Prayer Study Week Two Day Four

 “Agreeing With God”

“I agree with you”. Nothing gets to me more than a disagreement. I like it when someone sees I-to-eye with my opinion. There’s one problem with this; I am not always right. (Now that’s a newsmaker!) Here is one thing I am sure of; God is always right and yet I’m not always in agreement with Him.

Believing God is agreeing with Him and acting on this agreement; this is faith. Disagreement with God is a lack of faith and a willful act of disobedience. Agreeing with God is professing our faith in His perfect will and supreme authority. Agreeing with God is essential to an effective prayer life.

Read Hebrews 4:14. Who is our High Priest? 


What are we to hold firmly to?

Jesus, our High Priest, has gone before the Father on our behalf and has made a way for us to have a right relationship with Him. When we profess our faith in Jesus, our belief that He is who He says He is, we are in total agreement with the Lord God Almighty.

I used to picture this particular verse differently. In my mind I saw myself dangling from a lifeline that was attached to a helicopter. I had just been rescued from a flood and was holding on with all my might as Jesus flew the helicopter away from the dirty, swirling flood waters. This mental image is partially true ~ I was drowning in the dangerous flood of my sins and the influences of the world that pulled me into its strong current, but the rescue is entirely different. Instead, Christ Himself reaches into the water and with His strong arms and lifts me out of this swirling promise of death. The assurance of the strength in His mighty embrace surrounds me as I lay my head on His chest and listen to His sacred heart beating. This is the faith I profess, that Jesus is my true rescuer, my comfort, my strength, my love and the source of eternal life. I’m not letting go because I know that He will not let go of me.

Read Hebrews 4:15. Answer the following questions:


What is Jesus able to sympathize with?


Why?

His sympathy and compassion for us is strong. It is not a patronizing, “You poor thing,” but a strong loving response of “I know what you’ve been through and have been tempted by, because I’ve been in the position you are in.” When we profess our faith in Jesus, we have a Rescuer, our Savior, who has been through the battle of this world and is victorious over it.

Read Hebrews 4:16. Answer the following:


What kind of throne do we approach?


What do we approach the throne with?


What do we receive?

Because of Jesus we can approach His throne of grace and mercy with confidence. Let’s look at each component of this particular verse:

Grace ~ Confidence ~ Mercy

The Throne of Grace
We see a throne as a symbol of authority, exalted position and majesty. God’s throne is different than all other thrones because it is a throne of grace. It represents the kindness of God towards people. God’s grace is kindness given to the undeserving. The grace we receive from God is unmerited favor because of the actions of Christ on our behalf.

Read Ephesians 2:4 & 5. What is the reason for the salvation God gives to those who accept His Son as their Rescuer? 

Just like the old hymn says, “Grace, grace, God’s grace; Grace that is greater than all our sin” we receive grace from God. It is a grace that is definitely greater that all our sins. If it weren’t then we’d be lost forever.

A Confident Approach
We can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence because of what Christ has done for us as our High Priest by making the perfect sacrifice for our sins. It isn’t by anything we have done that allows for us to come before God. It’s all because of what Jesus has done.

The Greek word for “confidence” is “parresia” which means “freedom in speaking."We are free to tell God all we have on our hearts with confidence. And the great thing about telling Him everything is that He hears us and doesn’t break our confidence. It’s just between God and us, no one else.

He has given us freedom 

to come to God in confidence.

Look up the following verses and describe why we can approach God’s throne of grace. What is the manner be which we can approach God’s Throne:




Verse                                                         Manner in which we approach Gods’ Throne


Ephesians 3:12        


                                                          
1 John 3:21 & 22




1 John 5:14                          

Jesus, our High Priest, has made a way for us to approach God’s throne of grace with confidence through faith in Him, obedience to His commands and according to His will. Another line of the old hymn tells of the grace of God. We receive His grace that forever exceeds our sin and our guilt when we approach His throne with a belief in His Son Jesus and accept His forgiveness:

“Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!”

Receiving God‘s Mercy
We have great need of God’s mercy because without it we are in a hopeless state. We are fortunate beyond all we could ever imagine by having access to the mercy room of God. Realizing this ability through God’s love for us through Christ and accepting His love and forgiveness is the key to a successful and meaningful prayer life.

Read Ephesians 2:4-9. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:


Verse 4 God is great in _________________ God is rich in ____________________.


Verse 5  We are made _________________ in Christ when we were ___________ in our _________________. It is by ________________ we have been _________________.


Verse 6 God raised us up with _______________ and God seated us with Him in the ________________ ________________ in _____________ __________________.


Verse 7 He seated us with Christ so God could show us His _____________________ ____________ of His ________________.


Verse 8 It is by _______________ we have been _____________, through ___________


Verse 9 Salvation is not by ______________. Our works cannot save us so that we cannot ____________________.

In order to receive God’s mercy at His throne of grace, we must acknowledge God’s great love for us and view His Son’s sacrifice as sufficient to provide access to Him. We must receive His mercy. It is for the taking ~ a free gift of God’s incomparable riches of grace.

