Discipleship Point
Matthew 6:7
When you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans
~ Jesus
Discipleship Point
One of the primary expressions of a disciple’s commitment to Jesus shows up in a life of prayer, which can take many different forms.
One common description calls prayer a “conversation with God.”
Unfortunately, despite this definition, most people limit prayer to their part of the conversation, as if prayer is merely talking “to God” or “at God.” The listening side – hearing from God – is the less-recognized part of a prayerful “conversation.” Here is a short and simple definition from Ralph Martin: "Prayer is, at root, simply paying attention to God" (Fulfillment of All Desire, p. 121).
We highlight three types of conversations with God in our discipleship lessons: (1) Unceasing prayer (think of an internal, running conversation with God), (2) a carved-out time for prayer (a devoted time in which you give God your full attention – no multi-tasking) and (3) an as-it-arises stop-and-respond-to-life prayer.
Do you have S.C.O.P.E. prayer time?
Standing
Commitment
Offered to the
Potter (God)
Every day
Listening
Ears
Attentive to
Pray
Discipleship Prayer
Lord Jesus, deepen the discipline of prayer in my life. Enhance my spiritual ears that I might hear You more readily and respond as You desire. Teach me to pray – to pray unceasingly in my day, to carve out time for uninterrupted prayer somewhere in the day, and to be willing to stop and pray in response to what transpires during the day. Amen.
Sermon on the Mount Podcast
Episode 20
How Does Jesus Teach Us to Pray?
(Lord’s Prayer Part 1)
Halfway through Jesus' most famous sermon is the Lord’s Prayer. What’s the significance of a prayer being right at the center? And what’s the purpose of regularly reciting a short prayer like this? In this episode, Jon, Tim, and others kick off a five-part series on the Lord’s Prayer, exploring its structure, core ideas, and historical background.
https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/why-did-jesus-give-us-prayer-lords-prayer-pt-1/
Micro-Meditation
Psalm 139:1-6
- You have searched me, Lord,
and you know me. - You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar. - You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways. - Before a word is on my tongue
you, Lord, know it completely. - You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me. - Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.
Read the verses of the Psalm.
Mark the words or phrases that catch your attention.
Meditate: talk (or better, write) with God about those words. Ask Him to impress things upon your heart and mind; expect responses.
Teaching or Command of God
Proverbs 3:5-6a
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him…
The Promise
Proverbs 3:6b
…and he will make your paths straight.
Pondering Point
Wonderful here has the sense of beyond grasp, not just lovely. Think of being so full of wonder about God’s ways that you’re unable to wrap your head around it.