Prayer Study Week Six Lesson Five (LAST ONE!)

 “Praying for God’s Perspective”

Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart; 

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best Thought, by day or by night, 

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;

Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;

Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:

Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won, 

May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, 

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: Attributed to Dallan Forgaill, 8th Century (Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride); translated from ancient Irish to English by Mary E. Byrne, in “Eriú,” Journal of the School of Irish Learning, 1905, and versed by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912, alt.

I want nothing more than to see as God sees. This should be my earnest request. It is a petition worth more than any other. To see as God truly sees is the greatest answer to all my needs. My desire is for His will and for me to understand it as He speaks it to me. We cannot regard Him with anything less than who He is ~ holy.

Read 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. Why shouldn’t we lose heart when our earthly bodies fail or circumstances come hard against us?


Even though we think of our circumstances as hard and at times unsolvable, through God’s eyes they are viewed differently. How does God view them?


What are our troubles achieving for us?


Who should we fix our eyes on? Why?


What is the difference between “seen” and “unseen”?


Read 2 Corinthians 5:7. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:


“We live by _____________ and not by__________________.”

So many times we become exasperated with what is happening in our lives. Sometimes we can’t even put a finger on what is bothering us. Other times we face insurmountable circumstances in our lives. With the Lord they aren’t insurmountable. He can do anything. We must see God in a heavenly perspective and not our limited earthly perspective. Living by faith, is not depending on our own limited vision. It is an active belief in the Almighty who we cannot see, but know is with us always. Faith is using the vision of the heavens, not the limited vision we have on earth.

Read 1 Peter 1:3-9. Why should we praise God?


Describe the eternal inheritance we will receive as followers of Christ?


What are we shielded by?


Why should we rejoice?


What will have to endure for a little while?


Why?


Even though we do not see Jesus physically now, we believe in Him. What are we filled with?


What are we receiving?

Receiving the vision of God is receiving 

a perspective of the heavenly kind.

When we pray we praise God for who He is, the position He holds and the power and mercy He has. Our prayers are heard in the very presence of God because God the Son made the way for us to be reconciled with God. The power and counsel of the Holy Spirit give us the words to say because He knows our deepest needs and knows exactly how to fill us.

In our communication with God the Father ~ God the Son ~ God the Holy Spirit, we worship, thanking God for who He is and what He has done. We lay our needs before Him and expect the best from His infinite provision. We seek to have the vision of God, a heavenly perspective, not this blurred, obscured, and distorted vision of this world.

Read Hebrews 11:1, 6. What is the definition of “faith”? 


What happens when we don’t have faith?


Why? 


If we believe God what do we receive?

Believing God is essential to living full lives, especially in our prayer time. But, what’s cool about God is that He provides the faith that we need, all we have to do is ask Him. He supplies for every need that we have. So, in our petitioning of God, we must include our need for better vision ~ the vision from a heavenly perspective, God’s perspective.

As we close this study on prayer, it is my prayer that you have grown in your understanding of how God desires to communicate with you and draw you into the divine relationship He has within the Trinity. There is so much more that He will teach us as we learn our position in regard to His heavenly and righteous position. Through prayer and trust in God through His Son Jesus, we tap into the power provided by His Holy Spirit living within us. Continue growing in His Word and in responding to Him in your prayers. May God richly bless you as you go on by faith with a new heavenly perspective.

Prayer Time
God wants to give us the heavenly perspective that He has. All we have to do is ask. Go to your prayer journal and write out your request for the heavenly perspective from God’s hand and not the limited earthly vision the world has.


Discussion Questions
1. So many times we become exasperated with what is happening in our lives. Sometimes we can’t even put a finger on what is bothering us. Other times we face insurmountable circumstances in our lives. Share an incident that was/or is like this in your life.


2. You should want nothing more than to see as God sees. This should be your earnest request. It is a petition worth more than any other. Give an example of how having God’s perspective of something you have gone through or are going through that has not made sense to you before?


3. Believing God is essential in our lives, especially in our prayer lives. But, what’s cool about God is that He provides the faith that we need, all we have to do is ask Him. He supplies for every need that we have. So, in our petitioning of God, we must include our need for better vision ~ the vision from a heavenly perspective, God’s perspective. Have you ever prayed for the perspective of God? If so, how did it affect your faith? If not, why not?

