The Perfect Prayer
TO START
This week we’re talking prayer. Prayer is just a conversation with God. To get us started, what’s one piece of conversation wisdom you can share with the group? What makes for a good conversation? How can you show up for a conversation?
Have you ever been in a truly terrible conversation? What made it so bad?
TO DISCUSS
Is prayer natural for you or is more awkward/stilted? What gets in the way of you praying?
What’s the best prayer advice you’ve ever heard?
Do you have experience praying The Lord’s Prayer? Is it something you often do? Why or why not? Tell the group about your experience or inexperience. Does the idea of raying a scripted prayer seem weird to you or natural? Why?
Consider Matthew 6:9-13 together. Read the prayer and then discuss it. Is there any part you don’t understand? Is there any part that sticks out as surprising or challenging to pray? Why that part?
If God’s people regularly prayed this prayer, what might be different about us as individuals, as a church, as a world?
TO PRAY
You know what your group should do this week? How’d you guess? Yes, pray The Lord’s Prayer.
Try praying it as it’s written out loud and all together first. Then, pray it in parts this way:
Our Father Who is in Heaven, hallowed be your name
(What praise do you want to offer God? God around the room filling in this blank: God, You are _______.”)
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
(Where do you want God’s will to be done? In your family? At your job? In someone’s heart? Fill in the blank: Your will be done in __________ as it is in Heaven.”)
Give us this day our daily bread.
(What do you need from God? God, give us this day _________.)
And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.
(What do you need to confess? Who do you need to forgive?)
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
(What do you need to be delivered from? God, deliver us from ________.)
Amen.
TO LISTEN
If you’re interested in getting The Lord’s Prayer in your hearts, you might consider listening to “The Lord’s Prayer,” a song from the worship band Hillsong. It’s a lovely meditation and a good way to spend some time with this powerful prayer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCxqjEz5hJ4