APRIL 16
WHO DIS?
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
- Do you pray? If so, when and how do you pray? If not, why don’t you?
- What stood out to you from the message?
- “Prayer is simply a conversation with a loving God who desires to speak to you and hear from you.”
- Is there any part of this definition that you struggle to believe?
- Why do you struggle to believe it?
- How does that impact your prayers?
- If you did believe it, how would it change the way you pray?
4. Read Genesis 15:1-6. At this point, Abram has seen God protecting and providing for Him in incredible ways and God is once again reiterating His promises to him. Abram believes God and trusts His character, even though he doesn’t see how God is going to possibly carry out these promises. Abram will fumble in this faith, even taking matters into his own hands, and yet, God still keeps His promises.
- Can you think of a time when you had to trust God and His character and resist taking matters into your own hands? What was the outcome?
- Are there areas in your life, currently, where you are tempted to take control instead of trusting God?
KEY SCRIPTURE
Genesis 15:1-6 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?”And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
PRAYER
Sometimes, we have to lead our hearts to trust God and we can do that through talking to Him. There are many ways to guide our hearts in prayer and over the coming weeks, we will provide different methods of prayer to help you either learn to pray or deepen your prayer life. Here is a simple guide called ACTS prayer:
- A- Adoration: Begin by praising God. It’s easy to jump right into prayer by asking God for something, but adoration is about proclaiming who God is and worshiping (or adoring) Him for it. You can pray through the names of God (God, you are Father, Savior, Shepherd, Friend, etc.) or His character (You are holy, good, faithful, just, etc.) Or pray through things you personally love, know, or have experienced about God. You can also pray Scripture that speaks of His character and what He has done in history.
- C- Confession: A confession prayer, also called a prayer of repentance, is a three-fold prayer:
- Acknowledge the sins that we have done
- Repent (turn from sin) to God and ask Him to forgive us for our sins
- Move forward (receive) the grace God has given us to be forgiven.
- T- Thanksgiving: A prayer of thanksgiving, voicing your thankfulness to God for all He is and has done in your life and the lives of others.
- S- Supplication: A prayer expressing your needs and desires. This is where you make your requests to God. How do you want to see Him move in your life or others?
TAKE A NEXT STEP
Pray through the ACTS prayer guide each day this week and share with your spiritual running partners or group what the experience was like and how you saw God show up.
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 the time Jesus appeared to the disciples after coming back to life.
- THE BIBLE: I can meet with Jesus every day.
- THE BIG IDEA: John 20:19-31
ASK THIS
Because sometimes you and your kid need a conversation-starter that isn’t,
“So . . . how was church?”
- What are some things we can do to meet with Jesus every day?
- Why is meeting with Jesus important?
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 Jesus joining some friends on the road to Emmaus.