If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. 2 Cor 5:17
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Go to the source! Discover what the Bible says about …
These pages are designed to aid study or investigation for Christian discipleship through individual Bible study, Cell groups, Home groups, or meeting one to one. The questions could be used alone allowing each person to use their own Bible.
Introduction
Prayer is a language in which we meet with God. When a child learns to speak she starts with requests and is driven not by any intense desire to meet with her parents but a sense of need or desire. In the same way we learn to pray to God mostly out of need. As we becomes more mature prayer is focused on our relationship with our Father (Meet God in Prayer),
The second half of the Lord’s prayer focuses on coming to our Father to set our needs before Him.
Bible Zone
We pick up then half way through the Lord’s prayer of Luke 11:2-4
- Daily Need - We are in need, our Father delights to provide.
- Forgiveness - There is no question, we fail and the Lord is willing to forgive.
- Protection - There is a spiritual battle. We need protection from the enemy..
The Lord desires good things for us and He sees our need. The Lord is not meeting with us in some ivory tower immune to the needs of His children. He cares deeply about us. He leaves us in need to develop us in prayer.
The next phrase of the Lords Prayer is Luke 11:3
- What does Jesus recognise about our place of need?
- What time frame was Jesus most concerned about?
- How might you pray in response this way?
3 Give us each day the food we need
Sometimes it seems to us prayers are not answered. There could be many reasons for this. It could be a matter of not yet. It could be that we do not understand what is good. It may be that we are approaching God with a bad attitude, or are asking in an inappropriate way.
How the Lord surprised me with an answer to prayer.
Next the Lord brings us to a place of need relationally, our need for forgiveness. The Lord is a person with feelings and we need to keep the relationship clear.
- What are we asked to do by Jesus?
- What do we need to recognise about ourselves and our day to pray this?
- What condition is put on forgiveness? Why?
4 and forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Being forgiven takes a great weight and anxiety off us. A start point for forgiveness is our need to apologise. Sometimes we struggle with confessing that would mean admitting to ourselves we have done wrong. In some cultures it is almost impossible to hear an apology! This is what our Father in heaven asks. He also asks for us to forgive others. He is concerned we have an open relationship with Him, and everyone else. More on finding forgiveness. More about forgiving.
Now we move on to what for many is a very curious line of the Lord’s prayer, one that challenges our understanding about God. Here I slip over to Matthew’s parallel but extended version of this teaching Matthew 6:13,
- What unseen battle are we a part of?
- What are we to pray for our protection?
13 And don't let us yield to temptation,*
but rescue us from the evil one.*' [For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]
An issue that people struggle with is why we would be caused to be tempted. We gain an insight into this in Luke 22:31-32
- What is Jesus’ attitude to Simon’s forthcoming time of testing?
31 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat.32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers."
More on Spiritual Warfare.
PRAYER IN NEED
