Text: Matthew 6:5-13
*Note to Community Group Leaders: with this series on prayer, be sure to leave an appropriate amount of time to pray together as a group. Be sensitive to those who find it difficult to pray out loud in front of others. Encourage everyone to use the prayer card throughout the week. We are praying for you as you lead!
1. Walter Samasko was a 69-year-old man who died in poverty. Later it was discovered that he had 7 million dollars’ worth of coins stored in his garage, just a few feet away. How does that reflect or shape your view of prayer?
2. Charles Spurgeon said “The secret to prayer is secret prayer.” Do you find it easier to pray alone or in a group? Why?
Three types of prayer according to Matthew 6: Hypocrite, Pagan, the Lord.
3. Read Matthew 6:5. “Hypocrite Prayer” is ritualistic. It lacks true intimacy. When you think about your prayer life, has this been true at times? If so, why?
4. In the Message version, Matthew 6:7 says that “Pagan Prayer” manipulates. “They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.” What do you think that means?
5. Read Matthew 6:9-13. How have you interacted with the “Lord’s Prayer” in the past?
In “The Lord’s Prayer”, Jesus combines two opposing realities; the cosmos (the majesty of God) and the simple things of life (dependence on God). Break up into groups of 3-4 and pray through these two realities, using the prayer card attached here:
15-Minutes of Focused Prayer Card
For further study: Read Psalm 145:18, Jeremiah 29:13, James 4:2b, Matthew 7:7. Talk through the applications of these verses over your prayer life.
"Prayer is the experience of the Lordship of God and the experience of the friendship of God through the realization of the sonship of God." - Tim Keller