Prayer

LUMC Prayer Chain
Each week, LUMC receives calls asking for prayer for people connected to our church and their loved ones. This list is sometimes sent out on our Prayer Chain via telephone. Some prayer concerns show up at the Sunday morning worship bulletin. If you or a loved one would like to be added to the prayer chain or bulletin, please call (812) 969-2463.

LEARN TO PRAY - 28 DAYS OF PRAYER

28
DAY OF
PRAYER

DEDICATION

          I WANT TO DEDICATE THIS BOOK TO A VERY GOOD FRIEND AND FELLOW CHRISTIAN ALVIN WILSON, WHO HAS RETIRED FROM THE MINISTERY.   HE GAVE ME HIS LIBRARY OF BOOKS AND ENCOURAGED ME TO READ ONE PARTICULAR BOOK.

UNKNOWN TO ALVIN, I WAS STRUGGLING WITH AN IDEA FOR A NEW YOUNG ADULTS GROUP AND AFTER READING THE RECOMMENDED BOOK, THE IDEA FOR THIS BOOK CAME INTO FOCUS.   THANKS ALVIN



CONTENTS

TEACH ME TO PRAY OR 28 DAYS OF PRAYER

Introduction

DAY 1                                                             “What is God like”

DAY 2                                                       “The Qualities of God”

DAY 3                                                   “The God Who Loves Us”

DAY 4                                                                   “By Your Side”

DAY 5                                                     “The 3 Things of Jesus”

DAY 6                                                                  “The Disciples”

DAY 7                                           “Listen for a Word from God”

DAY 8                                                                       “Quietness”

DAY 9                                                                     “Gods Truth”

DAY 10                                                                    “Confession”

DAY 11                                                                         “Petition”

DAY 12                                                                “Thanksgiving”

DAY 13                                                             “Pray for Others”

DAY 14                                                              “The Hard Stuff”

DAY 15                                                                  Carelessness”

DAY 16                                                    “Wandering Thoughts”

DAY 17                                                                    “No Contact”

DAY 18                                                                     “God is Life”

DAY 19                                                                              “Guilt”

DAY 20                                                 “Fear, Worry, & Anxiety”

DAY 21                                                                  “Resentment”

DAY 22                                                         “Self-centeredness”

DAY 23                                                                     “The Letter”

DAY 24                                                                        “Changes”

DAY 25                                                        “Praying Together”

DAY 26                                                               "Guided Prayer”

DAY 27                                                 "Praying the Scriptures”

DAY 28                                                                         “Sharing”

Conclusion

References

INTRODUCTION



          Prayer has always been an important part of every Christian’s life.   In Luke 11:1-4 Jesus is praying and the disciples say to him, “Teach us to pray”.   That’s when Jesus gave them the example of the Lords prayer. In Matthew 6:5-7 Jesus warned against praying in public just to be seen, praying empty repetitious phrases, and said to go into a room and shut the door to pray.   Prayer was a very important part of Jesus’ teaching.

Prayer was part of the basic teaching of Jesus and he gave examples by how he lived.   In Matthew 14:23 is says, “And after he had dismissed the crowds he went up the mountain by himself to pray”.   In Mark 14:32 it says, “They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, sit here while I pray”.   In Luke 6:12 it says, “Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God”.

Jesus mastered himself and the world around him by staying in the presence of God and following Gods will. He did that by praying regularly.   Jesus knew about inadequacy, fear, guilt, resentment, and all the other human emotions, and yet he mastered them all. How? What did Jesus know that we don’t?
          By being in the presence of God regularly he knew this God we worship in an intimate way.   He was in the constant care of his heavenly father, and he came to know the boundless resources God has to love each of us.   Maybe we should learn from Jesus’ example?

I have heard it said by many people that they do not know how to pray.   It is for these people that I have written this book.   It is designed to teach a person how to pray from the starting point of a beginner and is intended to get them into the very presence of God.   It cannot be assumed that people know how to pray.   After all, even the disciples didn’t know how to pray, and they were with Jesus day after day.   They needed instructions, and today’s’ disciples still need training.

We can see that Jesus prayed at night, during the day, in the morning, standing, sitting, on mountains, and in synagogues, so it is important for us to realize that there is no perfect position, place, way, or time to pray. Just pray.

The whole idea is to pray to God enough that we enter into his presence and actually experience God.   God is not some abstract entity that is out there somewhere.   God is a real living being that wants to speak with us personally, and come into our presence to develop a personal relationship with us.   It is impossible to have a personal relationship with someone or something you do not know, and that’s where prayer comes in.

This book is designed to take you on a 28 day journey into the very presence of God.   Each day you will be directed how to pray, in order to experience a different trait of our God.   This is not hocus-pocus, but is an organized attempt to discipline ourselves in prayer.   Prayer opens our hearts and minds to the presence of God in ways that nothing else can accomplish.   At the end of each prayer is a place to record your experience.   You should attempt to attend a group or prayer group to share what you have experienced and hear what others have experienced. Explaining what you have experience to those who do not pray in earnest will prove fruitless, as they simply do not have the same reference point.   Thus a group of those who are also trying this journey is necessary for support and sharing.

So here is my challenge to each reader of this book; take this journey seriously and follow the instructions, even if you think it will not work for you.   Try it anyway!   If you follow these instructions, as they are presented and don’t skip ahead, you will find yourself in the presence of our wonderful God.   Good Luck and may God bless you for undertaking this journey.

DAY 1

“What is God Like?”

Since we will be communicating daily with God, it seems like a good idea to share with him our most intimate thoughts and details of our life.   Here is today’s challenge: set aside ½ hour to pray. Please don’t say, “I’m to busy to pray”. Would you be too busy to keep an appointment with another person? Keep your daily appointment with God.   Start by finding a quiet place where you will not be interrupted and sit where you will be comfortable. Do not recline.   Eventually this quiet place will become a Holy place for you.   Imagine your feet relaxing and then feel that relaxed feeling grow all the way up your body until your entire body is relaxed. Preparation for prayer is extremely important.   Take as much time as you need to prepare, and then ask yourself what is God Like?   Is he like a big policeman with a night stick?   Is he like a grandfather who is very easy going? Is he a great power with no face? Is he like a judge sitting on a throne?   For prayer to have meaning it must be grounded in a proper understanding of who God is.   Write your thoughts below: Psalm 84:1-12

DAY 2

“The Qualities of God”

Today we will again pray to God by first relaxing in our quiet place.   Let your mind go as you ask yourself when I look at Jesus what qualities of God do I see?   Is he kind, forgiving, loving, honest, enduring, faithful, patient, joyous, merciful, understanding, or unselfish?   Am I made in this same image?   The idea is to begin to see more clearly this God we worship so we can have a firm foundation for prayer.   Write down your responses below: Psalm 89:1-2

DAY 3

“The God Who Loves Us”

Go to your quiet place to pray and start by getting relaxed.   Take time to prepare to meet God and be in God’s presence.

For our prayers to have any meaning at all, they must be grounded in the concept that our God loves us.   We are free to be open and honest with our God about all those things we may not be comfortable discussing with anyone else.   God already knows what’s in our hearts anyway, so lets be open. John 14:21

DAY 4

“By Your Side”

Start this prayer session the same as the others, by going to your quiet place, and begin to relax at the bottoms of your feet and working up.   In prayer, think of God by your side.   Be assured that he desires to communicate with you more than you desire to communicate with him.   Become aware of his presence.   Write your thoughts below: Psalm 73:28

DAY 5

“The 3 Things of Jesus”

Start day five out the same as the previous days, by going to your quiet place, and start to relax from the feet up.   Jesus was the living presence of God so, ask yourself how Jesus has revealed at least three things in himself that are like the character of God?   Write your answers below: Luke 6:47-49

DAY 6

“The Disciples”

Start your prayer session the same as the others by going to your quiet place, and relaxing.    Read Luke 6:12-16 and ask yourself, am I a disciple of Jesus?   If so which disciple would I most want to be like?   Write your responses below: Luke 6:12-16

DAY 7

“Listen for a Word From God”

Start day seven just as you have the previous six days by going to your quiet place, and begin to relax from your feet up.   But this time feel the air going in and out of your mouth.   Feel the air as it goes deep down into your chest and stomach and as it comes out. Breathe deeply.   Ask yourself how has God revealed himself to you this past week?   Has it been in nature, in a child, a friend, something difficult, what?   Has God given you a word?   Write your responses below: John 18:37

DAY 8

“Quietness”

Today’s prayer will begin just as the others.   Go to your quiet place, relax, and breathe deeply.   Once you are relaxed be quiet.   Instead of asking God for the usual litany of stuff, be quiet.   Listen to the world around you.   Listen for that still quiet voice of our God who really wants to talk to you.   Write your impressions below: 1 Kings 19:11-15

DAY 9

“Gods Truth”

Today’s’ prayer session will begin like the others. Go to your quiet spot, feel the relaxation start at your feet and grow throughout your body and pay attention to the breathing of your body.   Once you are prepared you will need to meditate on one of the following truths of God: “God Loves you”, “God always was and always will be”, “Where can you go to be away from God”, and “God wants to be with you”.   Write your thoughts below: 1 John 5:20

DAY 10

“Confession”

