Text:  Matthew 6:5-6, 9-13

By Pastor Steve Thomas

Bulletin Insert: 1/24/10
Title: Lesson 5 – The Geography of Prayer
Text: Matthew 6:5-6, 9-10

To what place should our attention be focused in prayer?
I.  We must focus _______________________________________________ (v.5-6)

II. We must focus ______________________________________________ (v.9-10)

If you were to begin praying more “geographically”, what would it look like this week?

Going Deeper

This section is provided for those who may wish to spend time this week going deeper with the material from the sermon, or for study in small groups. This is an optional opportunity to take the message and internalize and deepen your understanding. Small groups are welcome to do pieces of this as time allows

This week I want you to read a beautiful prayer from the Old Testament. The prayer is long so be sure to give yourself time to meditate upon what it says. The prayer is from King Solomon given at the dedication of the temple in Jerusalem and is found in 1 Kings 8.

1. Read 1 Kings 8 a few times until you are more familiar with the text. If it would help, read 1 Chronicles 28 to get historical perspective.
2. Start out by underlining, or jotting down, the references to geography… to places and locations.
3. What does the prayer say about God’s dwelling? Where does God dwell and where does He make Himself manifest?
4. What is the reoccurring request in the prayer? What would this prayer look like for us to pray today… what did Solomon see that we must look for in our world when we pray?
5. What is God’s heart like? What is Solomon’s like? What is the goal(s) of the prayer?
6. How has Jesus, coming as Christ and Lord, changed the geography of this prayer for Christians? How does Jesus change this prayer? Consider these passages… Matthew 6:9-13, John 16:23-28, Heb. 9:18-28, 1 Cor. 6:19-20, 2 Cor. 6:14-18. This is a challenging question so do your best and think it through.

Prayer Exercise: Imagine your home as a “temple” – a place that stands out because of God’s presence. This is just a mental exercise… don’t start building pillars and burning incenseJ. If you were to look out at your street and see the houses, apartments, stores, etc. and then pray for God to be made real… what specifically would you pray? What would you need to know to pray more specifically like Solomon? How could you see, or hear, or discover more to pray for? Remember, while Solomon’s prayer is beautiful, our ultimate desire is for people to turn to God through faith in Jesus as the promised savior and so while we pray for many things we must always pray to this end.

Text:  Matthew 6:7-8, 9-13

By Pastor Steve Thomas

Going Deeper

This section is provided for those who may wish to spend time this week going deeper with the material from the sermon, or for study in small groups. This is an optional opportunity to take the message and internalize and deepen your understanding. Small groups are welcome to do pieces of this as time allows

For the next few weeks we are focusing on this request, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Learning something like prayer requires knowledge and practice, understanding and application. So, the going deeper section will be combining study and practice of the Lord’s Prayer. We will pick one line per week to look at in depth.

“This, then, is how you should pray… Our Father, the one in the heavens…”

Consider verses 7-8. What is the point of verses 7-8? How do they bring clarity to the issue of prayer? What exactly is Jesus challenging in “pagan” prayer? How does verse 8 answer the question left open in verse 7?

With this in mind, what is significant about the word “Father” in verse 8? Skim through Matthew 6, how many times do you find the word “father”? Why do you think this is significant for this section of Matthew?

How does one have God as “Father”? (c.f. John 1:11-13)

How does having God as “Father” change your prayers? (verse 8 is one indication of the radical alteration to prayer the relationship of Father provides).

According to verse 9, what kind of “Father” is God? What does the word “heaven” signify in this verse? (c.f. Matt. 3:16; 5;16; 5:33-37; 5:45)

How does God being in heaven relating to you as “Father” motivate prayer? What does it mean about God as the one to hear your prayer?

Practicing Prayer: Each morning this week use the phrase “Our Father, who is in heaven…” as the focus of your prayers for the day. As you study and consider the ramifications of God as your Father in heaven, let those insights guide your prayer.