4. After studying about prayer what is it that you have learned that has affected you most? Share.

Prayer Study Week Six Lesson Four

“Eager Expectation”

We are in a waiting period here on earth. Not all things have been revealed and won’t be until the return of Christ. We wait with great expectation for God to send Jesus to return to earth and get His own from this evil world. Until that time, we wait and hope. This is part of our prayers. We wait and hope and express this in our prayers.

Read Romans 8:18-21. What do you think “waiting in eager expectation” means?

In Greek the word for  "eager expectation” is “apokalypsis” and means “to be attentive with earnest expectation.” Literally, it can be translated as “looking forward as with the neck stretched out and the head thrust forward.” 

Our prayer life should involve this great expectation. God has great things in store for us on this earth and even greater, infinitely greater things are in store for us in Eternity. This expectation should be in the forefront of our minds and hearts. We should be so intent on Jesus and all that He has for us, that we see nothing but Him. Part of petitioning God is expecting that He will answer us with the best that He has.

Read James 1:17. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:


“Every __________ and ______________ gift is from _______________ coming down from the ____________ of the heavenly lights, who does not ________________ like the shifting shadows.”

Yes! Every good and perfect gift comes from God. No matter what His answer we can trust that He has given us His best. God doesn’t pull the rug out from us. He is not up in heaven thinking about how He can trick us or pull a fast one. Each and every gift is good and perfect.

Read Matthew 7:9-11.  Write out the questions that Jesus asks in verses 9 & 10.


How does He compare the gifts we give to our children to the gifts that God gives to us in verse 11? 


God is the perfect parent. He loves us so much that He gave up His best for us in His Son Jesus. He gives His best to us every time we pray. We may not see the reason for His answer, but He never gives anything that is inappropriate. As His dearly loved children we should have the attitude of eager expectation when we pray. It’s hard not having the answer to our prayers planned out for God. Instead we must trust that He knows what is best. Our role in prayer is to accept the best from God. He never gives anything less.

Read Jeremiah 29:11–13. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:


For I know the _________ I have for you, declare the Lord, “plans to ______________ you and not to harm you, plans to give you a __________ and a ________________.
Then you will _________ upon Me and come and __________ to Me, and I will _________________ to you. You will ____________ Me and _____________ Me when you _____________ Me with all your heart.”

From this passage we find that God does have a plan for us. He is not making things up as He goes along. Because of the plan that He has for each one of us, there is a future for us as well. Our future includes the Hope ~ Jesus the Holy One. It is because of Him that we have a hope and a future.

God does have a plan for us. The only way we can access this plan is by seeking Him in our daily lives. When we come under submission to His will and authority, He gives us what we need, when we need it. This is vital to living our lives under Christ’s authority.  When we seek Him we must seek Him with all of our hearts. It is then and only then we shall find Him.

God is not hiding, but we do have to turn towards Him and submit to Him and not to ourselves (or the world) in order to find Him. God remains the same. He never changes. Look to Him as your One True Hope.

Read Isaiah 55:10-11. Answer the following:


What does God compare His Word to?


What does God’s Word accomplish?

God does have a plan and a purpose for you and me. The words He speaks to us, as we sit at His feet in prayer, are words that are full of life and hope. His words never go out without accomplishing something. When God speaks, His words accomplish and achieve the purpose for which He intended. This is our hope, to hear God speak and understand that His Word never comes back to Him with nothing accomplished.

Prayer Time
Go to your Prayer Journal and write out a prayer that speaks of God’s greatness. Tell Him what you believe to be your hope. If you are eagerly awaiting the hope He has planned for you, then write this out. If you don’t have any hope, tell Him about it. Then wait on Him in the hope that He gives. 


Discussion Questions
1. Our prayer life should involve great expectation. God has great things in store for us on this earth and even greater, infinitely greater things are in store for us in Eternity. How do you view having hope in Christ? Explain.


2. Every good and perfect gift comes from God. No matter what His answer, we can trust that He has given us His best. Do you believe that God has only good and perfect gifts for you? Why or why not.