Start this prayer session the same as the others, by going to a quiet place, and relaxing.   When you are ready you can ask yourself if you grasp the true nature of God.   It becomes impossible to continue in his presence without confessing, if you truly know Gods nature.   God already knows everything about you, but you must honestly, confess your shortcomings to God and commit to him.   Write your thoughts below: Psalm 32:5

DAY 11

“Petition”

Today begin your prayer like all the others, by going to your quiet place, and relaxing.   God knows what we want and what we need, even though they are not always the same thing. Jesus said to ask for our daily bread, this time ask God for the desires of your heart.   Write down below what you asked for. Psalm 20:4-5

DAY 12

“Thanksgiving”

Prepare for this prayer session as you have prepared for the others by going to your quiet spot and relaxing.   The Apostle Paul said to give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ.   Give God thanks for all the blessings he has given you since your started these prayer experiences. Also give thanks for the unpleasant things that happened to you so you could learn from them.   Write your comments below: Colossians 2:6-7

DAY 13

“Pray for Others”

Begin this prayer as you have the others, by going to your quiet place and relaxing.   If you are in the will of God your thoughts should turn to others. Pray for your family, friends, neighbors, employers, lax church members, persons without Christ, those who are sick, and your pastor.   Pray for those who have hurt you, or injured you in some way.   Picture their faces and pray for them.   Write your thoughts below: Luke 6:27-29

DAY 14

“The Hard Stuff”

This is the end of the second week of your prayer challenge and it is time for a review.   Go to your quiet place and begin the relaxation phase of prayer.   Ask yourself, are you keeping your prayer time faithfully each day?   What phase of prayer is most difficult? Are you realizing definite contact with God during your pray times?   What can you do better? Write your thoughts below: Luke 22:39-42

DAY 15

“Carelessness”

Today begin your prayer time as usual by going to your quiet place and relaxing. Some people say, “I just can’t find time to pray”. Others say, “I will pray tomorrow”.   Some will promise themselves that soon or later they will start to pray but never get started.   Every day it gets easier to neglect.   The busiest people give the most time to prayer.   Those who feel they are too busy to pray are actually saying that other things are more important to them.   Are you guilty of this?   Will you commit to keeping a place and time for being alone with God?   Will you keep your appointment with God regardless? Write your thoughts below: Luke 16:19-31

DAY 16

“Wandering Thoughts”

Begin this prayer the usual way by going to your quiet place and relaxing.   When you pray are your thoughts interrupted and begin to wander.   When you begin to be conscious of Gods presence do thoughts flit into your head and cause you to spend unnecessary time refocusing on God?   Dr. E. Stanley Jones suggests that we pray for those things that distract us.   Lift them up to God to handle.   Try this. Write your comments below: Luke 13:23-24

DAY 17

“No Contact”

Start this prayer session as usual by going to your quiet place and relaxing. When you think you are ready ask yourself if God is definitely with you. There are times when we can’t seem to make contact.   When these times occur we are often temped to say “What’s the Use” and quit.   This feeling to quit must be overcome. Start the relaxation process over again. It is very difficult to communicate with God when our minds are taut and not relaxed. Meditate on one of the following: “Stop striving. Be still and know that I am God”, or “God is seeking us more than we are seeking him”, or “God is dependable and will be here”.   Write your thoughts below: Job 4:16

DAY 18

“God is Life”

Begin this prayer session as usual by going to a quiet place and relaxing.   Think on the following: God is the answer to life!   God not only formed life, God is life.   All the emptiness I have inside, all the odds I have with myself, all my inner frustrations and confusion are a lack of God in my life.   Can I at last take this seriously?   Write your comments below: John 1:3-5

DAY 19

“Guilt”

Begin your prayer as usual by going to your quiet place and relaxing.   This time of pray is to help you deal with the real you.   You are your own problem.   Because God loves us he is constantly willing for us a more abundant life and God is continually transforming areas of our lives.   Pray about the areas of your life God is revealing to you that need transforming?   Write your thoughts below: Hosea 14:1-2

DAY 20

“Fear, Worry, and Anxiety”

Begin this prayer in the usual manner by going to your quiet place and relaxing.   Every time an anxious, or fearful, person prays their anxious, fearful thoughts flood their mind. They end up not praying but brooding over their troubles.   Anxiety and fear have underlying causes. What are you anxious, or fearful about?   What is really causing these feelings? Ask God during your prayer?   Write your thoughts below: Isaiah 41:10

DAY 21

“Resentment”

