Rule of Life | Extraordinary Prayer
In John 10:27, Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Prayer is more than constant communication; it is about being in constant communion with God. Prayer is remaining in God’s presence - proximity, honesty, and unity. When Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them to pray, Jesus gave them what is known as the Lord’s Prayer in Luke 11. Through the prayer, Jesus teaches us to P.R.A.Y. (attribution here) - to Pause to be still and acknowledge who we pray to, to Rejoice with a Psalm and Reflect on Scripture, to Ask for God’s help, and to Yield to God’s will in your life.
• Discover: Before filling out the Prayer arena, read John 17. What do you learn about God’s Voice? How does Jesus’ prayer reveal what is near to his heart? How do your prayers reveal what is near to yours?
• Do: What are you currently practicing to be a person of extraordinary prayer? Here is a recommendation on where to start: Commit to a daily prayer rhythm and grow from there!
Here is a list of “Prayer” Practices to explore: Morning prayer, praying through Scripture, breath prayer, having a prayer team, Immanuel journaling, prayer map (praying through your relational map), praying through the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11), Lectio Divina, learning about prayer (podcasts, books, teaching), praying and fasting, praying with others, etc.
• Share: As you practice, be in a rhythm of learning and debriefing with God and others about your experience using the following questions or prompts:
What is a story of encountering God from this past week’s Prayer practices?
What did you notice happening in you as you practiced praying with God and others?
What was challenging, surprising, and/or life-giving?
Where did you most experience God with you?
Pro-Tip: We can pray extraordinary prayers over those in our relational network. That means praying together for God to move generationally through our people!