His Word My Life Repeating Courses for Adult Bible Study Prayer by Kenneth A. Cherney Lesson One Prayer Begins with What God Has Done for Us Lesson Two Prayer Is a Vital Part of a Christian s Worship Life Lesson Three Elements of a Well-Rounded Prayer Life Lesson Four In Prayer, We Seek God s Blessings for Ourselves and Others Lesson Five Pray Sincerely Lesson Six Pray Persistently and Expect Results Lesson Seven Regular and Systematic Prayer Lesson Eight God s Promises Give Prayer Its Power All rights reserved. Purchase by a congregation: Purchase of these student copy masters by a congregation gives Bible study leaders of that congregation permission to adapt and copy this material for use in one or more groups within that congregation. (Dual parishes may purchase one copy for use in both congregations.) Purchase by a pastor or other Bible study leader: Purchase of these student copy masters by an individual gives the buyer permission to adapt and copy this material for Bible classes he or she teaches or supervises. New edition, 2008 Northwestern Publishing House Second printing, 2002 1250 N. 113th St., Milwaukee, WI 53226-3284 1997 by Northwestern Publishing House. Published 1997 Printed in the United States of America
Prayer Lesson Three Elements of a Well-Rounded Prayer Life 1. Adoration 2. Confession 3. Thanksgiving 4. Supplication (ACTS) Worship David, the author of Psalm 139, began his prayers by praising God s wisdom. Read selected verses of Psalm 139 A: O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. B: You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. A: Where can I flee from your presence? If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, B: Even there your right hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. A: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; B: Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. A: How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! B: Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. A: Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. B: See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Prayer: Heavenly Father, send us your Holy Spirit. Enrich the content of our hearts, so that you are pleased when we open them to you in prayer. In the name of Jesus and for his sake we ask it. Amen. Introduction A story is told about a country boy who, at age fourteen, fell completely silent. For seven years he didn t say a word to anyone. At first, his family and friends were astonished, but finally they came to accept Junior s silence as a fact of life. Then, one day, Ma burned the biscuits. She was scolding herself softly as she carried them to the table. Ma, you burned the biscuits, Junior said. Ma dropped the plate on the floor. The family looked at Junior in shock. Son, Dad said, you haven t opened your mouth in seven years! Why not? Because, Junior said, up til now, everything s been okay.
Prayer Lesson Three Page 2 Is our prayer life a little like that? Do we feel no need to pray as long as everything s okay? If so, let s remember: in our prayers, we can talk about much more than our own lives and what s wrong with them. Today we will look at one way of keeping our prayers well-rounded, filled with a variety of things God wants us to pray for. Remember the word ACTS. It will help you organize your prayer. Studying God s Word Adoration Read Psalm 138 1. Find a verse that expresses the main point of this psalm. 2. What does it mean to praise someone? 3. List the things David praises the Lord for. Which ones are characteristics of the Lord? Which ones are things God does? A DORATION = prayers in which we praise God for who he is and what he has done. Many Christians find that beginning their prayers with adoration is the easiest way to get started praying. Why do you think they feel that way? Who says our prayers have to be about us? Why not pray to God about God? Think of all that you know about God, and start there. Praise him for who he is and what he has done. Because there is no end to his loving actions, you will find thoughts and words coming easily. Confession Read Luke 18:9-14 1. Why did the Pharisee and the tax collector go to the temple? 2. What was wrong with the Pharisee s prayer? (See NIV footnote.)
Prayer Lesson Three Page 3 3. What made the tax collector s prayer God-pleasing? 4. Discuss: Whenever we want to pray about ourselves and our needs, we should begin with the tax collector s prayer. C ONFESSION = prayers in which we acknowledge our sinfulness and ask God for forgiveness. Explain the following statement: If you re looking for a prayer topic you can never exhaust, try the goodness of God. If you re looking for another, try human sinfulness. There is a saying, Everyone grabs for the bench when it s the piano that needs to be moved. When faced with a heavy, unpleasant job, we sometimes try to avoid it by fastening on something lighter and more pleasant, hoping no one notices. God isn t at all like that when he answers our prayers. The many, smaller requests we make of God day by day pale in comparison with our biggest problem: our sin. That s the piano. Compared with it, all our other needs are small benches. But God grabs the piano first. He takes our burden of sin on his own shoulders and carries it to the cross, where he gets rid of it forever. Then, along with the forgiveness of our sins, he lovingly and cheerfully gives us everything else we need, according to his will. We can pray with the hymn writer: With my burden I begin: Lord, remove this load of sin (from CW 409:3). Thanksgiving Read Philippians 1:3-6 1. For what does Paul thank God? (verse 5) 2. How is thanksgiving similar to praise? How is it different? 3. After a prayer of confession, what is the first thing we should thank God for? T HANKSGIVING = prayers in which we acknowledge God s many kindnesses and express our gratitude for them. Explain: The more a Christian grows in his faith, the more aware he is of how ungrateful he s been. God loves to hear us thanking him for the many blessings he s given us.
Prayer Lesson Three Page 4 Supplication Read Philippians 1:9-11 1. How does Paul continue his prayer? 2. On whose behalf does he make this request? 3. What does Paul ask that God would enable the Philippians to do? 4. Evaluate: What Jesus tells us to pray for in the Lord s Prayer can serve as a good list of things to pray for on behalf of others. S UPPLICATION = prayers in which we make requests to God on behalf of ourselves and others. Agree or disagree: It is in our supplications that our selfish sinful nature most often rears its head. God wants us to pray for all that we need and for the needs of others. He is honored when we place ourselves completely in his hands. Summary It s Monday morning; the sun is shining, and the weather is beautiful. You re on your way to work, where you face a major task that has you a little bit worried. Take a moment and compose a brief prayer that s appropriate to this situation. Build that prayer around the four elements we learned in this lesson: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication. Then, share yours with the group. Remember ACTS. Life with God Day 1: In your prayers today, focus on adoration. Make a list of attributes of God, and praise him for being who he is. Day 2: In your catechism, read the Apostle s Creed with Luther s explanation. Pray a prayer of adoration that praises God for what he has done. Day 3: Read the Ten Commandments with Luther s explanations. Offer an appropriate confession of your sins. Day 4: Now find the Table of Duties in your catechism. Find where it mentions the duties of your station in life, and confess to God the ways in which you have neglected them. Day 5: List the evidences of God s goodness that you can see from where you are right now. Thank God for them. Day 6: Make a mental list of people who have been significant in your spiritual life. Thank God for each of them. Day 7: To think about: What is the most pressing need I feel right now? What is my most important need? Are they the same? If not, how are they related? After thinking for a few minutes about these needs, take them to God in prayer.