Marble Falls Church of Christ
Speaking With God - The Disciplines of Prayer
Sunday Morning Bible Class on Spiritual Disciplines
Locations & Times
Marble Falls Church of Christ
711 Broadway St, Marble Falls, TX 78654, USA
Sunday 10:45 AM
Speaking With God
Disciplines of Prayer
Introduction
1. Prayer is about a relationship with God.
a. Theophan the Recluse (19th Century Russian Orthodox) on prayer, “To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all-seeing, within you.”
b. Henri Nouwen from Love in a Fearful Land, “Prayer is the way to both the heart of God and the heart of the world – precisely because they have been joined through the suffering of Jesus Christ…Praying is letting one’s own heart become the place where the tears of God’s children merge and become tears of hope.”
2. Prayer is our response to God.
a. Prayer involves the Trinity. In prayer the Spirit helps us, Jesus intercedes for us, and the Father hears and answers us.
b. Prayer helps us focus on God’s presence and makes us aware of our utter dependence on Him.
The Prayer Disciplines
1. Breath Prayer
a. Goal: To pray a simple, intimate prayer of heartfelt desire.
b. Definition: Breath prayer is a form of contemplative prayer linked to the rhythm of breathing. Breathe in, calling on the name of God. Breathe out with a simple desire.
c. Suggested Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 2 Peter 1:3-4
d. Suggested Activities
i. Get into a relaxed position. Breathe in and out and get a sense of your breathing rhythm. Gently repeat, “Breath of life, breathe on me.”
ii. As you breathe in, call a name of God (Yahweh, El Shaddai, Savior) and as you breathe out, state a desire related to the name. Examples: “Yahweh…Be present.” “El Shaddai…Be mighty.”
iii. Breathe in a name of God and breathe out a text. Here are some texts to breathe out: Isaiah 30:15, Psalm 42:1, Psalm 119:12, James 5:8. See the attached sheet for more examples.
2. Centering Prayer
a. Goal: To quiet the heart and rest in God alone.
b. Definition: Centering prayer is a form of contemplative prayer where the person praying seeks to quiet scattered thoughts and desires.
c. Suggested Texts: Acts 17:28, John 14:23, Psalm 62:1
d. Suggested Activities:
i. Read a text slowly and out loud. From that text choose one word. Reflect on the power of that word and how it relates to God, yourself, or others. Allow this word to lead you to prayer. If you become distracted go back to that word. Throughout the day, take note of how this word is influencing your life.
ii. Think of a word that expresses your desire for God. Repeat the word several times as you relax. Pray that God will reveal Himself in a way connected to your word.
iii. Set aside 15 minutes everyday for six days. Choose a different centering word or phrase for your prayer each day. Reflect on how God revealed Himself to you.
3. Intercessory Prayer
a. Goal: To turn my worries and concerns for others into prayer.
b. Definition: Intercessory prayer invites us into God’s care and concern for us, our families, our friends, and our world.
c. Suggested Texts: Romans 8:27, Philippians 4:6-7, Ephesians 6:18
d. Suggested Activities:
i. As a person comes to mind or is encountered through the day, take them to the Lord in prayer.
ii. Watch the news or read the paper and take the concerns that come from those activities to God.
iii. Make a list of personal adversaries or perceived enemies of the Christian faith and take them before God.
iv. Choose a person or family in the church and pray for them everyday for a week.
4. Liturgical Prayer
a. Goal: To open myself to God through established patterns of written prayers and readings.
b. Definition: Liturgical prayer is a written or memorized prayer that serves as a framework for individual and corporate devotion.
c. Suggested Texts: Matthew 6:9, Deuteronomy 31:12-13, Ephesians 3:20-21
d. Suggested Activities:
i. Pray through the Lord’s prayer several times during the day reflecting on how those requests are being answered.
ii. Read through “The Book of Common Prayer” and select a different prayer for each day of the week.
iii. Write your own prayers and use those prayers each day for a week.
