Practicing the Faith – Having Knees for Prayer

Day 1
Read again the scripture we studied in worship this week. Luke 11: 1-3. Jesus gives us a model of prayer - what instructions do you see in these verses? Which of these do you need to implement? Now read Philippians 4: 4-7. What do you hear from the words of Paul regarding prayer?

Day 2
Someone once wrote that each of us is created with a God-shaped hole and that we will never be truly satisfied until we fill that space up with him. Unfortunately, many of us fill up on Snickers Bars! What do you turn to instead of God when you are feeling empty? (Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World)
God longs to have fellowship with us. Read the following verses and describe the metaphor Scripture uses to describe the intimate relationship we can have with God:
John 15:5
Romans 8: 15-16
2 Corinthians 11:2

Day 3
God Is Near -Read Psalm 145:17-18. David tells us that God is righteous, loving, and near. Who will know/recognize God's nearness? What does it mean to call on God "in truth"? Do we, do you, ever pray insincerely by praying to sound good or righteous or by praying without thought of what you are saying? God isn't impressed with lofty words or thoughtless rote; God longs for us to be honest in our prayers. God knows us intimately, and our honesty honors and recognizes that knowledge in our relationship with God. Read Matthew 6:5-8; Luke 18:9-14; and John 4:23-24. Tell the Spirit you want to be really honest with God today. Be still before God; then share your heart.

Day 4
Praise is an Aspect of Prayer -In Psalm 145, David begins and ends his prayer with words of praise and exaltation; in fact, the entire Psalm is a celebration of God's goodness. In the reading from Philippians, and in the prayer Jesus taught us, we are instructed to acknowledge the sacredness of God's name (Read Matthew 6:9). Is praise part of your prayer relationship with God? Praise helps us focus our eyes on the One who loves us infinitely. Consider spending time praising God every day this week. One way to begin making a habit of praise is to pray aloud a psalm each day; Psalms 145-150 work well for this.

Day 5
Think About God's Love…Jesus is about to die; the cross is only hours away, and Jesus prays. Read John 17 slowly and prayerfully. Jesus prays for God to be glorified. He prays for our protection, that we will love each other and embrace God's words of truth. He prays we will take the good news of God's love to the world and live God’s love in the world. Read John 13:34-35. We aren’t simply to love others as we love ourselves. What is to be the measure of our love? How does the world see Jesus? Take time to pray through all or part of John 17. Pray with an open heart. Then pray for whomever God puts on your heart; pray for the grace to love with Jesus' love.