CCF

Why do you think Christians don't pray more?

Pastor and author, John Piper, wrote: “If I try to pray for people or events without the word in front of me guiding my prayers, then several things happen. One is that I tend to be very repetitive… I just pray the same things all the time. Another negative thing is that my mind tends to wander.”

Have you ever had that experience? Did you come up with a solution for being repetitive or having your mind wander?

Tonight, the group is going to put into practice the principle of praying the Bible.

a. To start, pick a Psalm to pray through. Here are some great options: Psalm 9, 17, 18, 19, 23, 24, 25, 27, 37.

b. Now, have one person call out, one at a time, as needed, the verses or phrases you find most conducive to prayer. For example, if you were using Psalm 37, you might call out, “Trust in the Lord, and do good.”

c. Then allow time for people to pick up that verse or phrase and pray. When the group grows quiet and it appears that no one else will pray, read another verse aloud.

d. Feel free to skip over lines that people would struggle with how to pray about (e.g. Ps. 37:35 – “I have see a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree…”).