LESSON 5 // HOW TO PRAY FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS… · The purpose of conviction, confession and...
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LESSON 5 // HOW TO PRAY FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS Prayer is an important part of our spiritual growth. It’s the way we connect and communicate with God. After observing Jesus in a time of prayer, some of His disciples said to Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” In response, Jesus taught what has come to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Matthew 6:9-12, 14, 15 (NIV) This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. … 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” Prayer opens our lives to God’s cleansing and helps us let go of attitudes toward others that are hurtful and unhealthy. Jesus taught us that in prayer, we must acknowledge our sins, receive His forgiveness and forgive others. This is a pathway to peace with God, ourselves and others. To pray this way, we must understand our need for God’s forgiveness and the importance of forgiving others. We have to recognize that the debt we owe God and the debt others owe us can hinder our lives and destroy our peace—if we don’t handle them God’s way. Let’s look at four things Jesus teaches us about these and about praying for our relationships. 1. Prayer is a time for spiritual reflection. In prayer we must take time to deal with the debt we owe God because of our failure to live according to His Word. Jesus reminds us that we all have areas that are not pleasing to God and need to be addressed. The problem is that we’re often blind to things that are wrong in us. We don’t like to look at or admit the ugly parts of our lives (see 1 John 1:8). The psalmist David understood the importance of taking time in prayer to reflect on his own heart condition: Psalm 139:23, 24 (NIV) Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 2. Prayer is a time for honest confession. Once we see things in ourselves that are sinful, we need to know what to do. Honestly dealing with sin in prayer involves conviction (Isaiah 6:5), confession (Psalm 32:3-5; 1 John 1:9) and repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). To “confess our sins” is to agree with God about them. The more honest our confession, the more complete our cleansing. Prayer is a time for confession to God about our sinfulness and our sins.
Transcript of LESSON 5 // HOW TO PRAY FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS… · The purpose of conviction, confession and...
LESSON 5 // HOW TO PRAY FOR YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Prayer is an important part of our spiritual growth. It’s the way we connect and communicate with God. After observing Jesus in a time of prayer, some of His disciples said to Him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” In response, Jesus taught what has come to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer.”
Matthew 6:9-12, 14, 15 (NIV) This, then, is how you should pray: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. … 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Prayer opens our lives to God’s cleansing and helps us let go of attitudes toward others that are hurtful and unhealthy. Jesus taught us that in prayer, we must acknowledge our sins, receive His forgiveness and forgive others. This is a pathway to peace with God, ourselves and others. To pray this way, we must understand our need for God’s forgiveness and the importance of forgiving others. We have to recognize that the debt we owe God and the debt others owe us can hinder our lives and destroy our peace—if we don’t handle them God’s way. Let’s look at four things Jesus teaches us about these and about praying for our relationships. 1. Prayer is a time for spiritual reflection.
In prayer we must take time to deal with the debt we owe God because of our failure to live according to His Word. Jesus reminds us that we all have areas that are not pleasing to God and need to be addressed. The problem is that we’re often blind to things that are wrong in us. We don’t like to look at or admit the ugly parts of our lives (see 1 John 1:8). The psalmist David understood the importance of taking time in prayer to reflect on his own heart condition:
Psalm 139:23, 24 (NIV) Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
2. Prayer is a time for honest confession.
Once we see things in ourselves that are sinful, we need to know what to do. Honestly dealing with sin in prayer involves conviction (Isaiah 6:5), confession (Psalm 32:3-5; 1 John 1:9) and repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). To “confess our sins” is to agree with God about them. The more honest our confession, the more complete our cleansing. Prayer is a time for confession to God about our sinfulness and our sins.
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3. Prayer is the place to experience God’s forgiveness.
The purpose of conviction, confession and repentance is to lead us to forgiveness.
1 John 1:9 (NIV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
The word translated “forgive” in Matthew 6:12 and 1 John 1:9 means “to send away, to dismiss.” When we specifically confess the sins we have committed against God with genuine repentance, we can expect to receive His mercy extended to us in forgiveness. Through this forgiveness, we are able to enter into peace in our relationship with God. We will only experience this forgiveness if we accept it. We must open up our hearts to God’s cleansing power by faith. When we do, we let go of all guilt and shame and receive His grace (Psalm 103:11, 12; Proverbs 28:13).
4. Prayer is the place to extend God’s forgiveness.
Whether we’re aware of it or not, we all carry debts with others. Holding on to these debts is called unforgiveness and resentment. We often feel that people owe us for things they have said about us or done to us, judgments they hold toward us, mistakes they’ve made that hurt us or others we care about, or advantages they have over us. We feel that these people owe us an apology, amends, compensation or reparations. But Jesus taught us to respond in a very different way:
Matthew 6:12, 14, 15 (NIV) And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. … 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Jesus is saying, “When you’re in prayer and aware of your need for God’s forgiveness and ask Him for His forgiveness, at the same moment make a decision to forgive the sins you feel others have committed against you. Then and only then can you experience the reality and joy of God’s forgiveness.” In prayer you have an opportunity to choose that you’re going to live in forgiveness. As you pray each day, make a decision that in all your interactions and relationships that day you will be a forgiver—that you’re not going to hold on, you’re going to let go!
Discussion questions
1. What is the “debt” we owe God? Why is it important to take time in prayer to reflect on this?
2. Read Psalm 32:3-5, 2 Corinthians 7:10 and 1 John 1:9. What do you learn from these verses about the value of confession and repentance?
3. Read Matthew 6:12, 14 and 15. How is your forgiveness of others related to God’s forgiveness of you? What difference should this make in how you pray?