3. God does have a plan for us. The only way we can access this plan is by seeking Him in our daily lives. When we come under submission to His will and authority, He gives us what we need, when we need it. What do you feel about accepting all that God has for you whether you think it is what you want and not?

Prayer Study Week Six Lesson Three

“Praying in the Spirit”

There are times when we don’t know what to pray. Sorrow, fatigue, sickness, and all kinds of things can get in the way of our communication with God. So often we think that we have to keep the conversation going with Him to constitute prayer. But, just sitting in His presence is the best thing we can do.

The throne room of God is an active place full of the power and the presence of the Holy One. So, in this place we come to be restored and strengthened. Sometimes we need to be quiet and listen to the voice of God as we are bathed in His presence. Maybe the reason we don’t know what to pray at times, is because God wants us to be quiet and rest in Him. He does the talking. God provides His Holy Spirit to search our hearts and He does the communicating for us.

Read Romans 8:26 & 27. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:


“In the same way, the _____________ helps us in our _________________. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself ________________ for us with _____________ that ______________ cannot express. And He who ________________
our ____________ knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the _____________ in _______________________ with God’s will.”

There have been times in my life when I couldn’t pray. Sometimes I was so down that all I could do was lay my head in God’s lap and allow Him to pray for me. I have woken up in the middle of the night with irrational fear and just like a child frightened in the night cries out for their mother or father, I cry out to God. He immediately sends me comfort through a song or scripture that fits the situation. God sends His Spirit to intercede on my behalf. He does the praying for me. He places His holy hand on my head and soothes me back to sleep. When I try to work the fear out on my own, I struggle all night and can’t rest. But, when I go to Him and trust Him, I can rest easily.

I remember when my mother lay in ICU gravely ill and my brothers and I were there with her late one night. I don’t remember who started the song, but we all joined in and sang the most perfect harmony I had ever heard. I recognized our voices, but there was something very different about them. These voices came from a place that was not of this earth. God’s Holy Spirit was singing for us. We sang in the midst of the sounds of respirators and alarms in the ICU which seemed to miraculously become silent. The song we sang was this:

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me.

Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me.

(Daniel Iverson. Copyright © 1935)

The Holy Spirit entered into the lives of my brothers and me and gave us the words to pray through the harmonies of one of my mother’s favorite hymns. As the song wafted down the hall of the ICU that night, I know that the Spirit ministered to my mother, the other patients, nurses, doctors and anyone close by. That’s how God works. He wants to communicate with us all. After we finished, we kissed Mama and left silently. There was nothing left to say. The Holy Spirit said it all and He said it perfectly.

Read Romans 8:34-35. What is Christ doing for us in the Throne Room?




Who or what can separate us from the love of Christ?

Nothing, nothing, nothing can come between you and Jesus. He won’t stop loving you and is interceding on your behalf at the right hand of God. In other words, He bridges the gap between those who love Him and God the Father. Through God the Holy Spirit we have direct communication to God the Father because of what God the Son accomplished on the cross. He doesn’t read between the lines of our prayers, but digs deep into our true need. His power interprets and intercedes on our behalf before God the Father. In His love we lack for nothing.

Some folks say that they don’t know how to pray. But, all God wants is your heart and wants to include us in holy conversation. He provides the words. Remember, prayer is our response to God. If you open your heart to Him, He supplies the words and reveals the true hope of our hearts.

Read Psalm 5:1-3. (NIV) Fill in the blanks:


“Give __________ to my words, O Lord, _______________________ my ___________________. Listen to my ________ for ___________, my King and my God, for to You I pray. In the morning, O Lord, You ______________ my voice; in the morning I ______ my _____________ before You and __________ in expectation.”

We can rest in the knowledge that God hears and listens to our prayers. Part of our prayers involve our waiting in expectation of God’s voice. We want God’s answer and not just any old answer will do.

I just heard someone say that they had been praying to God, but each time they got God’s answering machine. Know this, God takes His own calls. He hears and listens. He answers us and even gives us the words to say through His Holy Spirit. We must, however, wait on Him. God wants the best for us. He knows what we need and when it is appropriate He gives the answer to us. Trust Him.

