Lesson 8: Prayer 97
Encourage Application
- Revisit Luke 11:9–10 and ask, Do these three steps always bring
about the desired results that we want from our prayers? If not, why
not? If so, why? (1) Ask and it will be given to you. (2) Seek and you
will find. (3) Knock and the door will be opened.
Say, We can be confident that God consistently and patiently hears
our prayers and acts at the proper time and in the proper way. - Ask the class to react to the following case study. (A copy of this
case study is available in “Teaching Resource Items” for this study
at http://www.baptistwaypress.org))
Brenda is a single-adult with two children and she is a
faithful member of your church. She serves on the missions
committee and volunteers to serve meals at the Austin
Street Shelter once a month. She is active in her Bible study
class and volunteers to contact those who visit her class. She
is a great example of a loving mother who wants the best
for her children. Recently, she was diagnosed with a brain
tumor, and surgery is not an option. How should you pray
for Brenda? If she does not survive, what will that say (if
anything) about your prayers? What will it say about God
and his love for Brenda? - After a time of discussion, encourage class members to spend two
or three minutes of silence to evaluate their own prayer habits,
especially when it comes to persistence. Close with prayer.
Teaching Plan—Lecture and Questions
Connect with Life
- Remind the class of the content of surgeon Atul Gawande’s book,
The Checklist Manifesto, as given in the introduction to the lesson
in the Study Guide. Transition into the Bible study by saying, We
often talk more about prayer than we actually practice it. But, if
we can develop “pause points” throughout the day and use those