Prayer Week 2, Day 7

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer

Week 2, Day 7, pages 26-27

Scripture:  Psalm 91:1-9

What name is used twice in this passage to describe God?

El Elyon, the Most High

What other descriptions of God did you notice?

Prayer Week 2, Day 6

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer

Week 2, Day 6, pages 25-26

Scripture:  Genesis 14:18-20

What name for God is used three times in this passage?

God Most High, Elyown or El Elyon

For a description of this Name and others, click here

What additional description of God is given in verse 19?

Possessor of heaven and earth.

What exactly had God done for Abram, according to Melchizedek?

Delivered his enemies into his hand.

Linda

Moderator

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TruthHimself/

Prayer Week 2, Day 5

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer

Week 2, Day 5, pages 23-24

Scripture:  2 Chronicles 20:5-12

Briefly summarize Jehoshaphat's description of God.

• God of our fathers
• God in the heavens
• Ruler over all kingdoms
• Powerful and mighty
• No one can stand against You
• One Who hears and delivers

Compare Jehoshaphat's prayer with the Lord's Prayer.  What similarities do you notice?

More Than I Asked

This morning, I accidentally turned to the wrong date in my morning devotional book, but :-) it really wasn't the wrong date; it was God's leading.  After completing this morning's study for Week 2 Day 4, I realized that what God was showing me in that study was also what He was showing me while I read the devotion for the "wrong" date.

Here are a few lines from the devotional:

"The temper of mind is tremendous in its effects; it is the enemy that penetrates right into the soul and distracts the mind from God... beware of 'the cares of this world' because they are the things that produce a wrong temper of soul...[There were a few comments about the cares of the world.] When we discern that people are not going on spiritually and allow the discernment to turn to criticism, we block our way to God.  God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize but that we may intercede."

Sometimes the enemy is not the army of the external but the army we allow into our minds, isn't it?  At least that's what I find in my own life.

I will remember that discernment is not so we can criticize but so that we can intercede.  Prayer.  Hmmm...  God is teaching me not only how to pray but when to pray.  More than I asked for.  Thank You, Lord.

Linda
Moderator
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TruthHimself/

Prayer Week 2, Day 4

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer

Week 2, Day 4, pages 21-22

Scripture:  2 Chronicles 20:1-4

What do verses 1 and 2 reveal about Jehoshaphat's situation?

He was afraid because the enemy was making war against God's people.

Fear/yare' (3372) 
connotes the psychological reaction of fear, being afraid of something or someone.

Note:  There is another word fear/mora that is used exclusively of the fear of being before a superior kind of being, to describe the reaction evoked in men by God's mighty works of destruction and sovereignty

What was his initial response?  How did he overcome it?

He resolved to seek the Lord.

Seek/darash (1875)

To inquire of God.  Often it refers to the contacting of a prophet who would be the instrument of God's revelation.  Reading the rest of this chapter, we see that God did answer through a Levite.

Prayer Week 2, Day 3

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer

Week 2, Day 3, pages 20-21

Scripture:  Matthew 6:9-13

In light of what we read earlier in Matthew 6:7, do Jesus' words in verse 9 indicate that He intended His disciples to repeat these exact words on a regular basis?  Explain your answer.

We are not to pray vain repetitions.

If the Lord's Prayer provides a basic structure for our conversations with God, we should note the key elements it suggests.  Read through the passage again, watching for these elements, and next to each key element listed below, note the verse number(s)s where it appears:

• Worship-- showing reverence v. 9
• Declaration of allegiance--stating where your loyalties lie  v. 10
• Petition--making a request  v. 11
• Confession of sin--seeking forgiveness  v. 12
• Request for deliverance--pleading for protection  v.13

What element begins and ends this prayer?  What does this suggest?

Worshipping God's character and recognizing His sovereignty. 

Discuss what you've observed so far about the Lord's Prayer and how it will impact your prayer life.

