Week Nineteen, Day One

The Power of Prayer

Prayer, “two-way communication with God,” is an opportunity and the best way to experience God’s power and to play an important part in God’s will taking place here on earth.

From this point until a new method of Bible study is introduced, please continue using the Target Method when told to “study” a certain passage of scripture.

Study Romans 15:30-33, 2 Corinthians 1:10-11, and Acts 16:25-40.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for the opportunity to participate in the bringing about of His will.
• Commit to take every opportunity to witness God’s power through prayer.
• My family Monday…

FOR FURTHER STUDY: John 17

 

Week Nineteen, Day Two

“I’ve been praying for a while now for two of my friends who are lost. I’ve been asking God for an opportunity to talk to them. Nothing has really come of it yet, and I feel frustrated by that at times. Still, I know God is there and listening, even in the middle of the delays. I know that he’s got the ending all worked out already.”

Stephanie, high school student

Intercessory Prayer

“Prayer offered to God on someone else’s behalf” is called intercessory prayer. When we take time to pray for someone else, we are fulfilling a part of God’s call for our life to care for others. For the past month, you have been praying each week for your family, friends, people around you that have needs, etc. That is “intercessory prayer.”

Study James 5:13-18 and Psalm 34:15-18.

God commands us to pray not only for our loved ones, but also for our enemies.

Study Matthew 5:43-48.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for the chance to play an important role in someone else’s life.
• Ask God to create a clean heart in you so that your prayers will be effective.
• Your church…

FOR FURTHER STUDY: 1 Timothy 2:1-8 and 1 Samuel 12:20-23

 

Week Nineteen, Day Three

Making Sure that You Pray for the Right Reasons

Study James 4:1-3.

The most pure motives (reasons) for prayer are:

• The desire to see Jesus’ mission on earth fulfilled.
• The desire to understand God more.
• The desire to get closer to God and interact with Him on a more personal level.

When you are praying about something that you really, really want, it’s hard to ignore what you want for what God’s wants when the two may not match up. In those moments, you have to make a conscious choice to choose God’s will over your own; giving Him complete control of your heart and the situation you are in. You have to ask Him to change the way you look at things so that you start to want the things He wants. We are God’s child and He enjoys giving us good gifts. But, God does not exist to give us gifts. We exist because of Him; He does not exist for us. That is tough to keep in perspective.

Study Psalm 37:4 and Jeremiah 29:13, 33:2-3.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Ask God to help you to want what He wants so that you can grow.
• Commit to pray that God’s will always take priority over yours when the two don’t match up.
• Witness Wednesday…

FOR FURTHER STUDY: 1 Peter 3:10-12

 

 

Week Nineteen, Day Four

Making Prayer Your Life

Once you understand the power of prayer, you want to do it right and more often. Today’s passages will lay out some of the when, where, why, and how’s of prayer for you.

Study Psalm 5:1-3, Luke 18:1-14, and Philippians 4:6-7.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for talking to you in such a personal way.
• Commit to make prayer a priority, not just a part, of your life.
• Thirsty Thursday…

FOR FURTHER STUDY: Romans 8:26-28

 

Week Nineteen, Day Five

Praying in a Group

Individuals can grow through prayer, and so can churches. When church members pray together, they grow spiritually and relationally with one another. The Bible tells all believers to take part in corporate (group) prayer with fellow church members so that we can experience God’s power together and become more unified as a group. But, many people are scared to pray out loud with other people; sometimes because they are intimidated by others, sometimes because they are shy and sometimes because they do not understand why it is a big deal to pray with others.

Study Acts 2:36-42, 4:23-31.

Include the following in your personal prayer time:

• Thank God for your brothers and sisters in Christ, who share your problems and pray for you.
• Ask God to help you learn to pray with other people.
• Friends Friday…

FOR FURTHER STUDY: Ephesians 6:13-20

 

The Weekend

Suggested Reading: Daniel 1, 3 and 6

This is just a scrapbook of some of the major events in Daniel’s life. A few weeks ago you read Daniel 1 over a weekend, but this time when you read his story think about his testimony to the power of prayer. Do you think that you would have the courage to stand up and stand out as Daniel did? Does your life tell others that there is a powerful God who answers the prayers of His children or that praying is as pointless as making a wish on a lucky penny or a shooting star?

Remember to study your verses! Don’t let the earlier ones slip away.