summer-2025

Prayer

David Jun

Why do we pray

The Bible explains about our relationship with God

Romans 5:1-2

Through His death and resurrection, Christ has restored our relationship to God. We are no longer enemies but children of God.

Now that our relationship with God is restored, we can freely engage with Him. Prayer is one of the chief ways for us to communicate with God.

What is prayer? Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through his Word and his grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with Him.” Tim Keller

Prayer is a conversation. God speaks to us and we respond in prayer

1. How does God speak to us? God speaks to us through His word 2 Tim 3:16 Jeremiah 1:9 Through the Bible, God communicates to us who he is and who we are

God speaks to us through Jesus Christ, the Word incarnate Hebrews 1:1-2 John 1:14

God speaks to us through the Spirit John 16:13

1. How do we respond? We can respond in prayer (such as ACTS)

The Holy Spirit helps us to pray Romans 8:26

Prayer is an encounter. In prayer, we commune with the living God.

To encounter God is more than simply exchanging words with God, it’s spending time with him and experiencing his presence.

So how can we …?

Encountering God in prayer requires two things: AWE & INTIMACY

Awe: a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder

Lord’s Prayer “Our Father in heaven”

• We recognize that we are addressing is the perfect God who is seated in heaven
• Isaiah 6:5
• Exodus 33:20

“hallowed be your name”

• the word “hallowed” means “made holy” or “set apart as sacred”
• when we ask that God’s name be “hallowed” we are not saying we make his name holy
• we are acknowledging our failure to treat his name as holy….

“Your kingdom come, your will be done”

• before we make any petitions of our own, we recognize that God’s will comes before ours
• we ask that God would extend his rule

We must see God as God, to be in awe of him and place him above all other things, including ourselves.

Intimacy: close, personal, and deeply relational connection

When we properly see God for who is he and ourselves for who we are, it seems impossible to approach God.

So how can we have intimacy with God?

Intimacy through Christ

• Hebrews 10:19
• Through Christ, we can be in God’s presence with full confidence
• We pray in Christ’s name because it is through him that we can come to God

Intimacy as God’s children

• Romans 8:15
• We can come to God as our Father

We can pray in intimacy with God because Christ traded His for ours.

To encounter God in prayer: Awe is necessary so that our hearts place God in His proper place.

Intimacy is necessary so that we can approach God with confidence.

If we are not in awe of God, prayer becomes casual and self-centered. If we do not….

How then should we pray?

Prayer must be balanced between truth and affection.

“Where light leaves the affections behind, it ends in formality and or athiesm; where affections outrun light they sink into the bog of superstition, doting on images and pictures or the like.” …

Framework for Prayer

1. Evocation
   • to evoke means “to bring to mind”
   • take some time to consider:
     • who you are addressing
     • how Christ has given you access to Him
     • how God looks at you
2. the Word
   • read and meditate on a passage
     • Ask what does this teach me about God? about myself?
   • Respond to God’s Word as a bridge into prayer
3. Free Prayer
   • Psalm 62:8
   • pour your heart out to God, whetever it may be
   • use the ACTS…
4. Contemplation
   • take time to reflect on if God has put anything on your heart
   • we may not always “feel” that God is near, nevertheless we take time to praise Him for hearing our prayer and for who He is.

Your soul is a boat

Sailing Rowing Drifting Sinking

Discussion Questions

1. How do you diagnose your prayer life? Are you sailing, rowing, drifting, or sinking?
2. Do you think you struggle more with awe or intimacy?
3. Is there anything you want to change in your prayer life? If so, what is it?