5. Prayer Walking
a. Goal: To align myself, while walking in a particular place, with Christ and His intercession for that place.
b. Definition: Prayer walking is a way of physically walking with Jesus through various places that you are concerned about.
c. Suggested Texts: 1 Peter 4:7, 1 Timothy 2:1-3
d. Suggested Activities:
i. Walk through our church building and pray about the specific activities or ministries that take place in each area.
ii. Walk through your workplace and pray for your business and your co-workers.
iii. Walk through your home with family members and pray for one another in their specific rooms, pray for the blessing of food in the kitchen, etc.
iv. Before an event in your life walk over the area and pray.
6. Fixed-Hour Prayer
a. Goal: To stop my activities and pray periodically through the day.
b. Definition: Fixed-hour prayers call for regular and consistent patterns of attending to God throughout the day.
c. Suggested Text: Acts 3:1, Psalm 119:164, Acts 10:9
d. Suggested Activities:
i. Choose one time during the day for 5-10 minutes to stop and pray with or for someone.
ii. Set aside three fixed times per day to pray. Do this for a week and consider how God is interacting in your life.
iii. Follow the guidelines of books like “Praying with the Psalms” by Eugene Peterson or “The Divine Hours” by Phyllis Tickle and set aside time a set time for prayer every day for a year.
7. Fasting
a. Goal: To let go of an appetite in order to seek God and rely on Him.
b. Definition: Fasting is the self-denial of normal necessities in order to intentionally attend to God in prayer and reflection.
c. Suggested Texts: Matthew 6:16-18, Isaiah 58:6-7, Esther 4:16
d. Suggested Activities
i. A meal fast. Choose to skip one meal each day for five days. Use the time to pray, meditate, or study.
ii. A media fast. Choose a day that you do not watch television, movies, You Tube, or social media. Replace that time with other spiritual disciplines. Try adding successive days.
iii. Abstain from a regular purchase such as Starbuck’s Coffee for a week or month. Use the money for charitable purposes.
iv. An extended food fast. Do not eat for 24-48 hours. When you feel hungry, ask God to fill you with other things. Combine fasting with other disciplines like prayer and meditation. Here are some guidelines for an extended fast.
1. Don’t fast when you are sick or if you are taking medication that requires food.
2. Stay hydrated.
3. Work your way up to longer fasts by skipping the evening meal.
4. Adjust your physical activities when you fast.
5. Don’t break your fast with a huge meal.
Disciplines of Prayer
Introduction
1. Prayer is about a relationship with God.
a. Theophan the Recluse (19th Century Russian Orthodox) on prayer, “To pray is to descend with the mind into the heart, and there stand before the face of the Lord, ever-present, all-seeing, within you.”
b. Henri Nouwen from Love in a Fearful Land, “Prayer is the way to both the heart of God and the heart of the world – precisely because they have been joined through the suffering of Jesus Christ…Praying is letting one’s own heart become the place where the tears of God’s children merge and become tears of hope.”
2. Prayer is our response to God.
a. Prayer involves the Trinity. In prayer the Spirit helps us, Jesus intercedes for us, and the Father hears and answers us.
b. Prayer helps us focus on God’s presence and makes us aware of our utter dependence on Him.
The Prayer Disciplines
1. Breath Prayer
a. Goal: To pray a simple, intimate prayer of heartfelt desire.
b. Definition: Breath prayer is a form of contemplative prayer linked to the rhythm of breathing. Breathe in, calling on the name of God. Breathe out with a simple desire.
c. Suggested Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, 2 Peter 1:3-4
d. Suggested Activities
i. Get into a relaxed position. Breathe in and out and get a sense of your breathing rhythm. Gently repeat, “Breath of life, breathe on me.”
ii. As you breathe in, call a name of God (Yahweh, El Shaddai, Savior) and as you breathe out, state a desire related to the name. Examples: “Yahweh…Be present.” “El Shaddai…Be mighty.”
iii. Breathe in a name of God and breathe out a text. Here are some texts to breathe out: Isaiah 30:15, Psalm 42:1, Psalm 119:12, James 5:8. See the attached sheet for more examples.