Prayer Time
Are you in agreement with God? If you are, take this time to approach His throne of grace with confidence and receive His mercy.  Go to your Prayer Journal and write out your prayer of agreement with God. Maybe you don’t agree with Him. Go to your prayer journal and tell Him about it.


Discussion Questions
1. Believing God is agreeing with Him and acting upon this agreement; this is faith. When you go to God in prayer do you believe God and that His way is always right? Why or why not?


2. When we profess our faith in Jesus, we have a Rescuer, our Savior, who has been through the battle of this world and is victorious over it. Have you experienced His salvation? Do you depend upon this salvation as you pray? Explain.


3. We can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence because of what Christ has done for us as our High Priest by making the perfect sacrifice for our sins. It isn’t by anything we have done that allows for us to come before God. Do you feel that you have to prove yourself or earn merit to enter God’s presence in prayer? Why or why not?

Prayer Study Week Two Day Three

 “Recognizing Our Need before God”

The dictionary defines “need” as “a lack of something required or desirable. It is a necessity or obligation. Need is a condition of poverty.” But we have diluted this word and use it for everything.

Do you recognize the following statements? “I need some money.” “I need more time.” “I need to borrow the car.” The word “need” is a fill-in-the-blank word. If you were asked what your greatest need is, surely something would pop into your head immediately.

“What is your greatest need?’” Write down whatever pops into your head:

My Greatest Need Is:



Turn to Philippians 4:19. (NIV) Fill in the blanks: 


“And my God will _______________ all your _______________ according to His glorious ____________ in ________________ _________________.”

According to the definitions of need found in the dictionary, There are two we will study in regards to our need of God. They are:

Something required

Something desired

Both define our need of God and God is faithful to meet all our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Something Required
Read Micah 6:6-8. When you come before God in prayer what does He require? (See verse 8). 




When we have a relationship with God, we have a “need” to meet the requirements He has of us. These definitions are meant to glorify Him and to edify ourselves and others. He commands us to “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly before Him.” Let’s look at these “need” requirements individually:

To act justly - Is to fulfill the obligation to reflect God’s attribute of justice. We must emulate His justice. This does not mean that we are to judge others. But we are to live our lives in accordance with what God deems as just.

Read 1 Peter 3:8-12. What are the requirements found in these verses for a right relationship with God?  (List as many as you can find):


When we are in a right relationship with God, what happens when we pray? 


What happens to us if we are not in a right relationship with God? 

To have a right relationship with God we live our lives reflecting who He is. We must treat each other the way we are treated by God. He is full of compassion and mercy and so should we. The great thing is God supplies this ability because we can’t do it on our own. We receive His ability to love others and
must rely on this promise.

To love mercy:
God is merciful and requires the same of those who place their trust in Him. Do you show mercy? Often we don't know how or don't want to show mercy. We feel it is our "right" to punish those who have done wrong to us or our loved ones. But, God tells us differently.

Read Isaiah 57:15. Where are the two places that God lives? 


What two things does God revive of the contrite and lowly?

Being contrite and lowly doesn't mean being a milktoast. It means that we confess our sins to God who already knows them and assume our place of humility before Him. I think, (my thoughts) God answers prayers based on our humilty and confession before Him. Are we holding back and standing in our pride? It's just a thought, but I often wonder if I am truly coming to Him with my need in the right frame of mind.


Walk humbly with God- It is in our continuing relationship with God that we “need” to      humble ourselves before Him. It is a requirement in our right relationship with Him. In Day One of this week we studied about our position before God. We learned our position involves knowing that He is God and we are not.

Read John 8:12. Answer the following:


How does Jesus describe Himself? 


What does He promise to those who follow Him?


Apply this to your life.


How will you respond? 

Walking humbly with God is to follow Jesus. He is the only Leader that can show us the way we should go. When we go it alone, we walk in the darkness.

Something Desired
Read Psalm 37:4. Write out this verse and circle the words delight, desires and heart:


Now define each word below:


Delight : 


Desire :


Heart: 

So often when we seek to satiate the desires of the physical body, our spiritual desires get buried, when shovel after shovel of the dirt of our obsession is piled on our spirit as we dig for the treasures this world offers. We’re digging for the wrong treasure. This verse in Psalm 37 gives us the right place to fulfill what our heart, our inner being, desires. When we seek God, we find great pleasure and gratification in the deepest part of who we really are. And, guess what? God desires to fulfill our heart’s desires. He delights in it!

“The Lord your God is with you,

He is mighty to save.

He will take great delight in you,

He will quiet you with His love, 

He will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

I remember holding my babies and rocking them gently, quieting them with a soft lullaby. They were fed and warm, swaddled snuggly in their blankets. I can’t describe the joy I felt looking down on these precious little ones. They were safe in my arms and their needs were taken care of. They rested peacefully and would smile in their sleep. What a delight! God feels the same way about you and me, even more so. He longs to fulfill our needs, to hold us safely in His arms so we can rest in the sheer delight of His fulfillment.

