The Lord’s Prayer: Session 5 (Spring 2023)

Session 5 – Small Group Study Guide

Study Questions

1. How would you summarize what the “will of God” is? Can you define the difference between decree, desire, and direction? How does this affect what you pray for?
2. Based upon your study of this chapter, how would you summarize what the kingdom of God is? How does this study of God’s kingdom and will affect how you think of prayer?
3. David Powlison says that at its most basic, a prayer is an expression of perceived need or what we are willing to say matters most. It could speak about what actually matters to us in the moment, part of what matters to us, or perhaps it covers up what really matters. Either way it indicates what matters most. As you think about your own prayers and how you respond to the Lord, what does that say about your heart and what matters most?
4. One of the challenges from this chapter is for our prayers to be centered on Jesus’s priorities. Take a moment to think about the one thing that God has placed on your heart that you have committed to praying for. How could you reorient your prayers in such a way that they reflect Christ’s priorities?
5. Think of particular areas in your life where the Lord is calling you to obey (e.g., your relationships with specific family members, friends, coworkers, and neighbors; your workplace; ministries at church; missions and evangelism; personal finances and generosity; besetting sins and accountability; stewardship of your health, etc.) How can you pray for obedience in these areas? What would these prayers sound like? If you’re able, please share specifically what it would mean for you to obey God’s will and live for His kingdom this week.
   
   

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:

1. 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?
2. Based upon what you learned from this session, how might you use the following ideas in your prayers for work:
   1. Pray to live obediently. Ask: “God, in my desires, where have I fallen short and what would You have for me instead?”
      • J.I. Packer: “To pray ‘thy kingdom come’ is searching and demanding, for one must be ready to add, ‘and start with me; make me your fully obedient subject.’” “O, Lord, would you start with me? Would you start with us? Would you start with our church? Would you show us our disobedience?”
   2. Pray to live outwardly. Ask: “God, in my desires, how can I love others as you have commanded and live for their sake instead of my own?
      • “The presence of the kingdom is marked by the advancement of the gospel. If you care about the kingdom coming, you will care about the advancement of the gospel… When we pray, ‘Father, your kingdom come,’ we are asking God to send people out to the uttermost parts of the earth, ‘proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.’ (Acts 28:31)”
   3. Pray to live expectantly. Ask: “God, in my desires, would You help me to trust that You will answer in a way that prioritizes Your glory and that it is better than anything I could ever imagine?”
      • We pray with faith and hope knowing that God is mighty to save, we can trust in His promises. He is the one to invite, and He is the one to judge. But we must do our task of sending, going, preaching, and praying.
3. Write out a prayer based upon what you learned and take time to pray that prayer for work.

Sharing and Prayer in Group

1. 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.
2. Share other prayer requests: