By Dan Lentz
1. Sometimes prayer can be more cultural than spiritual in our society. As a group, come up with a list of as many “secular” songs as you can think of that contain the word pray in the title or introduce the idea of prayer in the lyrics.
2. How was prayer practiced in your family as you were growing up?
Read Matthew 6:5-15.
3. What is your current prayer pattern? Is praying easy or hard for you?
4. What has helped increase your prayer capacity?
5. Read the first phrase from the model prayer and then for 3-5 minutes invite your group to pray in a fashion similar to the model phrase. Then move on to the next phrase. For instance, after reading “hallowed be your name,” invite the group to pray praises to the Lord, or have the group express names or characteristics of the Lord. Do this for several minutes, then move to the next phrase. Be creative. If people like to pray out loud, do that. If people like to write their prayers out, then do that. Close after each phrase has been prayed over.
• “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (praises and attributes of God).
• “Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (God’s will in human matters).
• ”Give us today our daily bread” (personal needs).
• “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (forgiveness and right relationships).
• “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (temptations and the battle against Satan).
Dan Lentz works for the Small Group Network in Whitestown, Indiana.
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