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WHAT DO I PRAY FOR?

"Prayer is not getting man's will done in heaven.  It is getting God's will done on earth."  Robert Law

We can only expect our prayers to be answered when we are praying for what God wants us to pray for.  Therefore, it is essential that we discover what God wants us to pray for. 

WHAT CAN WE BELIEVE IS GOD'S WILL?

• •   It is God's will that we not be worried (Phil 4:6,7; I Peter 5:7; Ps 55:22)
• •   It is God's will that our basic needs be met (Matt 6:11; Heb 4:16)
• •   It is God's will that we be delivered from the evil one (Matt 6:13)
• •   It is God's will that we know Him better (Eph 1:17)
• •   It is God will that we understand the riches of God's inheritance that are ours      in Christ (Eph1:18-23)
• •   It is God's will that we be strengthened and filled with God's Spirit (Eph      3:16-19)
• •   It is God's will that we know His will (Col 1:9,10)
• •   It is God's will that we grow in love and righteousness (I Thess 3:12,13; Phil      1:9-11)
• •   It is God's will that there be peace and order in our world (I Tim 2:1,2; II      Chron 7:14)
• •   It is God's will that He be glorified through us (II Thess 1:11,12; Matt 6:9; Jn      14:13)
• •   It is God's will that our outreach to the lost with the Gospel be effective (I      Tim 2:3; Eph 6:19,20; Col 4:3,4)
• •   It is God's will that there be laborers in the harvest field (Mt 9:37,38)
• •   It is God's will that we pray that Christians not be defeated by Satan (Eph      6:18; Lk 22:31,32)
• •   It is God's will that we pray for our enemies (Matt 5:44,45)
• •   It is God's will that we receive His wisdom (James 1:5; Ps 119:33,34)
• •   It is God's will that we do not sin (Ps 119:133; Matt 26:41)
• •   Even when we do not know God's will, the Holy Spirit helps us to pray      according to God's will (Rom 8:26,27)
• •   There will be times when we do not know God's will (II Cor 12:8-10)

Answer?

 

PRAYERLESSNESS IS SIN (I Sam 12:23; Gal 6:2; James 4:2)

WE ARE COMMANDED TO PRAY (Matt 26:41; Lk 18:1; Eph 6:18; I Thess 5:17)

EXAMPLES OF ANSWERED PRAYER

• •   Moses (Exod 15:23-25)
• •   Samson (Judges 16:28-30)
• •   Early Church (Acts 12:5,11-17)

 

PRAYER EXERCISE

1. Please indicate whether you agree or disagree with the following      statements:
    (Agree = + and Disagree = - )
    (    )  The position of our body in prayer is not important.
    (    )  Prayer is not getting something from God, it is doing something with             God.
    (    )  Our lack of faith is a moral problem, not an intellectual problem.
    (    )  When our prayers are not answered as we wish them to be answered, it             is because of our lack of faith.
    (    )  Part of praying without ceasing means that we must all set aside a             regular time time for prayer.
    (    )  Praying for our needs and not the needs of others is a sign of             immaturity.
    (    )  Every Christian should have a regular time of prayer each day.
    (    )  Christians should be encouraged to pray in public.
    (    )  Praying in faith is completely believing that something is going to             happen.

2. Which of the following is most true?  The reason that many Christians      spend only a little time in prayer is because….  Choose your top two     choices.
    (    )  Their lack of discipline
    (    )  Their self-sufficiency
    (    )  Their lack of concern for others
    (    )  Their wrong priorities
    (    )  Their legalism
    (    )  Their lack of wholeheartedness for seeing God's will be done
    (    )  Others_____________________________________________________

3. Which of the following statements best describes what prayer is like?  Put     an ( X ) by your three top choices.
    (    )  Opening up a Christmas present from your dad.
    (    )  A drowning man crying out for help.
    (    )  Seeking advice from a mechanic on how to operate your car.
    (    )  An ambassador receiving all that he needs to be an effective             ambassador
    (    )  A child intimately talking with his father.
    (    )  A soldier using his weapons and supplies during warfare
    (    )  Others______________________________________________________

4. If God can do anything He wants to do (Ps 135:6), can fulfill His purposes     without us (Dan 4:34-37), knows what we need before we ask (Matt     6:7,8), already knows what is going to happen (Eph 1:11); why should we     pray?

 

RESOURCES:  Biographies and autobiographies of George Mueller, Hudson Taylor, Joh Knox, David Branierd, Bill Bright, Dawson E.Trotman and the role that prayer played in their lives.

ASSIGNMENT:  Complete the "Prayer Exercise" and be ready to discuss next week.