Prayer is one of the most important components of the Christian life. We simply can't know God without it. This six-session course will cover some of the essentials of prayer. We will be looking at the fact that we pray to a Father who always honors his name, and that prayer, by nature, is surrender. We will also look at practical aspects of prayer, such as developing a prayer lifestyle, examining the guidelines God has given us for prayer, and learning how to pray for ourselves and others.
Session One
The Father Who Honors His Name
God gives us himself in prayer.
Luke 11:1–13
To know Jesus better we must get to know his Father better, because Jesus lived oriented toward the Father. At the age of 12 he said to his distraught biological mother and adoptive father, "Did you not know I had to be about my Father's business?" That affirmation would shape the rest of his ministry.
Session Two
Prayer as Surrender
The main condition of successful prayer is seeking God's plans rather than our own.
Psalm 62
Our relationship with God is only as good as our communication with God, and this communication is called prayer. This study is based on the fact that God hears us and responds to us, but to hear him, we must seek him and surrender our lives to him.
Session Three
How to Develop a Prayer Lifestyle
We learn to pray by praying.
Luke 18:9–14; Jeremiah 20:7; Psalm 73:13–14; Job 6:4; 10:3, 18; 16:7; 19:6; 30:20–23; Nehemiah 2:4–5
Prayer, when applied to your life the way God intended it to be, is a 24-hour-a-day, seven-day-a-week conversation with God. It is a lifestyle.
Session Four
Guidelines for Answered Prayer
God wants to answer our prayers.
James 4:2–10; Matthew 7:9–11; Ephesians 1:15–21
One phenomenon about prayer is that it is answered. The amazing thing about God is that he has promised to do so when we bring our requests to him.
Session Five
How to Pray for Yourself
When praying for yourself, you must be willing to take action.
Luke 18:9–14; Jonah 2; Psalm 138:1–3; Matthew 5:1–12
There aren't many examples in the Bible of prayers that people pray for themselves, but there are a few, and they teach us how to pray for ourselves.
Session Six
How to Pray for Anyone and Everyone
Prayer is not just a religious ritual; it is a matter of the heart.
Philippians 1:3–11
In the first chapter of Philippians, the apostle Paul offered a blueprint we can use when we pray for people. Whether those people are friends, enemies, relatives, strangers, missionaries, or anything else, Paul showed us how to pray effectively for anyone and everyone.
This Study Through the Bible Course is based on a sermon series by Steve May.
