profound plan will sweep you into a satisfying Christ like life.

• How would you respond to a RESPECTFUL and GODLY elder who is mentoring you and during your prayer time together starts off with, “Lord, bless my life (heap prosperity and happiness upon my life).” How you would feel about that? How would you respond to this attitude of a man you REALLY respect?

• Read James 1:16-17, “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation, or shifting shadow.” (NASV)

• Why would God want to bless people’s lives through their devotion of life and prayer?

o People need to see God through the praises of His people. As God blesses people they can share the blessing with others.

The ultimate reason for God to bless and reveal Himself through us is found in 2 Peter 3:9. The Bible says, “The Lord is not slow about His promises, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (NASV)

As God’s people pray, God in His sovereignty blesses and broadens our territory to influence people for the Lord. God desires these people that we touch to be saved and become fully devoted followers of God through His Son Jesus Christ.

• Pray for the Lord to increase your territory and be a living testimony of blessings to a lost world who needs to see God in a personal and real way. Pray for lost people to come into your daily, normal traffic patterns of life. Pray for the conviction and the boldness from the Lord to reach out to these people.

Youth	Ice Breakers	Simple Churches	Serving the Community	Worship
God Stories	Summer Outreach	Stories of Generousity