“And my God shall supply all your needs according to 

     His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” 

Philippians 4:19

Prayer Time
Remember the first question that I asked? What is your greatest need? I want you to answer it again, but this time, close your eyes and ask the Lord to reveal to you your true greatest need, the one your spirit longs for. Allow Him to uncover what the waste of your earthly desires has hidden.  Go to your Prayer Journal and write out what you discover. 


Discussion Questions
1. We all have needs. Our true need is for God. God requires three things found in Micah 6:6-8.   What are they? 


2. What does God say about meeting your true needs?




3. How does knowing that God delights in meeting your needs affect your prayers?

Prayer Study Week Two Day Two

“Admission to God”

When a person is as hard-headed as I am, it is like pulling teeth to get an admission that they are wrong. We can blame hard-headedness, others or genetics (that may have a little to do with it). Hey! We can place blame all the way back to Adam and Eve if we want to. But, there’s a curious thing about blame and guilt, excuses don’t make us right with God.

Read 1 John 1:9 (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

“If we __________________ our ___________, He is ________________________ and ________ and will ____________________ us our sins and ____________ us from all ____________________________.”

If we take this verse and break it down, we will see that there are two subjects involved:

Us

God

We’ve begun to learn our role and God’s role in our lives as it relates to our prayers lives.  When we go to Him in prayer an essential part of it is our admission that we have sinned. I’ve rushed through this part or even ignored it. Can’t I just ask for forgiveness over anything I may have done and move on? Of course I can because God knows my sins. However, to have an effective prayer life I need to lay those sins that He brings to my mind before Him in true repentance.

So what is our role and what is God’s role listed in 1 John 1:9?  What do you think they are?

Our role is ___________________________________________

God’s role is _________________________________________

Our Role- Confession

Read Psalm 32:1 & 2. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are __________________________ whose sins are ____________________. Blessed is the man whose sin the __________ does not count ___________ him and in whose spirit there is no ______________________.”

The definition for this particular word “blessed” in Hebrew is “asrey” which means “happy.” The dictionary defines it as “fortunate, pleasurable.” 

Being forgiven of our sins is a pleasurable experience. We should consider ourselves fortunate because the debt we owe for our sins we cannot pay and God through Jesus has made payment for our sins. Not only that, when we are truthful about our sins, the corrosion of our spirits, caused by continued sin, is gone and we are restored. A tremendous weight is gone. When we confess our sins and the clean and unburden life is given, we experience pure delight. We are filled with unspeakable joy.

Read Psalm 32:3 & 4. Answer the following:

What happens when we keep silent about our sins? 

Whose hand is heavy upon us? 

What is sapped away? 

What are your thoughts about these two verses? 

Have you ever experienced this? Explain. 

It is not just because our own consciences weigh heavily upon us when we sin; it is the heavy hand of God. Our spirits recognize God whether we believe that God exists or not because when He created us He placed His eternal spirit within us. This is the part of us that longs to know God. The world would argue with this, but I believe our spirits recognize God. Sometimes this desire is buried deeply and might be so deep that our guilt is numbed. Those who walk with the Lord will feel this desire of the Lord. His Holy Spirit calls us. 

Read further in Psalm 32:5 (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

Then I ___________________________ my _________ to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will _____________ my __________________ to the Lord,” and You forgave the guilt of my sins.

Now take the underlined words in the passage you just filled in and fill in the blanks below with the word you think matches the definitions:

___________________: The Hebrew word for this is “hattat” which means “to sin, do wrong; lack obedience and sometimes habitual sinfulness.”

___________________: The Hebrew word for this is “yada” which means “to perceive, understand, know discern; to be familiar with, be aware of.”

___________________: The Hebrew word for this is “pesa” which means “to rebel or transgress. It denotes willful deviation from the path of righteousness, a premeditated crossing of the line of God’s law, a rebellious act of rejecting God’s authority.”

___________________: The Hebrew word for this is “yadah” which means “to speak out, confess; praise; to sing; to give thanks.”

In our role of confession, we must first acknowledge our sin. This literally means to perceive, understand and be aware of our lack of obedience. Our acknowledgment of this habitual sinfulness against God is the essential first step in having a right relationship with God. After we acknowledge our sin, which is admitting the truth of our sin to ourselves, we then confess our transgression to God. We literally verbalize our rebellious acts against God‘s authority.  In other words, we admit the truth about our sin to ourselves and then confess the truth about our rebellion against God to God.

Acknowledgement + Confession = A right relationship with God

God’s Role- Forgiveness

After we acknowledge our sin and confess our transgressions to God, God immediately forgives the guilt of our sins.  (See verse5b). 

Read Psalm 32:6-8. Answer the following:

What are the godly to do?  

Why? 

What do you think “surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him” mean?

How is God described in verse seven? 

What will He do for those who approach Him in prayer? 

