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Pray All Kinds of Prayers Rich Nathan Just Pray! Series Ephesians 6:18 November 8-‐9, 2014
Attention Leaders! Be prepared for God to speak to your group. The Holy Spirit is with you as you prepare, as you open Scripture, and as you lead discussion. Prayerfully consider the needs of your group; who will be there; and what God has done recently in your group. Remember, aim for balancing discussion and teaching; more sharing than answering; and more listening than telling.
Sermon Summary (Time Suggestion: 5 mins)
These notes are to help you give your group a quick recap of the weekend sermon in your own words. If God spoke to you personally through the message, do share that too. Pastor Rich opened by sharing many testimonies of those who wrote describing the healing they received at a conference hosted here at Vineyard Columbus a few weeks ago, led by Pastor Alan Scott of Ireland. Extraordinary stories were shared of shoulders, knees and backs being healed after years of chronic pain, tumors disappearing, and vision being restored. Remarkable answers to prayer! Yet Rich reminded us that if we’ve yet to experience our miracle or breakthrough, God’s love for us unquestionable – for the Bible tells us in Romans 5:8 that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Moreover, in continuing with last week’s series “Just Pray!” he not only encouraged us to keep praying, but he challenged us to pray all kinds of prayers. The apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:18 “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” This means we should pray comprehensive prayers. Many Americans pray the prayers they learned in childhood, or prayers on limited topics like financial prosperity while neglecting many other areas, like for salvation of unsaved loved ones or for wisdom for our government leaders. But comprehensive prayers are like spiritual cross-‐fit training; physical cross-‐fitness addresses strength, aerobic conditioning and flexibility. In prayer life, we see this versatility in Jesus’ prayers. When Jesus prayed, he encompassed all facets of our lives. Consider the Lord’s Prayer, particularly the last three petitions found in Matthew 6:11-‐13. 11 Give us today our daily bread, 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
These three requests cover the whole of our lives – the bread speaking to the needs of our body; forgiveness covering our emotions, our souls; and deliverance from temptation addresses our spiritual needs. Not only is our whole person covered in this prayer, but it covers all of our times – past, present, and future. “This day our daily bread” speaks to our present needs. “Forgive us our debts” asks God to deal with our past, to cleanse us from our past sins. And “Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil” speaks to our fears and concerns about the future, the unknowns that face us ahead. Comprehensive prayers means everything is covered. All kinds of prayers also means not just the big things, but the little, mundane things too. It means private prayers, public prayers, brief prayers, long prayers, prayers for ourselves and for others, silent prayers, audible prayers. We should pray at set times, and we should pray at all times. Christians with vital spiritual lives practice some sort of routine or rhythm of prayer at designated times, much as you would in eating meals or exercising. They say, “This time is set aside for God.” But they also pray at all times. In any given moment, they might “shoot up an arrow of prayer”, because we’re constantly dependent upon God. In the middle of a conflict, stuck in traffic, whether to call a person or not – these brief, often informal prayers at all times demonstrate an awareness on our part that we have a relationship with God as our Father. That’s what prayer is – communication with our heavenly Father. Like a trusting young child, we can communicate freely, naturally, effortlessly, gratefully to our Abba, Father. Rich shared with us how absolutely radical and unprecedented it was for people of faith to address God as “my Father” when Jesus taught his disciples to pray that way. Only 15 times in the Old Testament is God called Father, and that only in the context of Father of a nation, or the King. But after Jesus, God is called Abba, Father 245 times in the New Testament. And truly, the starting point of a healthy life begins with seeing the Fatherhood of God and seeing yourself as His dearly loved child. Rich challenged us to get real with ourselves about what we really believe God is like, when we strip away all the formulas and creeds and are alone in need, afraid, or having blown it – then, how do we see our Father in heaven? Jesus teaches us that He is a loving, forgiving, welcoming Father. But prayer is also communicating with our best friend. Jesus tells us in John 15:15 “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” Prayer is like talking to a friend who is brilliant and gives great advice; it’s like talking to a friend who every time makes you feel better, encouraged, loved, supported. But just as we are to pray informal prayers, we are to pray formal prayers too. A great way to do this is to pray Bible prayers. Jesus regularly prayed through the book of Psalms. If we learn to pray the Psalms, even if you’re praying by yourself, you’re not really, because we enter a community of God’s people throughout the ages who prayed the Psalms. There are also books like the Book of Common Prayer which offer up beautiful petitions and praises to God and might stretch us to pray in ways we hadn’t considered. Learn to pray all kinds of prayers!
