CLEARNOTE CAMPUS FELLOWSHIP
  • Resources

Blog

“Teach Us to Pray . . .”

1/1/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Prayer to the One True God is one of the clearest things that sets apart the people of God from the rest of the world. And yet if you ask any self-professing Christian, most will indicate that prayer is one of the greatest areas of weakness in their exercise of faith. We all have many rebellious excuses for not getting around to this duty: busy schedules, cold hearts, other responsibilities.…But without prayer we suffer. And we must ask ourselves, If we lack a desire to seek blessings from our Father in heaven through prayer, are we really His sons?
From cover to cover, the Bible is full of prayers and instructions on how to pray. So, this semester, CNCF is diving into Scripture's teachings and encouragements regarding prayer. We'll examine the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How, of praying. And then we'll put it into practice. We'll increase in knowledge this semester, but the goal will be to grow in our understanding of God and our desire to please Him!

To whet your appetite, here are some good definitions of prayer I've come across in preparing to teach:
Prayer is a sincere, affectionate pouring out of the heart or soul to God, through Christ, in the strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to his Word, for the good of the church, with submission in faith to the will of God. (John Bunyan, Praying in the Spirit)

Prayer is more than just an expression of emotion. It is finding the way to God and speaking with Him, whether the heart is full or empty. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible)

Prayer is God's appointed means for appropriating the blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus. (D. A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation)
When His disciples asked Him how to pray, Jesus' told them:
Pray, then, in this way:
"Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
Apart from Scripture, I've been reading a number of helpful books, which I recommend:
  • Praying in the Spirit and The Throne of Grace, by John Bunyan
  • War Psalms of the Prince of Peace, by James E. Adams
  • A Call to Spiritual Reformation, by D. A. Carson
And I'm excited about several more on the way:
  • A Method for Prayer, by Matthew Henry
  • Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
  • The Complete Works of E. M. Bounds
  • Take Words with You: Scripture Promises and Prayers / A Manual for Intercession, by Tim Kerr
  • A Hunger for God, by John Piper
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Abortion
    Announcements
    Assurance
    Atonement
    Bible Study
    Campus Commentary
    China
    Contentment
    Creation
    Death
    Doubt
    Drunkenness
    Election
    Entertainment
    Evangelism
    Event Announcements
    Faith In Christ
    False Gospel
    Fatherhood
    Fear Of God
    Food
    Foreign Missions
    Genesis
    God's Kindness
    God's Law
    Good Reads
    Gospel Centered
    Government
    Holy Spirit
    Homework & Handouts
    Homosexuality
    Humility
    Islam
    Judgment
    Justification
    Killing Sin
    Kingship Of Christ
    Kinsey
    Laziness
    Little 500
    Love
    Manhood/womanhood
    Marriage
    Movies
    Obedience
    Parables
    Partying
    Persecution
    Prayer
    Proverbs
    Psalms
    Quotes
    Relationships
    Sacrifice
    Sanctification
    Self-esteem
    Sermon Notes
    Sexual Immorality
    Spiritual Disciplines
    Spiritual Warfare
    The Cross
    Tolerance
    Vocabulary
    Vocation
    Welcome Week
    Wisdom

    Archives

    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    August 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015

© 2015–2019 by Clearnote Campus Fellowship.