In verse eight God promises that He will do what?

How can you apply this to your life?

God sets us apart as holy when we come to Him in obedience and give our lives to Him. He protects us in times of trouble and surrounds us with songs of deliverance. In a right relationship with God, He instructs us in His will. His council is perfect. God doesn’t want a bunch of mules that He has to bridle. God wants people who respond promptly to Him on their own.

Prayer Time

Go to your Prayer Journal and take this time to confess your sins to God. Ask Him to reveal anything in your life that He does not approve of. Ask Him to forgive you and lead you into better behavior that will only glorify Him. 

Discussion Questions

1. So if our role is to confess our sins to God and God’s role is to forgive us our sins, then why do we have such a hard time believing that we are forgiven and made right with God?

2. Being forgiven of our sins is a pleasurable experience because Christ Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven. Why do we often hide our sins and not confess them to Him? 

3. What does “God is our hiding place” mean to you? 

Prayer Study Week Two Day One

 “Recognizing Our Position”

In the first lesson of week one, we studied about our need to recognize God’s position to glorify Him in our prayers. Though we will never be able to study all of who God is, we did learn that God is God and we are not. Today we will examine our position in relationship to God’s position.

I guess I’ve really never thought about God’s position in my prayers and in my daily life until I really began to study what God had to say about prayer. And I really never viewed myself in any position before God. But now since I have studied and continue to grow deeper in my communication with Him, I am beginning to understand the magnitude of who God really is. With that, my position before God is coming into focus. It’s so vital to an effective prayer life to understand our position before God.

Turn to Isaiah 66:1-2. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

This is what the Lord says: “_________________ is My throne and the ___________ is My footstool. Where is the _____________ you will ______________ for Me? Where will My resting place be? Has not My hand made all things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “This is one I esteem: he who is _________________ and __________________ in spirit and __________________ at my _____________,” declares LORD.

God is on the throne and reigns eternally. He is Creator God and everything that is exists is created by Him and for Him. God desires to reside in hearts which are humble and contrite. In other words, He wants to reside in hearts that recognize their need of God and His superiority over them.

We glean 3 things from this verse that defines our position in relationship to God’s position.  They are: 

Humility (Recognizing one’s lower position in relation to God.)

Contrition (Sincere remorse)

Fear (Respect for God’s position)

These three words describe the make-up of a person who is in a right relationship with God. This is the position we must assume in order to have an affective prayer life. 

Let’s examine these individually:

1. Humility

Humility is the lack of pride or the freedom from pride. It is not self-abasement (false pride) No one likes false humility, especially God. He can spot it immediately.

Read Colossians 2:16-23. What do you think false humility is after reading these verses? Why is it a hindrance to our prayers?

In our self-abasement (false humility), we try to show God that we are humble through our actions. The adherence to man-made commandments is pride at its worse. We are trying to redeem ourselves by our self-imposed and self-inflicted regulations. We, in our guilt, are trying to make ourselves right with God. In other words, we are replacing what Christ did on the cross with our insufficient, prideful acts of human redemption. Only Christ’s redemption is sufficient.

We must examine the motives of our hearts. When we humble ourselves before God it should mean wanting His will and way over anything else in this world. It is knowing that His way is best even when we don’t understand it. It is believing Him no matter what is going on around us.

Read 1 Peter 5:6 & 7. What does it say about humility? 

Why can we cast all our cares on Him? 

Humility, the kind that God requires, is one in which we recognize our need for Him. We learn and accept that we cannot do anything to correct our sin or alleviate our guilt from sin. All our efforts to redeem ourselves amount to nothing. The only thing, the excellent thing, is to submit to God and His redemption. His redemption is through His Son and our acceptance of His actions on the cross. It is enough to cover us. What we do to cover our guilt is worth nothing.

True humility recognizes our need of God.

2. Contrition

Contrition is sincere remorse for wrongdoing. It is repentance, a conscious turning from evil or disobedience to God. Contrition is our response to God’s grace. We turn 180 degrees from our sin, our false humility, our idols and this world and place our focus on God through Christ Jesus.

Read 2 Corinthians 7:10. What is godly sorrow? 

What does it bring?

What does repentance lead to? 

What does godly sorrow do about regret? 

What does worldly sorrow bring? 

True humility brings about contrition and repentance. This all leads to salvation. We are saved by God from the penalty of death resulting from the guilt of our sins. Worldly sorrow involves false humility and no repentance before God. Because of this, it leads to death. There is no salvation involved. 

A contrite heart is required for a right relationship with God. God resides in the hearts of those who are truly contrite and repentant. In order to have an effective prayer life, we must humble ourselves and have sincere remorse for our sins before the Holy One.

Contrition is our response to God’s grace.

3. Fear 

The fear of the Lord is a fear that is defined as awe and reverence felt in the presence of His highest authority.

Read Psalm 111:9. What two words describe His name?

