A SIMPLE THEOLOGY OF PRAYER PART 1

Lesson 6: The Heart of the Matter

Prayer is the way God has chosen to accomplish his will on earth. That immediately makes prayer a priority for every believer. Returning to the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple one last time reveals two choices for God’s people related to our lives of prayer.

In this lesson you will:

• fully understand the importance of the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus and what it means in the kingdom of God.
• discover how the Temple was a huge picture of the way God wants to work on earth.
• have an opportunity to determine the direction your prayer life will take as part of the work of God in the future.

Reading:

• Forgotten Power (Chapter 2 – pgs. 18–19)
• Psalm 115
• Pray for His Glory by Richard Pratt Jr.
https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/pray-for-his-glory/

Download Lesson 6 PDF 

Video 6: The Heart of the Matter

Questions to Consider:

1. What do you think about Martin Luther’s quote from pg. 19 of Forgotten Power: “As is the business of tailors to make clothes and cobblers to make shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.”?
2. Have you ever thought that prayer should be the “business” of Christians? Explain.
3. In what way was the Temple in Jerusalem a picture of prayer on earth?
4. After reading about and discussing the cleaning of the Temple in the gospels, particularly the book of Mark, do you agree or disagree with the assessment that the Church is either a house of prayer for all nations, or a den of robbers? Discuss how this understanding impacts your church.
5. Richard Pratt Jr states, “Psalm 115 reminds us that the highest motivation for petitioning God must always be a desire for His glory. God’s honor must take priority over what we perceive as our own well-being—even when we are in life-or-death situations. Notice how this psalm begins: ‘Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory’ (v. 1).” Scripture says that the glory of God is to be the primary purpose of our prayers. How do you feel about this? Is this the way you always try to pray? Why or why not?
6. How do you think God receives glory when we pray?
7. What do you think of Dave’s comment that prayer is the one spiritual activity that believers of any age or ability can participate in? Do you have an example of this in your own life? If so, please share.
8. Has your definition of prayer and/or your way of thinking about prayer changed since the beginning of this course? Explain.
9. Has your practice of prayer changed since the beginning of this course? Why or why not? If so, what have you learned that has altered how you now think of and plan to practice prayer into the future?

Download PDF of Lesson 6 Questions to Consider

Course Intro – Lesson 1 – Lesson 2 – Lesson 3 – Lesson 4 – Lesson 5 – Lesson 6 – Go Deeper