Something to Think About – What is Prayer?
Having completed our August worship focus on Red-Letter words of Jesus in the Gospel of John, we now turn our attention to Prayer during the month of September. In late Spring, we shared with you five (5) faith practices during one of our services. They were: attending Sunday worship, reading/studying the bible, praying, giving (material generosity), and fellowship (developing Christian friendships). You were asked to choose the two (2) you believed you needed to emphasize more in your day-to-day living. The two that were highlighted most – and by a wide margin – were prayer and reading/studying the Word. Thus, our focus this month of prayer.
Each Sunday, the sermons will be on some aspect of prayer. Each will center on a particular question and a biblical figure (story) that helps us answer it. Additionally, there are two (2) more ways you can take part in things which can help strengthen your prayer life:
- You can attend Pastor Melinda’s 3-week small group on prayer practices
Tuesday 9/3 5:30 – 6:30 Breath prayer
Monday 9/9 5:30 – 6:30 Prayer walking
Monday 9/16 5:30 – 6:30 Letter-writing prayers
- You can follow the 30 Days of Prayer pamphlet Pastor Vicky made available this past Sunday. If you need a copy, contact and we will send you one.
I also wish to thank you for filling out the Survey on Prayer made available over the past two weeks. We’ve received nearly 50 responses, with an even number of you filling it out online as opposed to a paper copy. I will be sharing your answers to the survey questions (without mentioning specific names) throughout the month. But I wish to thank you here, in advance, for what you shared. In that survey, you were honest and vulnerable, and I believe that by sharing your responses, you will be able to help one another – albeit indirectly – in ways that could not otherwise be experienced. Here is what you can expect week to week:
Week 1 (9/1)
Question What is prayer?
Scripture Luke 1:46-55 Mary Magnificat
Week 2 (9/8)
Question To whom do I pray?
Scripture Jonah 2:1-9 John in the belly of the fish
Week 3 (9/15)
Question When do I pray / What do I pray for?
Scripture Exodus 14:10-14 Israelites escaping Egyptians
Week 4 (9/22)
Question What does it look like when I’m praying?
Scripture Psalm 51 Prayer of Confession
Week 5 (9/29)
Question What if I pray and nothing happens?
What if I don’t get what I pray for?
Scripture Job 1:20-22 Job’s explanation
Blessings– Michael