1. ________________________________

2. ________________________________

We worship what we fear. This is because what we fear is often foremost in our minds. The fear or respect we have for God is essential to our relationship with Him. We must always have Him foremost in our minds.

Let’s examine the two words that Psalm 111:9 uses to describe God.

The Holiness of God

God is holy and we must recognize this. He is separate from evil and cannot tolerate it. God is completely perfect. Our approach to God in prayer must bear this in mind.

Read Exodus 15:11. Answer the questions this passage poses: 

The Awesomeness of God

The fear of God (awesomeness) we experience when we approach Him in prayer is a positive experience. Our fear before God, His awesomeness, produces righteous living. We are devoted to Him in our awe of Him. In order to have an effective prayer life, we must fear God (respect Him). The fear of the Lord helps to keep our eyes focused on Him.

Read Psalm 86:11. When we learn the ways of the Lord what do we walk in? 

Why do we need an “undivided heart” in order to truly fear His Name?

In a right relationship with God we are humbled. There is a lack of pride and self-sufficiency. In our humility towards God there is freedom. The lines of communication are clear. We acknowledge our need of His power and grace and accept our awful lacking without Him. In our humility we see our need to turn away from sin and the pull of this world. 

Responding to God’s power and grace causes us to have a good and effective prayer life. We must turn towards Him in repentance and away from the distractions that interrupt our conversation with Him. Humility and contrition are components of the fear (respect) of God. It is the knowing and accepting that He is holy and powerful, yet full of grace in perfect love, in which we delight in Him.

Humility before God is true freedom.

Prayer Time

Don’t view yourself as a “nothing” before God. View yourself as His dearly loved child. Go to your Prayer Journal and write out your recognition of God’s position in relationship to your position.

Humility towards God

Contrition towards God 

Fear of God 

Discussion Questions

1. Define “false humility” and why it is a hindrance to our prayers.

2. Contrition is sincere remorse for wrongdoing. It is repentance, a conscious turning from evil or disobedience to God. Contrition is our response to God’s grace. How do you come to God with true humility? Explain.

3. The fear of the Lord is a fear that is defined as awe and reverence felt in the presence of His highest authority. How is this kind of fear different from worldly fear?

Study of Prayer ~ Week Two Class Lesson

“Thy Kingdom Come; Thy will be done, in earth and it is in Heaven...” (Matthew 6:10)      


The Kingdom of God is a perfect place and is meant for holiness. We cannot enter into the holy presence of God on our own. He cannot have anything but holiness near Him.

Remember Moses? He was in the presence of God when He met with God on Mt. Horeb.

Exodus 3:1-6 (NIV) 1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
 4 When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
   And Moses said, “Here I am.”
 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Moses couldn’t come closer to God, because God was holy and knew that Moses couldn’t live inside His  holiness because of Moses’ sinful nature. This sinful nature entered mankind when Adam and Eve disobeyed God. God later set up a system, in the tabernacle Moses would build, for temporary covering of sin through blood sacrifice. Later God would provide a permanent way for our sins to be covered by the sacrificial blood of Jesus His Son.

Psalm 103:19 (NIV) The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

God’s Kingdom is firmly established. It will never fade of perish like other kingdoms of the world because it is ruled by an everlasting King. This King is Jesus. He is superior to all.

For now, God allows evil to happen on the earth because of free will, but know this, Jesus will make everything right. He has conquered the evil one on the Cross and one day He will obliterate all evil from this world. He will establish His Kingdom on the earth. To be a part of His Kingdom, we have to accept Him as our King.

This is why Jesus specifically placed, “Thy Kingdom come...” in this example of prayer. When we pray this phrase, we accept Him as our King and ultimate ruler over who we are and what we do. He becomes Head over us and we are protected from the wrath of God, who will wipe out all evil in the end.

Psalm 145:13 (NIV) Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.

God is trustworthy and faithful. He keeps His promises. Prophecy has been and is being fulfilled. Know this, God’s Kingdom will take over and wipe-out all who oppose Him.

We must acknowledge Him in our prayers for a reason and that is to lay our will down for His perfect will.

“Thy will be done...” In God’s Kingdom His will shall be done. There’s no if’s and’s or but’s about it; His will shall be done. No matter what happens in this world, God's will is the final say.

“In earth as it is in heaven.” This means that in heaven, a holy place where God lives, nothing unholy can exist. Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s will to come to earth and eventually take over the will of this world. However, He has to take over our individual lives first.

By praying for God’s will over our will, we are accepting His will by faith. We step in-line with Him and our hearts beat in rhythm with His.

Matthew 26:39 (NIV) Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

Jesus set the example during His time alone with God in the Garden of Gethsemane. He laid down His will for the heavenly will of His Father. We too, must lay aside our will for His. I am so grateful that He did lay down His will because I would have no hope. Because of Jesus I have hope, an eternal hope.

We’ve learned from Jesus so far in the Lord’s Prayer to:

Acknowledge God as God.
Realize the enormity of God’s Kingdom.
Accept His will over ours.

Why do we need to do these things first?

