Prayer - Part 2 Series

NOTE: New Light Faith Ministries and Barry Johnson Ministries, founded by Rodney V. Johnson and Barry O. Johnson, respectively, are partnering to offer Bible studies for Christians seeking to grow in their relationship with Jesus. This is a Bible study lesson, not a sermon. The Bible studies teach foundational truths designed to challenge, encourage, and most importantly, flame the fire of hunger in the Christian who wants to learn more about who they have become in Christ Jesus.

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introduction

Hello everyone. This is Part 2 of our study on prayer. In the first lesson, we opened with the following foundational passages from First Thessalonians and Philippians.

First Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.”

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

In the first lesson, we defined prayer, discussed its power, and why it is so important that once we have prayed in agreement with God’s Word, we believe He is going to answer that prayer. To set the stage for the first lesson, we opened with the “testimony” of Sis. Betsy, one of our favorite stories about believing in the power of that prayer. We are going to share this “testimony” again in this lesson.

“Several years ago, there was a drought in one city and the pastor of the Church called for a prayer meeting to pray for rain. The prayer meeting was held on a hot summer evening. All of the members came out dressed in summer cool clothes since they would be there for a while praying. Well, when Sister Betsy arrived at the Church, everyone heard her approaching as her shoes were making a loud noise. As she entered the Church, everyone turned to see why she was making such a loud entry. What they saw tickled them and some of the members laughed softly.

"Here was Sister Betsy entering the Church wearing rain boots, a raincoat, a hat, and carrying an umbrella. She looked a sight in the sweltering heat. Some of the members thought Sister Betsy had finally lost her mind – that her elevator was no longer going to the top floor. The pastor looked at her with much concern. He comes down from the pulpit and approaches her. He asks her, “Sister Betsy are you all right – are you feeling okay?” Sister Betsy looked at him confused by the question and replied, “I feel fine.” Then the pastor asked her, “Well I must ask, why are you dressed this way? Didn’t you feel how hot it is outside? You must be burning up in this outfit. What possessed you to wear all of this tonight in this heat?”

"Again, some of the members continued to snicker and laugh under their breath while others now shifted to true concern for Sister Betsy’s mental state. Sister Betsy looked at her pastor and then scanned the faces of the rest of the members and made the following statement: “You know pastor, I too was confused when I walked into the Church. You see, I thought we were all coming here to pray for rain, and I expected there to be rain when we left. I am confused as to why none of you are dressed for rain since that is what we are supposed to be here asking from God.”

In that story only Sis. Betsy came to the meeting expecting God to answer that prayer that very day. This is the type of faith we should have when we go to God in prayer – we believe immediately that He has answered the prayer and until it is manifested, we begin thanking Him for doing so.

In the first lesson, we identified the following types of prayer and discussed them in some detail:

* Adoration

* Thanksgiving and Praise

* Confession

* Petition

* Intercession

* Unknown Tongues

Also in the first lesson, we discussed the following foundations for prayer:

* Praying in Faith

* Praying according to His will

* Praying in Jesus’ name

* Having a Forgiving Heart