I did a study on this Scripture a few years ago, plus received a teaching about it.  Here are a few of my notes:

"Our Father"

When I pray, I am praying as a part of the Church, the Body of Christ.  Not my Father but our Father. 

Prayer Week 2 Day 2

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer

Week 2, Day 2, pages 18-19

Scripture:  Matthew 6:5-8

From what you read in this passage, did Jesus expect His followers to pray?  Explain your answer.

Yes, He didn't say "if you pray" but "when you pray."

What else did you learn from marking the references to praying?  What two things are we not to do when praying?

• We are not to pray so we may be seen by men.
• We are not to pray meaningless prayers of repetition.

I found a gem of a word/Word study in answer to this question.  The word reward used in v5 is different from the word reward used in v6.

Prayer Week 2 Day 1

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer

Week 2, Day 1, pages 17-18

Scripture:  Luke 11:1

What did you learn from marking praying and pray?

Jesus prayed (4336).  As we learned on Day 2 of Week 1 in II Kings, Proseuchomai (4336) is used of prayer in general and is always used of prayer to God.  So Jesus was relating to Father-God, either silently or outloud.  This passage doesn't really tell us which.

One disciple asked Jesus to teach "us" to pray.

Autumn Activities

Just a little personal sharing from our home to yours this autumn, my favorite season, in the northern hemisphere.

Our Backyard

Autumn rain and a sunny sky make a beautiful rainbow,
which is the view from my kitchen window.

We sold Vivian, our big green van!
We've had her for 11 years.
She's served us well.

A member of our online Bible study group
sent these flowers to encourage me.
Thank you!

My daughter and her friend carved these pumpkin faces,
Sherlock and Spock.

Here's a close-up of my daughter's pumpkin carving.

All lit up!

Hope you're enjoying this season of your life.

Linda

God's Affirmations

Good Day, everyone!

Just a little sharing with you about how God has been affirming for me the truth that He hears prayer.

First affirmation.

Last week my kids and I finished up a study of John 11 about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.  Here's the summary in the book:

"Have you ever wondered if God heard your prayers or cared enough to answer because you didn't get an answer right away?  Well, Martha and Mary may have had similar thoughts and feelings when Jesus didn't come immediately.  But if God doesn't answer our prayers our way, when and how we want, we know it's because God has a better plan, a better way, or a better time.  We just need to keep praying and we will see God's awesome power and love."

Second affirmation.

And then in my devotional book by Chambers, there was this:

"When He had heard therefore that he [Lazarus] was sick, He abode two days in the same place where he was. ~John 16:6

"Has God trusted you with a silence--a silence that is big with meaning?  God's silences are His answers...His silence is the sign that He is bringing you into a marvelous understanding of Himself.  Are you mourning before God because you have not had an audible response?  You will find that God has trusted you in the most intimate way possible, with an absolute silence, not of despair, but of pleasure, because He saw that you could stand a bigger revelation.  If God has given you a silence, praise Him; He is bringing you into the great run of His purposes.  The manifestation of the answer in time is a matter of God's sovereignty.  Time is nothing to God.  For a while you said, 'I asked God to give me bread, and He gave me a stone.'  He did not, and today you find He gave you the Bread of Life.

"A wonderful thing about God's silence is that the contagion of His stillness gets into you and you become perfectly confident -- 'I know God has heard me.'  His silence is the proof that He has...If Jesus Christ is bringing you into the understanding that prayer is for the glorifying of His Father, He will give you the first sign of His intimacy--silence."

Third affirmation.

Then I popped in a CD my uncle made for me, and it included a lovely song about Jesus giving life to Lazarus.

My thoughts.

Mary and Martha wanted their brother healed, but Jesus waited because He had something bigger to reveal about His power:  He gives life to those who are dead.  What a revelation!  I know He hears; I just need to wait to see His power revealed in ways I can't even imagine.

Yes, Lord, I believe You hear and Your silence is Your answer.  Teach me to pray and wait with hope for that deeper revelation of TruthHimself.