We acknowledge God as God because we want to have the respectful connection to our Creator.
We accept His Kingdom as our Kingdom with Jesus being our King.
We take on His will over ours because His is perfect and ours is not.

Jesus knew the orderliness of God and He laid out this perfect outline of Prayer for us to respond to God properly.

As we move on to this next week’s lesson, “Confession to God in Prayer,” let’s lay our will down for His as we acknowledge Him as God and King.

Study of Prayer ~ Week One Lesson Five

“Magnifying God”

Let’s begin this lesson by reading Psalm 34:1-3 again, but this time we’ll read it in the King James Version. I will supply the text for you: 

I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continuously be in my mouth.
My soul shall make its boast in the LORD;
The humble shall hear it and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

Please underline: bless, praise, boast and magnify. These words help us focus on the Lord Almighty. They are essential to magnifying Him in our prayers.

If you ever took a science class you should remember looking through a microscope at some pond water? What looked like a clear liquid on a tiny slide when viewed through a microscope, was in fact teaming with the activity of tiny organisms. In order for you to see clearly, when you looked into the microscope, you had to turn the fine tuning knobs and line up the slide so the microorganism could be brought into clear view.

This is the case with prayer. Blessing, praising and boasting in Him, are the “knobs” that help magnify God. He is magnified in our honor of Him. The unseen things of God are brought into plain view. This is the first essential step in our approach to Him. The fuzziness of life and the daily distractions we encounter fade away and our view of God is made clear.
This week we have focused on the fine tuning process of magnifying God by learning to:

* Recognize God’s Position
* Honor God
* Celebrate God
* Extolling God

These elements of glorifying God fine tune our vision of Him. He is magnified and we can see Him. He is brought into plain view.

Turn to Psalm 63:1-3. Let’s break these verses down:

Verse 1: Why do we seek God according to the Psalmist?

Verse 2: What do we see in the sanctuary of God? 

Verse 3: Why do we glorify God?

We read in this Psalm that when we seek God, we behold His power and glory and glorify Him in our lives. Let’s take a closer look at these three verses individually.

Behold His Power and Glory!

Seeking God
We seek God because our souls need to be filled by Him. This world offers only temporary satisfaction. Just like a candy bar leaves us feeling hungry shortly after we have eaten it, so does the satisfaction that the world offers.

In our communication with God, we seek Him so He can fill us. This life and this world do not offer the essentials for our souls, only God does. He’s the only one who can meet our needs.
Turn to Psalm 42:1 & 2. What does our soul pant for?

What does the Psalmist ask in verse 2?

The two Hebrew words used for “meet with” are “ra’ah” which means “to see, to understand intellectually and perceive,” and “pa’neh” which means “before, in front of; face or in the presence of.” When we pray, we seek fulfillment in the very presence of our Holy God. We understand that He is God and the supplier of our every need. He quenches our thirst and fills us with the sustenance of His love.

What do you suppose is the answer to the Psalmist’s question, “When can I go and meet with Him?” 

We can meet with God at any time. He is brought into clear view when we bow in His presence through prayer. We magnify God by being in His presence. We are in His presence anywhere and everywhere as followers of Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit living within us. Our physical bodies and this physical world cannot confine us. We are always in the presence of the Lord. We just need to acknowledge this and seek Him.

God is present.

Seek Him.

Beholding God’s Power and Glory
By being in the very presence of God, we clearly see His power and glory. The unseen power and glory of God is magnified, brought into focus, as we behold Him. We cannot behold the unseen attributes of God without being in His presence. Throughout our day, we can walk in His presence as we glorify Him in our thoughts, words and actions.
Read Psalm 27:4. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:

“One thing I ________ of the Lord, this is what I _________: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to ________ upon the beauty of the Lord and to _________ Him in His temple.”

The Psalmist asks one thing of the Lord, but it has three elements to it. What are they?

1. 
2. 
3.

Employing these elements in our lives magnifies God. This is how:

1. “To dwell” means “to live our lives in the presence of God.” We are never without Him. He is part of us because we have chosen to live in His presence.

2. “To seek” means “to direct all our questions to God.” We seek direction from Him. We want to be in His presence and to do this, we must inquire of Him. This is an act of obedience. To remain in His presence, we must seek Him.

2. “To gaze” is “to keep our eyes focused on Him.” He should always be in our sight. This keeps us on the right path and in a right relationship with Him.
Glorifying God
We glorify God because His love is better than life! His love, His provision, is better than what this earthly life provides.

Read Psalm 36:5-9. Answer the following:

How far does God’s love reach?

How far does His faithfulness reach?

What is His righteousness like?

What is His justice like?

What is priceless?

Who takes refuge in the shadow of His wings?

When refuge is taken in God, what do we feast on?

Where does God give us drink from?

In God we find the what?

In His light we see what?

