Growing in Our Understanding of Prayer
What a wonderful start to our Summer of Prayer! Below you will find a summary of this week’s teaching, along with daily prayer prompts. You can also download a printable version of the daily prompts.
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We will continue to emphasize these points throughout our Summer of Prayer.
Jesus as Our Example in Prayer: Jesus’s communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit sets the example for why and how we ought to pray.
Prayer as a Kingdom Principle: Prayer is God’s means of partnering with humanity to express His kingdom on the earth.
Purpose of Prayer: Prayer is not about giving God information but about transformation and relationship. It's a way to connect with God, aligning our hearts with His will and conforming to the image of Christ.
On Sunday, we introduced some different types of prayer that we will be teaching on in the weeks to come:
Praying the Word: Praying Scripture aligns us with God's will. This includes Scriptural prayers, promises to believe, and commands to obey.
Praise, Thanksgiving, and Gratitude: Expressing gratitude to God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.
Repentance: Continual turning away from sin and inviting God into all areas of our lives.
Fasting and Prayer: Fasting as a means to deepen our relationship with God.
Petitions and Requests: Aligning our desires with God's will and trusting in His provision.
Silent Prayer - Listening: Taking time to listen and wait patiently for God's guidance. This can also include “soaking” in His presence.
Spiritual Warfare: Praying for kingdom outcomes and recognizing spiritual forces at play.
Intercession: Praying on behalf of others and seeking God's will for them.
Abiding Prayer: Practicing God's presence in every aspect of life.
Tongues, Tears, Beyond Words: Praying in tongues, expressing God's heart through tears.
Prophetic Prayer: Using the gift of prophecy to strengthen, encourage, and comfort others.
We concluded the service by sharing communion with one another. Acts 2:42 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.”
Thanks for continuing to participate in fellowship together as we ask Jesus to teach us how to pray! -
This week, we will continue to focus on establishing a daily rhythm of prayer and growing in our understanding of the importance of prayer. Remember, the goal is relationship. Use these steps to guide your prayer time with each daily passage of Scripture and go slowly (2-3mins each):
Begin with thanksgiving. You can thank God for His Word, for the gift of prayer, and anything else that comes to mind.
Read the daily passage of Scripture (found below) slowly out loud.
Thank God for the truth of His Word.
Out loud, commit to take the truth of God’s Word seriously.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to understand, believe, and act on the truth of God’s Word.
Read the passage of Scripture slowly again.
With your Bible open, pause and listen to what God is speaking. Sometimes a word or phrase may be highlighted to you.
Spend a few minutes sharing anything that is on your heart.
Ask God what’s on His heart. Listen to what He might speak to you.
Thank God for meeting you in your time of prayer today.
*It doesn’t have to end here! Continue to pray as you feel led, and see where the Holy Spirit will take you in prayer today.
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Find a consistent time and place to set aside 20-30 minutes daily.
Print out the prayer prompts and Scriptures.
Invite family or roommates to join in, or find your own quiet space without distractions.
Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and put it in the other room.
The prompts provided here are just a guide. Feel free to adjust and adapt during your prayer time.
Don’t worry if you miss one day. Just pick it up again the next day and keep going!
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Isaiah 40:28-31 (NIV)
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. -
Matthew 11:25-28 (NLT)
At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way! My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” -
1 Kings 19:11-12 (MSG)
Then he (Elijah) was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by.” A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper. -
Psalm 40:1-15 (NKJV)
I waited patiently for the Lord;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the Lord.
Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O Lord my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered. -
2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (NIV)
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.