Linda
Moderator
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TruthHimself/

Prayer Week 1 Day 6

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer:  Pages 12-13

Scripture: Isaiah 29:13-14

What did you learn from marking the references to the people in the passage?

They drew near.

How did the people draw near to God?  Were their hearts in it?  Explain your answer.

Their hearts were not near to God but far removed.  They followed the traditions of men (Mark 7:6-7) when drawing near.  Their reverence (yir'ah (3347)) was simply rote.

• Reverence or yir'ah (3347):  "Fear of a person in an exalted position.  Standing in awe.  This is not simple fear, but reverence, whereby an individual recognizes the power and position of the individual revered and renders him proper respect.  In this sense, the word may imply submission to a proper ethical relationship to God."  (Vine's)

Prayer Week 1 Day 5

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer: page 11

Scripture:  Psalm 5:1-3

I found some gems in the word/Word studies I did related to this passage, so instead of answering the questions on this page, I'm going to summarize what I learned as I studied the words in this passage.  Then I'll end with a personal paraphrase of David's prayer.  FYI,  if you'd like a copy of my word/Word study, let me know and I'll send it along to you privately, as it is too hard to format it for this post.

Prayer Week 1 Day 4

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer:  page 9-10

Scripture reference:  Psalm 4:1-5

Once again David was clearly in a stressful situation.  How did he respond?

He called on God.

What did he expect God to do in regard to his prayer?  On what did David base his expectation?

David expected God to hear Him because David was abiding (The Lord has set apart the godly man for Himself [v3].  Our study on holiness helped us to see that God sets us apart.)

Prayer Week 1 Day 3

Book The Essentials of Effective Prayer:  page 6-7

Scripture reference:  Psalm 3:-15

What did you learn about David in verses 1 and 2?  How would you describe his emotions at this point?

Even his own son is against him, and he is heartbroken.

The word but in verse 3 signals a contrast, a change in direction.  According to verses 4 and 5, what actions did David take in the midst of his enemies and their taunting, and why did he pursue this course of action?

He turned to and called God by Name.  He pursued this course because he knew His God.

What phrase is used in this passage to describe prayer?

Crying out to the Lord.

When God answered David's prayer, how did David respond?  What shift does this indicate from the emotions he felt at the start of the prayer?

He started out restless and ended up resting.

Prayer: My Understanding

One of the first things I like to do before starting any study is to capsulize my current understanding of the topic for two reasons:

•  So I can see when the Spirit corrects my understanding as I delve deeper into His Word; or

• So I can praise Him as He affirms and establishes my understanding, rooting me more firmly into what He has already taught me.

Related to prayer, here's what I currently understand prayer to be:

Prayer: 

A communication between God and me so He can adjust my will to His.

Prayer is not what I want; it's what God wants.

God's will: 

That Christ is my Head and has first place in everything I think, do, and say (Ephesians 1:9-11).

My part:

Seek first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33).

Kingdom of God:

The place where Jesus rules: 

• First in my own heart (Luke 17:20-21)
• Then within His Body, the Church (the group of all people who have Christ in first place)
• Then in the world (Let it be soon, Lord!) (Matthew 6:10)

I look forward to what the Lord will teach us about TruthHimself as we learn to pray effectively together.

Linda

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TruthHimself/

Inductive Study Tools

My children and I just finished up Kay Arthur's book teaching children how to do an inductive Bible study.  I hope this summary of the tools for inductive study help you delve into the Word of God and discover TruthHimself:

• Observe the text by looking at context

• Search for key words

• Interrogate the text by asking the 5 Ws and an H question

• Make lists

• Find contrasts and comparison

• Look at terms of conclusion

• Find figures of speech

• Use a concordance and Bible dictionaries

• Look up cross-references

• Know the importance of historical and cultural context

• Make a chart summarizing the theme of each chapter of the Book of the Bible you are studying

Linda

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TruthHimself/