2. Centering Prayer
a. Goal: To quiet the heart and rest in God alone.
b. Definition: Centering prayer is a form of contemplative prayer where the person praying seeks to quiet scattered thoughts and desires.
c. Suggested Texts: Acts 17:28, John 14:23, Psalm 62:1
d. Suggested Activities:
i. Read a text slowly and out loud. From that text choose one word. Reflect on the power of that word and how it relates to God, yourself, or others. Allow this word to lead you to prayer. If you become distracted go back to that word. Throughout the day, take note of how this word is influencing your life.
ii. Think of a word that expresses your desire for God. Repeat the word several times as you relax. Pray that God will reveal Himself in a way connected to your word.
iii. Set aside 15 minutes everyday for six days. Choose a different centering word or phrase for your prayer each day. Reflect on how God revealed Himself to you.
3. Intercessory Prayer
a. Goal: To turn my worries and concerns for others into prayer.
b. Definition: Intercessory prayer invites us into God’s care and concern for us, our families, our friends, and our world.
c. Suggested Texts: Romans 8:27, Philippians 4:6-7, Ephesians 6:18
d. Suggested Activities:
i. As a person comes to mind or is encountered through the day, take them to the Lord in prayer.
ii. Watch the news or read the paper and take the concerns that come from those activities to God.
iii. Make a list of personal adversaries or perceived enemies of the Christian faith and take them before God.
iv. Choose a person or family in the church and pray for them everyday for a week.
4. Liturgical Prayer
a. Goal: To open myself to God through established patterns of written prayers and readings.
b. Definition: Liturgical prayer is a written or memorized prayer that serves as a framework for individual and corporate devotion.
c. Suggested Texts: Matthew 6:9, Deuteronomy 31:12-13, Ephesians 3:20-21
d. Suggested Activities:
i. Pray through the Lord’s prayer several times during the day reflecting on how those requests are being answered.
ii. Read through “The Book of Common Prayer” and select a different prayer for each day of the week.
iii. Write your own prayers and use those prayers each day for a week.
5. Prayer Walking
a. Goal: To align myself, while walking in a particular place, with Christ and His intercession for that place.
b. Definition: Prayer walking is a way of physically walking with Jesus through various places that you are concerned about.
c. Suggested Texts: 1 Peter 4:7, 1 Timothy 2:1-3
d. Suggested Activities:
i. Walk through our church building and pray about the specific activities or ministries that take place in each area.
ii. Walk through your workplace and pray for your business and your co-workers.
iii. Walk through your home with family members and pray for one another in their specific rooms, pray for the blessing of food in the kitchen, etc.
iv. Before an event in your life walk over the area and pray.
6. Fixed-Hour Prayer
a. Goal: To stop my activities and pray periodically through the day.
b. Definition: Fixed-hour prayers call for regular and consistent patterns of attending to God throughout the day.
c. Suggested Text: Acts 3:1, Psalm 119:164, Acts 10:9
d. Suggested Activities:
i. Choose one time during the day for 5-10 minutes to stop and pray with or for someone.
ii. Set aside three fixed times per day to pray. Do this for a week and consider how God is interacting in your life.
iii. Follow the guidelines of books like “Praying with the Psalms” by Eugene Peterson or “The Divine Hours” by Phyllis Tickle and set aside time a set time for prayer every day for a year.
7. Fasting
a. Goal: To let go of an appetite in order to seek God and rely on Him.
b. Definition: Fasting is the self-denial of normal necessities in order to intentionally attend to God in prayer and reflection.
c. Suggested Texts: Matthew 6:16-18, Isaiah 58:6-7, Esther 4:16
d. Suggested Activities
i. A meal fast. Choose to skip one meal each day for five days. Use the time to pray, meditate, or study.
ii. A media fast. Choose a day that you do not watch television, movies, You Tube, or social media. Replace that time with other spiritual disciplines. Try adding successive days.
iii. Abstain from a regular purchase such as Starbuck’s Coffee for a week or month. Use the money for charitable purposes.
iv. An extended food fast. Do not eat for 24-48 hours. When you feel hungry, ask God to fill you with other things. Combine fasting with other disciplines like prayer and meditation. Here are some guidelines for an extended fast.
1. Don’t fast when you are sick or if you are taking medication that requires food.
2. Stay hydrated.
3. Work your way up to longer fasts by skipping the evening meal.
4. Adjust your physical activities when you fast.
5. Don’t break your fast with a huge meal.