I.
We should pray comprehensive prayers
II.
We should pray at set times
III.
We should pray at all times
IV.
We should pray informal prayers
V.
Prayer is communicating with your Heavenly Father
VI.
Prayer is communicating with your best friend
VII.
We should pray formal prayers
VIII.
We should pray Bible prayers
Link to the Sermon (Time Suggestion: 5 minutes) •
Rich talked about praying through the Great Litany from the Book of Common Prayer. One such prayer says: “Deliver us O Lord from all blindness of heart; from pride, vain glory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred, and malice; and from all lack of love.” At another point, it goes on to say: “…from earthquake, fire and flood; from plague, pestilence and famine, good Lord, deliver us.” Do you have spiritual disciplines in place that cause you to pray about deep conditions of your own heart, as well as community, national and world concerns? Share. If not, how might you broaden your prayer scope in response to the sermon?
This Week’s Bible Study Text: Psalm 32
Background and Context The book of Psalms has been called the hymn book of the Jewish people, as many of the psalms were offered up to God in corporate worship as songs of praise, prayers of thanksgiving, and cries of lament. Specifically appointed psalms were recited at various festival days like the Feast of the Passover, on Sabbath days, and on weekdays. The authorship of the psalms is varied, but 73 of the 150 are title attributed to King David. Psalm 32 is categorized as a penitential psalm which means it expresses sorrow over sin. But unlike Psalm 51, in which the prayer comes from a position of one still under the influence of the affliction of the sin, Psalm 32 rather is one of thanksgiving, as the worshipper looks back upon repentance and the forgiveness of sin and the joy found therein. It also contains an instructional aspect, similar to Wisdom literature, meant to educate those in the community of faith to heed warning and live their everyday lives wisely. The psalm ends with a call to rejoice in God’s available grace.
Study & Discuss
To increase participation in your group, ask two or more people to read this passage out loud. Read Psalm 32 1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 4
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Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. 6
Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. 7
You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. 8
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in him. 11
Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
1. Psalm 32 starts out with two Beatitudes. “Blessed” can be translated from the Hebrew word to mean “very happy”. Who does the psalmist say is “blessed” (v1-‐2)? The one whose transgressions are forgiven, the one whose sins are covered, the one whose sin the Lord does not count against him, the one in whose spirit is found no deceit. 2. Notice how the psalmist repeats himself 3 times regarding the forgiveness of, covering of, not imputing of sins. Why do you think he does this? Repetition implies a very strong and significant sentiment. This is how one feels when a great weight or debt has been lifted or removed. This is a very personal testimony of the psalmist, something he has experienced. 3. The last part of verse 2 says “Blessed is the one… in whose spirit is no deceit.” What do you think this means and how does it relate to the forgiveness of sins, which God grants? Cross reference 1 John 1:8-‐9.
1 John 1:8-‐9 says “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Our responsibility is to be truthful with God. Because God is faithful and full of grace, He will forgive us. Be clear, this is not to say that every time we sin we lose our status of salvation, nor is it to say that we will or can be sinless. Rather, to experience the “joy of our salvation” and the release of the “burden of guilt” from our sin, we need to come before God in “spirit and in truth” (no deceit). Then, we will feel “blessed”/happy.