Begin this prayer as usual by going to your quiet place and relaxing.   It is hard to get along with other people, and when they attack the image we have of ourselves, we become resentful.   When we become quiet during prayer time, resentment can come out and become disruptive.   During this prayer, review who you are resentful of, and in the spirit of love look at what caused the experience, then give it to God to handle. Do not take back the problem.   Trust God to handle it.   Write your thoughts below: Psalm 37:8

DAY 22

“Self-Centeredness”

Begin this prayer as usual by going to your quiet place and relaxing.   Have you ever found yourself talking with God about the things you want, the desires you have, and the things you want God to do for you?   This happens when we place ourselves in the center of life. Picture yourself stepping out of the center of life and Jesus as stepping in.   Write your thoughts below: John 5:30

DAY 23

“The Letter”

Begin this prayer session with the usual preparations by going to your quiet place and relaxing.   In the space provided below write a letter to God in which you tell him of your complete commitment to his will and then read the letter aloud. Mark 3:35

DAY 24

“Changes”

Prepare for this prayer session as usual by going to your quiet place and relaxing.   Prayer should be a life changing experience so during this prayer ask yourself how your life has changed since you began this study of prayer.   Write your thoughts below: John 3 : 1-6

DAY 25

“Praying Together”

To do this prayer you will need another person to pray with you.   This can be a friend or spouse.   Pray for the other person and ask them to pray for you.   Write your thoughts below: James 5:16

DAY 26

“Guided Prayer”

To properly do this prayer may take more than the regular ½ hour, so pick a time when you are not limited. Go to you quiet place and recline.   Close your eyes and imagine the warm spot growing from the bottoms of your feet throughout your body and finally the air going in and out of your lungs. Do this very slowly.   Now imagine you are on a beach.   It’s a beautiful place. Imagine what the sky looks like, the sand under your feet, the water, the trees and flowers, the temperature.   Get a really good picture in your head of what the beach looks like.   Then imagine you can see someone coming toward you far down the beach.   They get closer and closer until you can see it’s a man.   As he gets even closer you recognize him to be Jesus.   You greet him and walk down the beach together. Now you can ask him anything you want as you walk together.    Write down what happens below: John 14:3

DAY 27

“Praying the Scriptures”

This prayer will require a bit more time than the allotted ½ hour so allow for it.   You will need a place you can relax, recline, and not be interrupted by anything.   Recline, relax, breath deeply, and then read John 1:35-39.   After you have read it the first time, read it again only slower the second time and really try to absorb the text.   Now read it a third time only very slowly and allow your mind to dwell on each and every word.   Allow your mind to take you wherever it wants and see where the text takes you.   Take your time and allow yourself to dream.   Write down below your thoughts: John 1:35-39

DAY 28

“Sharing”

To prepare for this prayer session you will need a friend to talk with.   Share with someone from the group what prayer has done for you.   Write your comments below: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Jude 1:3

CONCLUSION

Now that you have completed your 28 day journey of prayer, I hope you have come to better understand God and your need for prayer.   This journey has attempted to help you come to know what God is like and that he is right here with you.   It has attempted to help you see that Jesus exemplified the very qualities of God, so it is Jesus we need to look to for an example of how to pray.

This journey has also attempted to help you deal with personal things that may impede your ability to pray.   Things like guilt and thanksgiving, fear, resentment, and wandering thoughts.   All of these things separate us from God and need to be overcome for an effective prayer life.

This journey has led you to pray for others, with others, and to overcome any self-centeredness you might have.   When you pray for others your prayers are heard by God, and God deals with them in many ways.

Finally it is hoped that you have experienced God in a personal way that has deepened and improved your relationship with God.   In the future you may find that your prayer life begins to wander or lose some of its meaning. You will probably begin to yearn for that personal contact you once felt.   When this happens, simply start this journey again to help refocus your prayer life.

May you be blessed as you come to know God better through prayer!

REFERENCES

Barna, George, 2003, Think Like Jesus, Issachar Resources, Ventura, California

Bohler, Carolyn Stahl, 1996, Opening to God, TheUpper Room Books, Nashville, Tennessee

Colson, Charles, 2005, The Good Life, Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois

Jeffery, Grant R., 1996, The Signature of God, Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois

Johnson, Ben C., 1962, An Adventure in Prayer, The Upper Room Books, Nashville, Tennessee

Hall, Douglas John, 1986, Imaging God, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Lewis, C.S., 1952, Mere Christianity, Walker & Company, New York, New York

McNeal, Reggie, 2000, A Work of Heart, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California

Tenney, Tommy, 2000, Answering God’s Prayer, Regal Books, Ventura, California

Wills, Dick, 1999, Waking to God’s Dream, Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee

Wimberly, Edward P. 1994, Using Scipture in Pastoral Counseling, Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee

Prayer

Prayer Concerns/Requests