Prayer Pt. 1- Pray What You Got // January 5th, 2025
Teaching overview
This week’s teaching, Riley started new series on prayer. Looking at various scripture references through Luke (5:15-16,6:12-13, 9:18, 9:28-36, 11:1-2). Riley addressed the reality that, for many people today, prayer is challenging. It can feel like a duty, an obligation, or even boring. He identified several reasons why prayer might be a weak point in our spiritual lives: The Attention Economy, Wealth and Self-Sufficiency, Secularism and Functional Atheism, and Theological Misunderstandings.
Our prayer for your Community
This week, seek the Lord and ask him how to pray like Jesus, embracing authenticity and encountering Your presence in meaningful ways. Transform our hearts through honest prayer, filling us with joy as we draw closer to You. May we commit to this journey of authentic prayer, growing deeper in faith and connection with You throughout this year and beyond.
Group questions
How is God speaking to you through this passage or idea? (Seek)
In what specific ways can you follow Jesus into deeper faith in light of this passage? (Practice)
How can we as a group support you in living out what we’ve discussed this week? (Mission)
For further meditation…
Reflect on the importance of align ourselves with God’s character and purposes. This week, read and reread the Lord’s prayer In Luke 11:1-4; focusing on God as your father, and that he is close and approachable.
Take time to reflect on how you can increase and deepen your ‘interior life’. remove distractions, take the various moments that are often filled with distractions and make room for prayerful reflection and contemplation.
The goal of prayer is to experience and delight in life with God. Take steps in increasing your time talking with God this week. Engaging in conversation with God, investing in a personal relationship. Prayer as the source of God’s power and intimacy with the Father.
