In this Bible Cafe™ study Learn The Lord’s Prayer and The Prayers of Jesus. Knowing the prayers helps us understand the Bible Promises of God. What have you enjoyed most about this Bible study? Have you added any new prayer methods since we started?
I like topical studies where we focus on a central theme. Studying prayers and Bible promises has been so helpful to my faith journey! I am now praying prayers of repentance, something that is fresh for me as a Believer.
In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray for “our daily bread.” Growing up I thought I was praying for food, not contentment. So I really liked the lesson this week about daily bread. It’s a satisfaction only God can fill. We hunger for things of the world, and He wants us to hunger and thirst for Himself!
Looking at the Bible’s promises, we see forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian life. This is the purest form of love, to forgive someone who does not deserve it. And the opposite of forgiveness is resentment. I am so grateful that God does not resent me for my sins, failures, and mistakes. He does not hold those past errors against me and allows me to live eternally with Him in heaven.
Notice we did not learn “perfection” as the heart of a believer’s life! Yet that is what the Pharisees were preaching before Jesus arrived.
Notice too, that religious activity is not the heart of a believer’s life. The things we do are because we are forgiven and loved!
Were you surprised to learn that temptation can be a good thing? Trials and tests (temptations) can strengthen our faith OR show us where we are weak and need to continue to grow.
We can also learn when we are involved with a “motley crew.” The definition of motley is made up of many different people or things, a woolen fabric of mixed colors made in England between the 14th and 17th centuries. Jesus selected people who are different and then wove them together under a blanket of faith! He demonstrated how our strengths are used for the better of the community and how being dissimilar is a blessing to the entire world.
Jesus did not pray for ease and comfort for His followers, He prayed for their protection. When traveling by car or plane I never pray for ease or comfort. What I need is a sense of protection. Jesus knew the difficulties of temptation, tests, and trials would refine us like fire. We are travelers on this side of eternity and Jesus prays for our protection in our trials.
What happens when we pray back the Scriptures to God? I meditate on the Scriptures and even wear them as a necklace or bracelet. I have not prayed them back and I am not familiar with this method of prayer so I look forward to the second half of our study. As Julie said in our small group this week, “praying in agreement is different from praying in entitlement.” WOW!
You can access the entire Prayers and Promises of the Bible course on-demand at Bible Cafe™ University.
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Christine Abraham writes for the Bible Cafe™ community. Learn about living by the Fruit of the Spirit as you enjoy her online Bible studies. Join Christine at the Bible Cafe™ University for weekly Bible teaching.