God’s love is infinite and His faithfulness is eternal. His righteousness stands strong and majestic. His justice is deep, reaching all the hidden places we think we can hide from Him. His love is priceless, because it never fails. Everyone who seeks Him finds refuge in His strong arms. The Lord not only provides refuge for those who seek Him, He gives from the abundance of His house. We have access to all He has and when we drink from His living water, we are filled with delight in Him. The river of delights is supplied by the Fountain of Life ~ Jesus Christ ~ and we bask in His light. We see Him clearly when He is brought into plain view through our time with Him in prayer. He is magnified! When we live our lives for Him and in Him, He is magnified.

God’s love is infinite and His faithfulness is eternal!

Prayer Time
Go to your Prayer Journal and take this time to bow in prayer, allowing Him to be brought into plain view. Adjust the fine tuning of magnification by:

Recognizing God’s position. 

Honoring God by telling Him 

what you know to be true about Him. 

Celebrating God and all He has done. 

Extolling God.

Discussion Questions
1. “To dwell” means “to live our lives in the presence of God.” Do you dwell in the presence of the Holy One? What does that mean to you?

2. “To gaze” means “to keep our eyes focused on Him.” He should always be in our sight. This keeps us on the right path and in a right relationship with Jesus. How do we as believers in Jesus, keep our eyes focused on Him?

3. “To seek” means “to direct all our questions to God.” What are some of the things that you want direction from God? What are some things that are keeping you from receiving it?

Study of Prayer ~ Week One Lesson Four

 “Extolling God”

Extolling God, what is that? The dictionary defines it as, “To praise lavishly.” So, what does it mean to praise lavishly? Looking further, I discovered it to mean, “To proclaim excellence repeatedly and abundantly.” Our praise to God in our prayer time shouldn’t be just a quick “Praise God!” but should extol Him, which means to proclaim His excellence repeatedly and abundantly!

Look up Psalm 34:1-3. Answer the following:

When are we to extol God? 

Who are we to boast in?

Sounds like an impossible task, doesn’t it? However, extolling God is acknowledging His supremacy over us. In and throughout our day, our attitude should be one where we extol God. In situations where we find ourselves crying out to Him, we must have the attitude that He is supreme and sovereign. 

Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. What three things does the Apostle Paul instruct the reader to do?

1. ________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________

What reason does he give for these three things? 

Whoa! What a list! How can I be joyful always? How can I pray continuously? How can I give thanks in all circumstances? I know that it is God’s will for me in Christ Jesus but this seems impossible. Yet, if I am to extol God at all times, this is how I do it.

Let’s look at these three elements of extolling God at all times:

1.  Be Joyful Always

Read Philippians 4:4.  What do you think Paul is saying? 

Even though it goes against human reasoning, this verse teaches us an important lesson. Our inner feelings do not have to line up with what is currently happening to us. When we rejoice in the Lord, we acknowledge to ourselves and to God that He is superior to our circumstance. To extol God is to rejoice in Him.

Extol God by rejoicing in Him always!

2. Pray Continuously 

Staying on our knees 24/7 is an impossible task. The command to pray continuously means to have a constant prayerful attitude that keeps the communication open with the Lord. This attitude is built upon the solid foundation of God’s supremacy and sovereignty. Christians should realize their dependence on God and tap into His power. Our obedience to Him is essential in our walk with Him. These elements make up the continuous life of prayer.

Look up the following scriptures and describe what each one says about prayer:

Luke 18:1 ____________________________________________________________________

Romans 12:12 _________________________________________________________________

Ephesians 6:18 ________________________________________________________________

Colossians 4:2 _________________________________________________________________

In essence, our Christian walk is to be one of consistent and continual prayer. We must have regular prayer times alone with God. There are quick, “I need you to intervene now!” prayers throughout our day and other types of prayers, but our lives should have a prayerful attitude acknowledging God’s supremacy over us. We extol God in our continuous prayers.

Extol God through continuous prayer!

3. Give Thanks in All Circumstances

Look up the following scriptures and describe what each one says about thanks or praise to God:

Colossians 3:17 ________________________________________________________________

Hebrews 13:15 ________________________________________________________________

These passages teach us that in our lives, all we do and say, must be lives of praise and thanksgiving. We can’t do it on our own power. The source of power to give praise or thanksgiving is given to us by the power of Jesus Christ the Son of the Living God. Sometimes we don’t feel like praising God. This is when sacrifice becomes a real part of our praise to God. 

Extol God through giving thanks in all circumstances!

Glorifying God in prayer should consist of extolling Him. We must proclaim His excellence repeatedly and abundantly. Rejoice always in Him. Pray continuously to Him. Thank Him in all circumstances through Jesus Christ and His power given to us by His Holy Spirit. Hallelujah, what a Savior!!!

Prayer Time

Go to your Prayer Journal and write out a prayer extolling God. Allow the power of the Holy Spirit to flow through you, to your pen and on to the paper. Glorify God! 

Discussion Questions

Extolling God, what is that? The dictionary defines it as, “To praise lavishly.” So, what does it mean to praise lavishly?




What does it mean to be joyful always as the Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:4?


