The Beginner's Guide to Prayer

40 Days of Prayer:

The Beginner’s Guide To Prayer:

Matthew 6:5-8

“Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”” (Luke 11:1)

(To download and print blank sermon notes to complete while you listen, click HERE.)

Many of our frustrations with prayer are caused by Misconceptions about prayer

Prayer is not:

• A Magic Wand
• A Fire Extinguisher
• A Tug of War
• A Ritual

Four Foundational Pillars of Prayer

1. God loves for me to Talk To Him

“As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:13)

“Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

Prayer is a Conversation not a Ceremony

Prayer is a Relationship not a Ritual

2. God listens to prayers that are Sincere and Simple

See Matthew 6:5-8

Prayer is Personal not a Performance

Longer is not Stronger

3. God likes to demonstrate His grace by Answering Prayer

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7–8)

“You do not have, because you do not ask.” (James 4:2)

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matthew 7:11)

God’s answers are not always what we want or expect in the moment

Sometimes God Answers:

• Yes
• No
• Slow
• Grow

No for now doesn’t mean no Forever

4. God longs to be Close To Me

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:13–15)

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

How Do You Get Closer To God?

• Desire It

• Make Time For It

Being Able To Call On God As Father Is Not Automatic

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

“for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” (Galatians 3:26)

God The Heavenly Father Desires A Connection With You As His Child

Making It Personal

• Am I truly a child of God through faith in the perfect provision of Jesus Christ for my sin and separation from God?

• What misconceptions have I been believing about prayer? How have these impacted my praying and my relationship with God?

• Which of the four pillars above do I most need to meditate upon this week?

• How strongly do I desire to get closer to God? What will it look like for me to make more time for drawing nearer to God in the days ahead?

• Who can I share these truths with?