Persevering in Prayer
Further Resources
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Key Scriptures: Luke 18 v.1 - 8; Luke 11 v.5 - 10
Other Scripture refs: Luke 2 v.36 - 37; Eph.6 v.18; Hebs.11 v.6; Mark
11v.24; James 5 v.15 - 16; Hebs.6 v.12;
Mark 10 v.46 - 52; Hebs.5 v.7; 1 Sam.1 v.9 - 20; Matt.26 v.39, 42 - 44; Mark
14 v.35 - 36, 39 - 41; Luke 22 v.41 - 44
Sunday's teaching on Persevering in Prayer was largely taken from two
parables of Jesus recorded in Luke 18 and Luke 11, but many other relevant
Scriptures were also referred to.
It is suggested you choose from (and modify as appropriate) the questions
below to suit your Group and as the Holy Spirit leads you.
QUESTIONS:
1. To encourage others, have you had an experience you can share of
persevering prayer which was finally answered? - maybe not answered in the
way you expected and possibly even better than you'd hope for!
2.Do you get discouraged and lose heart when the answer to your
prayer request seems a long time coming? If so, has this affected you in
persevering?
Does it help you to not give up, recognising that prayer is firstly about
maintaining and maturing your relationship with God?
As James Montgomery says in his old hymn: "Prayer is the Christian's vital
breath".
3. Does the focus of your prayer life need to change from
predominantly asking for things, to simply spending time in His presence
appreciating Him for who He is and not for what we can get? As Tommy Tenney
said: we are prone to seek what we can get from His hands, rather than
seeking His face.· What steps can you take to adjust the focus of your prayer life?
· What have you found helpful that might help others in your Group?
4. Do you find the thought of making demands of God unashamedly and in
an annoyingly persistent way difficult?
Why do you think this might be? (e.g. maybe it is seen by some as
disrespectful)
5. Have you had a personal (or corporate) experience where a desperate
situation has caused you to get more fervent in prayer?
What was the result?
Some Take Away Thoughts for personal prayerful consideration:
(i) Do you personally have unanswered prayer requests you
may need to modify or seek God for possible 'hidden' reasons for delay?
(ii) With the example of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane,
grappling in his humanity, with a prayer which could not be answered, do you
(as Jesus ultimately did) need to pray a prayer of surrender to the Father's
will in any particular matter?
