Prayer

-raising of one’s mind and heart to God

-loving conversation with God

Prayers we say include these types:

1. Blessings, adoration, and praise

2. Petition

3. Thanksgiving

1. What is your definition of prayer?

2. What events or occasions in your life lead you to prayer?

3. Write about a time when prayer helped you.

4. How strong is your belief that God will answer your prayers? Explain.

-An essential source for defining prayer and reporting on how people pray

-Essential for being a Christian

Old Testament:

-Book of Genesis

-Religious leaders - Samual, David, Elijah

-King David

-Book of Psalms

New Testament:

-Jesus - greatest source for learning about prayer

-Mary, Mother of God

Prayer Basics:

-Place

-Time

-Relax body and mind

-Good attitude

-Keep at it

1. What does it mean to “praise God”?

2. Which examples from Jesus’ life is your favorite model of prayer?

3. Who is someone who has been a model of prayer to you? How so?

Prayer expresses itself in these ways:

1. Vocal Prayer

2. Meditation - actively use thoughts, emotions, imaginations, and desires to think about God’s present in the world and in your life

3. Mental prayer - converse with Jesus or reflect on one of the mysteries of his life

-contemplation -form of silent, wordless prayer - simply rest in the presence of our

all-loving God

1. Where is a good place for you to pray?

2. When is a good time for you to pray?

3. What is a good prayer position for you?

4. How do you approach God in prayer?

5. What is the best way for you to handle distractions in prayer?

-Prime Christian prayer

-Summary of the whole gospel

-Prayer appears in both Luke and Matthew’s version

-Matthew’s gospel reports that it was taught in the Sermon on the Mount

-Luke’s gospel reports that the apostles approached Jesus when he was praying by

himself

-Consists of seven petitions

-1st three glorify God, last four take our needs to our loving Father

Parts:

-Our Father

-Who art in heaven

-Hallowed by thy name

Parts:

-Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven

-Give us this day our daily bread

-And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us

-And lead us not into temptation

-But deliver us from evil

1. How do you make God’s name holy by living a Christ-like life?

2. Who needs your forgiveness? What can you do to make clear your forgiveness to this

person?

3. What are you doing right now to build up your spiritual strength to better resist and temptations that might come your way?

4. What is the greatest temptation facing you? Facing teens today? Facing our world?