4. Sin separates us from God. Are you mindful to pray prayers of repentance as part of a regular discipline, that you might feel the nearness of the presence of God in your life? If not, why not? 5. Describe the inner struggle that the psalmist felt when he tried to hide (keep silent) his sin from God? (v3-‐4) He said “my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.” Day and night, he felt God’s hand was heavy on him; his strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 6. Have you ever felt any sense of physical ailment at trying to hide from God what He was pressing upon you to bring to the light? If not physically, have you ever been aware of a loss or lack of inner peace as a result of “hiding from God”? Allow some time for people to share, but don’t force anyone to. As the leader, you may want to be prepared to share either a personal example or an illustration with no identifying markers to anyone. 7. The psalmist said in v6 “let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found.” God is never the one hiding from us, but as with the original sin of Adam and Eve, it is us who hide from God. Based on what the psalmist has said in the first 5 verses, he understands this. So what do you think he means by the phrase “while you (God) may be found”? God is willing and wanting “to be found”. In fact, He seeks us. It was the psalmist who felt “God’s hand heavy upon him.” But it is up to each individual as to whether or not they will “find God”. Jesus tells us “seek, knock, ask” and the door shall be opened. The book of Hebrews 11:6 tells us “… He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” [Some other verses that reference “seeking God” are Deuteronomy 4:29, Psalm 27:4, 119:2, Isaiah 55:6, Lamentations 3:25, Acts 17:27] 8. In v6-‐7, what benefits did the psalmist describe are available to the faithful who pray? The rising of the mighty waters will not reach them, a hiding place, protection from trouble, surrounding with songs of deliverance. One might experience a feeling of being safe and protected in God’s grace from any kind of trouble that may come near. “Songs of deliverance” speak to a rejoicing, in this case specifically over the forgiveness of sins and a freedom from “waves of guilt,” even!
9. In your daily life, do you pray prayers of protection for yourself, your loved ones, those in your larger faith community and small group? Have you ever felt the effects of others praying such prayers for you? 10. In v8, the psalmist switches gears to instruct others on the basis of his own experience. In v9-‐10, he contrasts those who do not have understanding and are therefore “forced” (like the horse or the mule) to follow vs. those who willingly trust in the Lord and therefore experience His unfailing love. What imagery comes to mind when you think of a horse or mule being “broken”? The animal bucking, pulling back, not being productive in its work/purpose, a wrestling between man & animal, eventual “breaking” of the animal’s will to fight, surrender, … 11. For those open to sharing, describe a time when you resisted God’s will for your life with a strong perseverance in obstinate self-‐will, and how did you come to finally “bend the knee”? Alternatively, share a time when you readily trusted the Lord and submitted your will to His, and how your experience here was different than the former example. 12. Have you ever prayed to come to the “end of yourself” or have known someone to lovingly pray that for you, or in godly love prayed that for someone else? 13. Notice how at the end of v7, and at the end of v11, the psalmist points to a delighting in God in the form of rejoicing. Do you often pray prayers of delight and thanksgiving to God? Do you point others to pray such prayers, rejoicing in what God has already done?
Ministry Time
Take some time at the end of your group to welcome the Holy Spirit and seek Him for direction as you pray for one another. When we make space for Him, God is pleased to come and show Himself to us in our groups, and to genuinely touch and change us, often in powerful ways. • As Rich talked about in the sermon, some of us still struggle to see God as a loving Father because of the example that our earthly father may have been to us and the wounds we may have from that relationship. Ask if anyone wants prayer for unhealed wounds in that relationship and give room for the Holy Spirit to move people to share and then pray for one another. Pray also for deliverance from projecting faulty images of father onto God our Father. • We often get stuck in ruts in our prayer life – maybe we neglect prayers of repentance, or prayers of thanksgiving for even the small things God is doing in our lives. Maybe we don’t pray through the Bible, or perhaps we struggle to be really honest with God in our prayer life. Take some time to allow people to pray silently, and then to share anything they want to share with the group (either personally or by means of a Word to bless another) as the Holy Spirit leads.