How is it possible to pray continuously and give thanks in all circumstances? 

Study of Prayer ~ Week One Lesson Three

 “Celebrating God”

As I write this lesson, we are approaching the Holiday season. Thanksgiving is in a few days and it is the kick-off to a time of celebration.  Every year people celebrate Thanksgiving, then Christmas and then wrap it up with ringing in the New Year. The word “tradition” is often used when folks talk about this season of celebration. There is rejoicing, feasting and gift giving on the schedule for many. But, for others it is ritualistic, a bother and even depressing. For whatever reason, these folks dread this time of year. Their minds are on whatever is causing them sorrow and they may be angry or depressed.

The approach to prayer is too often viewed the same way; ritualistic, boring and useless. It is something to just get through. The thought of praying sends some people into a spiral of depression because of a disappointment experienced in a previously unanswered prayer.

Prayer should be a celebration! It should be a time of rejoicing. It should be a regular and productive time in the presence of the Almighty. Unlike these celebrations, prayer should just focus on the hustle and bustle of problems and chaos in our lives. Rather, it should also include a time of communion ~ rest and rejuvenation~ thanksgiving and supplication ~ feasting and filling first. It is to be a time of true celebration in the wondrous truth that we even can enter the Throne Room of the King, where, unless invited by Him, we dare not go. By invitation from the King Himself, Jesus bids us to enter. He wants to be with us and this is meant to be a true time of celebration.

We often forget, or maybe we don’t even know, that we have a tremendous reason for celebration. God Himself and all He encompasses, the infinite nature of who He is, is our reason to celebrate the Almighty. 

Celebrating God in prayer includes:

1. Remembering God’s Accomplishments
2. Reciting God’s Accomplishments
3. Rejoicing in God’s Accomplishments

1. Remembering God’s Accomplishments

We can see a perfect example of remembering all God has done in the celebration of Communion (The Lord’s Supper). This symbolic act of partaking in the body and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ reminds us of what He has done for us. It is a cause for great celebration.

Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Answer the following:

What did Jesus take and break? 

Why did He break it? 

What does the bread represent? 

What does the brokenness mean to you? 

What does the cup represent? 

Why does He want us to remember this? 

What is proclaimed when you eat of the bread and drink from the cup? 

How long are we to do this? 

How do you view communion? 

We celebrate what Christ did on the cross for the redemption of our sinful lives through the act of taking communion. Every time we eat of the bread and drink from the cup of communion we must remember what Christ has done. It isn’t just a ritual. It reminds us of the severity of our sin and the extreme love of our Savior Jesus who took our punishment. 

It should be the same in prayer. We must take time to remember what Christ has done as we communicate with Him. Celebrating God in prayer includes remembering (calling to mind) all the Lord has done for us.

2. Reciting His Accomplishments

Speaking of God’s accomplishments aloud, during our time of communicating with Him in prayer, is part of our celebrating God. King David is a good example of this. He sang to the Lord and wrote out His thoughts to the Lord in the act of celebration.

Read Psalm 29:1 & 2. What does David say? 

What does the word “ascribe” mean? 

In our prayer time we recite His abilities and accomplishments to help remind us of God’s glory, strength and holiness. He deserves acknowledgement during our prayers. We recognize who He is and what He has done and what He will do. When we go to God in prayer we give Him the credit for all good things and that He knows best.

3. Rejoicing in God’s Accomplishments

To rejoice in God’s accomplishments is to be filled with joy because we share in the riches of His accomplishments through His Son. By remembering and reciting all God has done for us we are filled with His Holy Spirit and the rejoicing is automatic. His joy floods our being and we rejoice.  When we are filled with the Holy Spirit there is no room for anything else.

Read 2 Chronicles 5:13 &14. Why do you suppose the cloud, which represented God’s glory, filled the temple? 

The presence of the cloud of God in the Old Testament was a sign that God was pleased to dwell with those who worshiped  and served Him. The same is true of you and me. When we rejoice in Him, He fills us, His temple, with His Holy Spirit because He is pleased to dwell within us. In our rejoicing, we partake in all that God is! Give glory to His name.

“God is good; His love endures forever.”

Prayer Time

Take this time to celebrate God in prayer. Go to your Prayer Journal and:

1. Remember God’s Accomplishments. Just relax and allow the Holy Spirit to bring to mind all He has done and all His attributes.
2. Recite God’s Accomplishments. Vocalize all He has done and will do in your life. Just tell Him what you think of Him.
3. Rejoice in God’s Accomplishments. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill you with His joy. You are His temple and He is pleased to dwell within you.

Discussion Questions

1. How do you view prayer? Is it ritualistic, boring and useless to you? Or is it a fulfilling way to converse with God? Explain.

1. 
   

1. 
   

2. Do you remember God’s accomplishments in prayer? If so, how does it make you feel?

3. Do you view prayer as a joyous time of talking with the Almighty God?

Are you able to lay all your problems and worries down before Him and rejoice in Him? Explain.