- Prayer is both talking to and listening to God – communication goes both ways
- Question of how to discern God’s will – pray to the Father, through the Son, by the power of the HS
- Hearing the Father’s voice – to a kid you have to explain who is mom, dad, brother, sister
- They get more familiar as they get older and remember people in their life
- Big decisions are a series of small ones
- God’s will is often a direction – towards His ultimate glory, and that’s why it’s not always easy (Jesus dying on the cross was the Father’s will)
- In my life…many pieces had to come into place for my husband and me to meet, get to know each other, timing of marriage, etc.
- Now I look back and see how God had His hand in all of it and it encourages me of His faithfulness in the future or when it’s hard to see
- Sometimes look back and see when you got off track
- James: big ship is moved by a small rudder, the evil/crooked/twisted man in Proverbs
- Don’t chase opportunity, but God’s will, which will result in ultimate joy
- So how do you hear from him?
- Some of the points from the book/sermon are helpful:
- Scriptural prayers – Psalms when I don’t know where to go
- Warfare prayers – if mind is cloudy pray against attack, for clarity
- Thankful – to keep focus on him
- Song – join angels!
- Burdens – repent, forgive, be honest, sometimes for people, complain v. pray
- Daily – prone to wander, especially in marriage – division
- Some of the points from the book/sermon are helpful:
Personal Study Questions:
- What challenges with prayer are you currently facing? What changes would you like to make to your prayer life in the future?
- Is there any specific time in your life when you felt God was really with you in prayer and showed up in an amazing way to answer that prayer? Describe it.
- What does it mean to pray in God’s will?