Making Sense of Prayer


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Bethany Bible Church LIVING UPSIDE DOWN

November 6, 2016 DR. TED WUESTE

Making Sense of Prayer Matthew 7:7-11 We can expect three things in prayer: I)

God ____________ to prayer

II)

God’s ____________ exceeds our earthly understanding

III)

A.

Bread and fish are ____________

B.

A rock and a snake are ____________

God ____________ all of our needs through the ____________ ____________ A.

B.

We are ____________ by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) 1.

We ____________ God’s love by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5)

2.

He ____________ our hearts and desires (Galatians 5:22-23)

3.

He ____________ for us (Romans 8:26-27)

4

He ____________ us and speaks to us ( John 14:16; 16:14)

5.

He ____________ through us for God’s glory(1 Corinthians 12:4-31)

We experience the ____________ of the Spirit as we... 1.

acknowledge our ____________

2.

cultivate our ____________

3.

yield ____________ in the present moment

God’s View of Prayer In prayer we entrust ourselves to God, and we gain wisdom in knowing how to live our lives in God’s presence. Because God is good, we can trust that He will always respond whenever we pray. In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus talks about prayer in the aspects of asking, seeking, and knocking. In our asking we can grow to more deeply know the heart of God. In our seeking we can grow to more deeply know the will of God. In our knocking, we can more deeply grow in our relationship with God. The basis of our relationship and prayer life with God is His goodness, not our own goodness. God answers our prayers

from His goodness, not on the basis of our performance. The Holy Spirit is the gift of God’s presence within every Christian, and the Holy Spirit is ultimately the good answer we receive in prayer. The presence of the Holy Spirit within the heart of a Christian is automatic, but the experience of the Holy Spirit is not automatic. We can cultivate a life of being more deeply led and influenced by the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit of God acquires more of our hearts, we discover that He changes our desires to long for God alone. And we start seeing God’s goodness and love everywhere we look. Questions for Discussion and Further Reflection 1. Why do many Christians struggle in their prayer life? Do you struggle? 2. Looking at Matthew 7:7-11,Pastor Ted says we can expect three things in prayer. What have been your expectations in prayer? How do your prayer expectations line up with those in Matthew 7:7-11? 3. How can praying according to the model of Matthew 6:9-13 (The Lord’s Prayer) help you grow in asking, seeking, and knocking in prayer in Matthew 7:7-11? 4. Pastor Ted’s friend David Vryhof says, “Prayer is a gift. It is something to be received, not achieved.” Is prayer for you more receiving or achieving? 5. What does it mean in your life for the Holy Spirit to be the answer to your prayer?