On a piece of paper, have every person in your group make three categories:
1. I thankful for:
2. Lord I need:
3. Who needs Jesus:
Give each of your groups members about 5 -7 minutes to quickly fill in the categories. After they have done so, hand out the following verses and have a couple of volunteers read the passages to the group.
1 Chron. 16:34 -
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
his love endures forever.
Psalm 30:12
I'm about to burst with song;
I can't keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
I can't thank you enough.
Psalm 107:8
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
Luke 9:18
One time when Jesus was off praying by himself, his disciples nearby, he asked them, "What are the crowds saying about me, about who I am?"
Acts 4:31
While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the holy Spirit and continued to speak God's Word with fearless confidence.
Romans 8:26
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. he does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans.
John 17:20
"I'm praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them (the disciples) and their witness about me.
Leader, say something like: These passages remind us to give thanks, to pray as Jesus prayed, to understand the power of prayer, to pray for the unsaved and to know that when we don't have the right words to pray the holy Spirit is right there for us. Let's take a few minutes now to praise God for the good things in our lives and the promises that he makes.
Leader: Encourage your group to each choose one of the things from their first column and pray a simple prayer like, "Lord I am thankful for … " Then move on and ask if they would do the same with the next column, "Lord I need … " After you sense everyone who is going to pray has prayed then move on to the third column, "Lord, please make yourself real to…" Make sure people feel comfortable to pray silently, but encourage them to pray aloud. Leader, please close this time of worship and supplication with a short prayer of thanks and praise.
