Keys to Prayer: encountering god & unlocking his Power in Our World

Keys to Prayer Series March 5: Session 1 – Understanding Prayer March 12: Session 2 – How and What Do I Pray? March 19: Session 3 – Pray Like This March 26: Session 4 – Praying by the Book April 2: Session 5 – Taking Prayer to the Streets Saturday, April 8 – Prayer Walking Walnut Ridge Tomorrow at www.WalterNorvell.com: Nehemiah’s Prayer

15 Things You Can Do To Prepare Your Heart For Prayer – Kevin Shorter 1. Pray. 2. Sing. 3. Speak. 4. Kneel. 5. Silence. 6. Notepad. 7. Scripture. 9. Confess. 10. Confessional. 11. Community. 12. Quotes. 13. Fast. 14. Pleasure. 15. Exercise. www.prayer-coach.com

Use 2 Timothy 3:16-17 as our guide As we study the Bible, ask God to: Teach you the lessons He has for you. Rebuke you of any false thing in you or help you confront falsehoods. Correct you and show you what He wants to add to or remove from your life. Train you in righteousness by showing you what Bible verse or spiritual truth He wants you to apply to your life this week.

12 Reasons You Should Pray Scripture – David Andrew Naselli 1. You should pray Scripture because God’s people in the OT and NT did. 2. You should pray Scripture because Jesus did. 3. You should pray Scripture because it glorifies God the Father (John 15:4). 4. You should pray Scripture because it helps you focus on what is most important. http://themelios.thegospelcoalition.org/article/12-reasons-you-should-pray-scripture

5. You should pray Scripture because it helps you focus on praying (Matt. 26:41). 6. You should pray Scripture because it is entirely truthful. 7. You should pray Scripture because it helps you pray confidently (John 14:13-14; 1 John 5:14). 8. You should pray Scripture because it kindles your affections.

9. You should pray Scripture because it helps you express yourself appropriately (Ps. 145:1-3; Dan. 9:18; 2 Chron. 20:12b). 10. You should pray Scripture because it keeps your prayers fresh and specific. 11. You should pray Scripture because it keeps your prayers in scriptural proportion. 12. You should pray Scripture because it helps you understand Scripture better.

Let’s learn how to pray by the Book. God’s people give us examples in the Bible of praying Scripture: Nehemiah 9:5-37 (especially 9:11 and 17) They used Exodus 34:6. Acts 4 (especially 4:24-26) They used Psalm 2:1-2 Jesus: Matthew 27:46. He used Psalm 22.

Many passages of the Bible are prayers. Most every verse in the Bible can be prayed in one way or another. Some can be prayed word for word but we can always pray the ideas. Some we can and should adapt to our own words as we pray the ideas of the verses.

Praying Scripture for yourself: My example: Psalm 71:17-18 Psalm 119:32-40

Praying Bible passages for others: Pray Scripture for your children grandchildren and other children in your life: Luke 2:52 – 4 ways of growth For spiritual growth of friends or relatives: Phil. 1:9-11

Praying by the prompts of Scripture Letting the verses suggest prayer prompts to you. Using scripture to prompt our prayers; sometimes praying the passage exactly and at other times praying for things that come to mind as we read the passage. Let’s look at Psalm 23.

Don Whitney: How Can I Improve My Prayer Life? Praying the Bible by Don Whitney (Crossway, 2015) www.BiblicalSpirituality.org

Suggested Passages for Praying: The Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13 Praying for others: Matthew 9:38 Ephesians 3:14-19 Ephesians 1:17-22 Colossians 1:9-12

Praying for your own holiness: Almost any section from Psalm 119 Philippians 3:7-10 Ideas from Psalm 37:1-9 Ideas from Ephesians 6:10-20

For Adoring and Praising God Isaiah 9:2-7 Isaiah 6:3 Revelation 4:8a, 11 Revelation 5:9-10, 12, 13 Revelation 15:3-4 Revelation 19:5 Psalm 8 Psalm 16 Psalm 27 Luke 1:68-79

What did you learn? As we studied the Bible, . . . what lesson did God teach you? did God rebuke you of any false thing in you or help you confront falsehoods? did God correct you and show you what He wants to add to or remove from your life? did God train you in righteousness by showing you what Bible verse or spiritual truth He wants you to apply to your life this week?

Let us pray by the book.

Keys to Prayer: encountering god & unlocking his Power in Our World