APRIL 23
SPAM LIKELY
Whether or not you believe in prayer and whether or not you feel like you know how to pray, during this series, you will discover the power of and the path to connecting with God which can bring comfort, hope, and healing.
Work through the following questions and scriptures on your own or get together with your group, spiritual running partners, or family to talk through what you are learning.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Think back on this week and describe your interaction with God in prayer. What led you to pray? What kinds of things did your prayers contain? How did you envision God when you prayed?
2. What stood out to you from the message?
3. Read Mark 1:35, Luke 3:21, 5:16, 6:12
- What do you notice about Jesus’ prayer life?
- What does it tell you about His relationship with God?
4. Read Luke 11:1-4
- How familiar are you with this prayer? Is it a prayer that you pray often? Why or why not?
- Of all the things Jesus could have told them to pray for, why do you think He says these things?
- What makes this a good model for us in our own prayers?
5. Read Luke 11:1-4 again and 5-13, which is a continuation of Jesus’ teaching on prayer.
- Why include this teaching right after His instructions on what to pray?
- What does Jesus reveal to us about God and His character?
- In light of this, what is Jesus showing us about how we should pray? Do you pray this way?
6. As Jesus instructed, pray through the Lord’s prayer in the “Prayer” section.
KEY SCRIPTURE
Luke 11:1-4 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”He said to them, “When you pray, say: “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.
TAKE A NEXT STEP
Using the guide below, pray through The Lord’s Prayer daily and consider praying it in the morning, mid-day, and evening- similar to the prayer rhythms of the early church. Next week, reflect with your spiritual running partners, family or group on how this went and what you learned.
PRAYER
This prayer is not just a lecture, but a window into Jesus’ heart and the Kingdom movement that He’s bringing. It reflects His greatest commandment to love God and love one another.
Our Father, who is in heaven
Remember who you are praying to. Jesus uniquely addressed God as, “Father”, and as His beloved son, Jesus reveals the very nature of this God who is generous, sefl-giving, loving, patient, just. He is inviting us to know God and address Him with the same intimacy He experienced with the Father.
- Pray for God to remind you who He is as opposed to the false ways He is portrayed in the world around us and maybe even you have come to believe.
Hallowed be your name
We were created to be reflections of God’s image to the world, in other words, to bear (represent) His name, but that image has been damaged through sin.
- Pray for God’s name to be lifted up as holy, that is, set apart.
- Think of ways God’s name is mistreated and misrepresented in both our world and in our own hearts and lives, and ask that God’s name be honored in these areas.
Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus’ arrival on earth is the inauguration of God’s Kingdom- He came to reverse the curse of sin and death that wreaked havoc on His good creation. We who have trusted Christ have experienced this reversal, and yet, we are waiting for the completion of that in our hearts and in the world when He returns.
- Pray for God’s Kingdom to permeate the world more and more and that He would begin with us.
Now we turn to the things we need in order for us to live well in God’s Kingdom now:
Give us this day our daily bread.
It’s easy to view what we have as coming from our own efforts, but we need to be reminded that ALL that we have is from God and belongs to Him. This petition for DAILY bread should train us to think of our daily needs (food, water, shelter, relationships, work) as gifts and privileges that we have not, nor could not, earn. And, since this prayer is communal, we are to consider the daily needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ and how we might be the answer to their prayer for “daily bread.”
- Ask God for what you need today.
- Pray that we might grow in deeper dependence on God for our daily needs and be generous.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
Forgiveness is a distinct marker of the Kingdom of God. Jesus absorbed our sin on the cross so that we might be treated as if we were innocent. It was the ultimate act of forgiveness. He intended us to receive that forgiveness and then for this gift to flow out into the lives of others.
- Acknowledge where you need forgiveness. Then, acknowledge ways others have wronged or hurt you and pray for the ability to release the need to make them pay for it in the same way that Jesus released us from that payment.
- Ask for God to deepen our awareness of our sin so that we know how great His gift of grace is. Then pray for that grace to spill out in the various spheres of our lives.
Side note: Forgiveness is not the same as reconciliation. You don’t have to be in a relationship with the person to forgive them. And, this is not easy to do, which is why Jesus knew we needed to pray this daily!
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
As Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness, we can expect to face this test of our faith, too. And as Jesus confronted evil in the wilderness, we can expect to battle evil as well. Jesus resisted this temptation and gives us the power to do the same. Following Jesus is very hard and we are going to be tempted to throw in the towel when things get tough.
- If there is an area of testing you are currently in, pray for the strength to endure and remain faithful to Christ.
- Pray that God might spare us from this kind of testing, but that if it does come, we might stand firm in our faith, trusting that God is with us and will deliver us.
FOR THE PARENTS
Hey, families! Here’s a look at what we’re covering with your kids so you can help them continue to grow at home during the week.
THIS WEEK
This week, kids hear about Jesus joining some friends on the road to Emmaus.
- THE BIBLE: Jesus is there for me every day.
- THE BIG IDEA: Luke 24:13-35
ASK THIS
Because sometimes you and your kid need a conversation-starter that isn’t,
“So . . . how was church?”
- Why do you think it could be hard for us to remember that Jesus is always there for us?
- Name something that you can hold in your hands that helps you remember Jesus is here with you.
REMEMBER THIS
This month, your kids are memorizing the Bible verse
Luke 24:6a (NIV), in case you want to work on them together.
EC & Elem: “He is not here; he has risen!” Luke 24:6
NEXT WEEK
Next week, kids will hear about the time Jesus restored Peter.