Prayer Time
Sit in the presence of the Holy One and allow His Spirit to speak for you. Write out anything you hear from Him. God speaks to our hearts. Open your heart to Him and allow Him to speak for you and speak to you.


Discussion Questions
1. There are times when we don’t know what to pray. Sorrow, fatigue, sickness, and all kinds of things can get in the way of our communication with God. So often we think that we have to keep the conversation going with Him to constitute prayer. But, just sitting in His presence is a vital part of prayer, especially when words escape us. How do you view being silent before God in prayer?


2. Nothing, nothing, nothing can come between you and Jesus. He won’t stop loving you and is interceding on your behalf at the right hand of God. In other words, He bridges the gap between those who love Him and God the Father. Do you ever feel like your prayers never go anywhere and there is a great chasm between you and God? How does Jesus bridge the chasm?


3. How does it feel to you to sit in silence in the presence of the Lord?

Prayer Study Week Six Lesson Two

 “Zechariah and Elizabeth”

We are so blessed to be able to approach God and when we approach Him with the right attitude of who He is and who we are in relationship to Him, we can lay our requests out before Him. It’s ok to tell Him what is on our hearts.  We are responding to God in prayer with our requests by asking Him to give us His best for the need we have. 

Let’s begin our lesson today by reading about a couple who had a huge request of God. Read Luke 1:5-25. Summarize what happened to Zechariah and Elizabeth: 

I wanted us to look at this story of Zechariah and Elizabeth because their story represents the requests we all make. Their request was a deep desire for a child. They had done everything right and I’m sure they were growing weary in their plea for a child. The desire for a child can be one of the most painful things. The emotions involved run from great expectation to great sorrow as time goes on and there is no child to hold and love. 

Mike and I wanted a child so desperately and were told we would possibly never conceive. So, this story in Scripture is one that I can relate too. No matter what your greatest need, God knows already. But, we must approach Him in response to His will for us. This isn’t giving up ~ it is giving into the ultimate and perfect will of the Father.

Meet Zech and Beth

Meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, a very special couple that God had chosen to fulfill His will. They were a couple who loved God and served Him faithfully even though it seemed like they would never receive their deepest desire ~ a child. Let us look at them on a personal level. Just for fun, I’ll call them Zech and Beth to illustrate how human they really were. Just like you and me, they had a past, a present and a future. They had hopes and dreams. They had human bodies that grow older and fail. They had relationships and family. They had jobs and a home. They were people, created by God with a great need for His intervention. 

Read Luke 1:5-7. What did Zech do for a living?

What family line did he belong to?

Who was Beth?

What was her family line?

What kind of people were they?

What were they lacking?

How old were they?

By looking at their lives, what can we surmise about their deepest desire? 

 

Zech was a priest from the priestly division of Abijah. That means that he was a faithful servant of the Most High God and he was one of many in his family who had served God. Abijah was a direct descendant from the line of Aaron, the first priest appointed by God. (Aaron was the older brother of Moses). So for many, many years the family line of Abijah served God faithfully as priests. You could say that Zech was in the family business. Having a child to carry on the family line was very important to him.

Beth was also from the family line of Aaron, the first priest. She too was part of the family business and supported her husband in his priestly duties. We could probably call her a preacher’s wife. Being a preacher’s wife is not an easy role. You are under a lot of scrutiny and I’m sure she was the brunt of many a wagging tongue. Being in the public eye so-to-speak and being barren, must have been very difficult. Having a child was a major thing for women of that day. So Beth wanted and needed God to answer her prayer.

Divine Interruption

Read Luke 1:8-10. What was Zech chosen to do? 

What was happening outside the temple? 

Zech who was not a high priest, but rather one of the local priests that was chosen by “lot” (a means of deciding issue or determining the divine will in the matter) to serve in the temple. He was to go into the Most Holy Place of the synagogue and burn incense (representing the prayers offered). This was a sacred act on the part of the priest and he was offering it up for all those outside who were in prayer themselves. 

Read Luke 1:11-17. As Zech was going about his priestly duties inside the Most Holy Place, what happened? 

How did Zech respond?

What was the message that he received?

