13 Mar, 2017 2. Faith – the key to answers
Getting started
If you found a bottle with a magic genie in it, and could wish for any one thing (other than to have more wishes) what would you wish for, and why?
A look at the Bible
“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Matthew 6:7-8
“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”
Mark 11:24
“When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
James 4:3
Tell of a time when God miraculously answered one of your prayers.
In Matthew 6:7-8, what kind of approach was Jesus telling the disciples to have to prayer when he told them not to pray like the ‘babbling pagans’ of their day? (How complicated is prayer supposed to be, and why?)
What sort of faith did Jesus encourage us to have in Mark 11:24?
What difference might this kind of faith make to way we feel in daily life?
What dynamic does James 4:3 bring to this conversation? Can we really pray with confidence for anything?
Our Response
What needs are there that you could pray for right now?
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for hearing all of our prayers, and for being involved in our lives to bring about what is best. There are some needs that I’d like to bring before you right now…
In Jesus name we pray
Amen.
