The Lord’s Prayer: Session 6 (Spring 2023)

Session 6 – Small Group Study Guide

Reflection Questions

1. As you think back before this study, how would you describe the contents of your prayer life? How has this study since corrected and shaped your understanding of prayer since then?
2. Think about the one area of your life that you’ve committed to praying over for the rest of this season. How have those petitions changed since before this study? Write down a side-by-side example of what that prayer sounded like before and how that prayer sounds now.
   
   What the Prayer Sounded Like Before                                 What the Prayer Sounds Like Now
   
   
3. There is nothing wrong with certain desires. But often times our desires become inordinate, or idolatrous desires. How we pray then can often reflect and fuel those idolatrous desires. For example, James 4:3 reminds us that we might even “ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” But the opposite is also true: When we pray according to God’s will, we spend less time meditating on what we want, but more on what God wants.
   • So how have you seen your heart grow in desiring the right things rather than the wrong idols as a result of praying for God’s desires in your life? If not yet, how do you think your heart might change if you were to steadfastly pray for God’s desires in your life?
   • If you’ve seen your heart change, take time to praise God for His good work in your heart. If you’ve yet to see that change, take time ask God for the grace to help you align your desires with His in your prayer.

Practicing Our Prayers

In our study and meditation of The Lord’s Prayer, we covered the following chapters and ideas:

• In Chapter 1 “When You Pray,” the key idea is that we pray as Christians because it is the way we talk and grow in our relationship with our heavenly Father:
  • Avoid trying to sound eloquent or holy and speaking to God as you were just carrying on a normal conversation.
  • Praying regardless of how you’re feeling, even if it is short.
  • Taking a minute to slow down and think of God as heavenly Father before praying.
    
    
• In Chapter 2 “Our Father,” the key idea is that as believers, we can approach God as our heavenly Father and pray that His Name be glorified in our lives and in this world:
  • 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.
    
    
• In Chapter 3 “Our Desire,” the key idea is that as believers we are called to seek the Lord’s kingdom and submit to His will as we pray:
  • Pray to live obediently. Ask: “God, in my desires, where have I fallen short and what you have for me instead?”
  • 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?”
  • 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?”

Using what you’ve learned about The Lord’s Prayer, take time to pray for the following:

1. Think of your own heart. Can you write out a prayer for what weighs on your heart in light of what you’ve studied so far? Be prepared to pray for this in your small group.
2. Think of one person in your small group and their prayer request (think of the person you prayed for in the last prayer session or your prayer partner). Can you write out a prayer for that person in light of what you’ve studied so far? Be prepared to pray for this in your small group.
3. Think of someone outside of your group. It could be a co-worker, friend, family, someone else from church, etc. What is one thing they have shared with you that is weighing on their heart, and can you write out a prayer for that person in light of what you’ve studied so far? Be prepared to pray for this in your small group
   ***NOTE: Please keep this person anonymous.

Sharing and Prayer in Groups

1. How has this study challenged you in 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 – try to use the elements we’ve learned in our study so far to shape that prayer request!