There was definitely a divine interruption that day for Zech. He was going about his business and God interrupted. That so often happens in the lives of those who follow Christ. We get so focused on the task we forget that God is present and wants to talk with us. Zech was startled and rightly so. I would be too if an angel appeared before me. But, it should be no surprise that God is present and wants to give us what we need from the unlimited resources of His love. 

Read Luke 1:18. What did Zech ask the angel?

Hey, it sounds like a good question to me. But, Zech was standing in the Most Holy Place. God sent His angel to give Him an answer to his prayers. (Maybe not exactly the way Zech had expected.) God knew his deepest longing and gave it to Zech at the perfect time. The child was to herald the coming of the Messiah. God was serious about this message to Zech just like He is serious about the message He has for you and me.

So often we don’t think that God knows enough about how things really are in our lives. We give Him all sorts of ideas and suggestions to help Him along. But, God does know what we need and when we can handle it. There is a divine order that often interrupts the lives of those who seek Him. God indeed wants to interrupt our lives so that He can show us His glory.

Read Luke 1:19-20. What was the angel’s response?

God accomplished His blessing while manifesting the weakness of Zech as a human. He took away all hope according to human principles so that all hope would be found in God and that He would be glorified. Zech’s faith did not measure up to the height of his prayers. Was he just praying and not believing? Who knows? All we know is that God did indeed answer Zech’s prayer in a way that poor old Zech could never have imagined.

Read Luke 1:21-22. Who was waiting for Zech?

What were they wondering?

What happened when they found that Zech couldn’t speak?

God was not punishing Zech, but kept him silent in order for the people praying outside could see that God had spoken to Zech. Maybe if Zech would speak, then he would try to explain God’s actions instead of allowing the power of the Holy Spirit to be displayed through Beth’s pregnancy when it became evident.

God often works the same way in our lives. He gives us His answer to our deepest needs in His time. This is so hard to understand, but we wouldn’t want it any other way. God’s way is the best way. It’s not always the easiest way or the most convenient way. God gives us what we truly need, not necessarily what we really want. There is a difference.

Beth’s Response

Read Luke 1:23-25. What happened when Zech’s time of service at the synagogue was over?

What was Beth’s response when she found out that she was pregnant?

When Zech went home after serving at the temple, Beth became pregnant. She stayed in seclusion for any number of reasons, but her response to what was happening to her is the perfect response to an answered prayer. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days He has shown His favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

We can all learn something from Beth’s response. She recognized the source of her delight. God answered her in a way she could never have imagined. God had indeed taken away her disgrace and blessed her with a child. God may not answer us in the time and way we see fit, but He does hear us and He does answer us according to His will.

Zech and Beth’s Baby 

Read Luke 1: 57-66. Answer the following:

What happened when Beth gave birth and the baby was circumcised eight days later?

What did they name the child? 

How did Zech answer the people who were asking him about the child’s name?

What happened when Zech wrote out the name John?

What did the people do?

Zech’s tongue was loosed when he wrote out the baby’s name ~ “John”. The name “John” means “the favor of the Lord.” The favor of the Lord is the source for true joy and gladness. Zech praised God like no other time. When God loosened his lips because Zech had bowed to the perfect will of the Father, he was restored. The same is true for you and me. When we bow to the perfect will of God, He can work in us in extraordinary ways. Why do we ever want our own way, when we know that what God desires for us is to show us His favor? His favor is our source for true joy and gladness.

Prayer Time

Go to your Prayer Journal and present your requests to God. Humble yourself before Him and ask Him to fill your needs according to His plan. Accept the favor of the Lord.

Discussion Questions

1. You are blessed to be able to approach God and when you approach Him with the right attitude of who He is and who you are in relationship to Him, you can lay your requests before Him. Do you feel that you can ask God anything? Why or why not?

2. God does know what you need and when you can handle it. There is a divine order that often interrupts the lives of those who seek Him. God indeed wants to interrupt your life so that He can show you His glory. What are your thoughts about God’s divine interruption in your life? 

3. God accomplished His blessing while manifesting the weakness of Zech as a human. He took away all hope according to human principles so that all hope would be found in Him and that He would be glorified. How has God answered some of your prayers in ways you didn’t expect