Session 3 – Small Group Study Guide
Study Questions
Study Questions
- DeYoung parallels learning how to pray from Jesus with these questions at the beginning of the chapter on p. 25: “What if you had the opportunity to ask the greatest basketball coach of all time to teach you how to shoot a basketball” or “the greatest chef to teach you how to cook” or “the greatest fighter pilot to teach you how to fly a plane?” How does this differ from your natural responses to learning how to pray? Why?
- DeYoung highlights the structure of the Lord’s Prayer: “The first set of three requests focuses on God’s glory – his name, his kingdom, and his will. The second set of three requests focuses on our good – our provision, our forgiveness, and our protection. Of course, the two sets cannot be separated. God is glorified as he gives us what we need, and when we ask for what we need, we must always do it with an eye to God being glorified” (27). Are there any dangers of thinking about God’s glory and our good separately instead of together? How does it impact your approach to prayer knowing that it is both for God’s glory and for your good?
- DeYoung quotes J.I. Packer, “The vitality of prayer lies largely in the vision of God that prompts it. Drab thoughts of God make prayer dull.” (33-34) What have been some of the attributes of God that have significantly changed the way you think about God and therefore affected the way that you pray?
- How does DeYoung’s explanation of “hallow” help you better understand prayer? Why is it important that it comes first in the Lord’s Prayer?
- What does it mean to pray for God’s name to be hallowed for your own life? For your family and friends? For those in your life who don’t know Christ? Take time to write out specific prayers for yourself and for others.
Practicing Prayer Individually
One of our hopes this season is to not only meditate on the contents of our study, but to allow such meditation to transform how we think and interact with God. So answer the following questions:
- Think back to session 1. What was the one area of your life that you identified that you’d like to grow in praying over for the rest of this season? How have you since grown in praying for that one area from our last study?
- Based upon what you learned from this session, how might you use the following ideas in your prayers for work:
- That God is glorified in our prayers as we ask Him to meet our needs.
- That we would want everyone around us to see God for who He really is.
- Write out a prayer based upon what you learned and take time to pray that prayer for work.
Sharing and Prayer in Groups
- Based upon what you wrote down in “Practicing Prayer Individually,” how has this study impacted the one area of your life you’ve been praying for? Share this with your prayer group so they know how to pray for you.
- Share other prayer requests:
