Billy Graham - Learning to Pray: The Journey Study Series

Learning
to
Pray

The Journey Study Series

Searching for Hope
Living as a Christian
Leaving a Legacy
Dealing with Doubt
Confronting the Enemies Within
Embracing the Good News
Building a Christ-Centered Home
Learning to Pray
The Facilitators Guide

Learning
to
Pray

A Thomas Nelson Study Series
Based on The Journey
by BILLY GRAHAM

2007 by Billy Graham Literary Trust

Additional material written by Terry Hadaway

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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Learning to Pray: A Thomas Nelson Study Series Based on The Journey by
Billy Graham

ISBN-13: 978-1-4185-1767-4
ISBN-10: 1-4185-1767-0

Printed in the United States of America
07 08 09 10 11 RRD 5 4 3 2 1

Contents

1
The
Privilege of
Prayer

T O GET THE MOST FROM THIS STUDY GUIDE, READ pages 114121 of The Journey.

Our relationship with God involves communication not just an occasional brief chat, but a deep sharing of ourselves and our concerns with God. In the Bible God speaks to us; in prayer we speak to God. Both are essentialand both are gifts God has given us so we can know Him. He has given us the privilege of prayer because He loves us and wants our fellowship.

BILLY GRAHAM
The Journey

THINK ABOUT IT

Prayer is not a way of making use of God; prayer is a way of offering ourselves to God in order that he should be ableto make use of us. It may be that one of our greatest faults in prayer is that we talk too much and listen too little.When prayer is at its highest, we wait in silence for Gods voice to us.

WILLIAM BARCLAY

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

1 JOHN 5:14

Talking... were all good at it. We manage to communicate in the most difficult of circumstances. With the raise of an eyebrow, we can send a message that can be understood across a room. In todays culture, were never out of touch. From e-mail to text messaging to telephones and cell phones, we communicate at all times with people from all over the world.

Yet in a culture where communication is vitally important, one form of communication seems to be on the downslideprayer. We dont seem to know what it is and how to use it. Is prayer our drive-through window with God taking our orders? Can we use prayer to change Gods mind? After we pray, does God say, Hey, Ive never thought about it that way!? We need some help understanding what prayer is and its role in our lives.

REWIND

What are the three situations in which you are most likely to pray?

What is the nature of your most common prayers?

____ God, I made a mistake. Please forgive me.

____ God, this is a big deal. Please help me.

____ God, someone is sick. Please heal him or her.

____ God, I cant make up my mind. Please guide me.

There was a time when prayer was one of the first things we heard in public schools, civic organization meetings, high school football games, and government meetings. Public prayer still takes place in some situations, but in many places it has been replaced with a moment of silence.

However, no one can rob you of the opportunity to pray... if you want to pray. But is prayer really that important? Is prayer something you look forward to or something you dread? Is prayer a token nod to God at mealtime or is it a spiritual life-support system?

JOURNEY THROUGH GODS WORD

In the Old Testament, prayer was the primary means of communicating with God. In the technical sense, prayer is a dialogue between God and people. The two-way communication was significant in the call of Abraham in Genesis 12:13.

Through the call of Abraham, Israel was born. Throughout its history, its leaders were often seen in conversation with God. Moses had conversations with God (Exodus 34) and pleaded with God on behalf of the wayward nation (Exodus 32:1113). Through prayer, Joshua was made aware of the sin in the camp but fell short when he drew a conclusion before hearing from God (Joshua 9).

David, because of his spiritual peaks and valleys, mastered the art of the prayer of confession and forgiveness (Psalm 51). Solomon prayed for wisdom (1 Kings 3:59). Through prayer, God worked miracles through Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings 17:1922; 18:2040). In Isaiahs call, we see the prophets cleansing and commitment to God expressed (Isaiah 6).

One of the most thorough examples of prayer is the book of Psalms. Psalm 86 is a pattern of daily prayer that became important to the Israelites during their Babylonian exile.

As we can see, prayer was foundational to the creation and sustenance of Israel. The prophets and leaders charged with the spiritual training of the nation were often in communication with God through prayer. This same strategy would be beneficial if applied to our homes, work, churches, and social activities.

It is never a mistake to pray, but it is a mistake to pray without understanding what prayer really is. Lets take a look at the incredible privilege we have of speaking directly with our Creator.

RETHINK

How many times a day do you communicate with each of the following?

____ Spouse

____ Children

____ Employer

____ Co-workers

____ Other family members

____ Friends

____ People with whom you do business

____ God

What do your answers to this question say about the importance you place on prayer?

Prayer isnt a good-luck charm or something you must do; it is a privilege. God has allowed us this privilege because He wants to be in fellowship with us. God opened the door for communication for us; we couldnt open that door by ourselves. Jesus Christ died so that we would have direct access to the Father. There is no need for an intercessor between God and His people. At its core, prayer is simply communication with God.

Think about your most meaningful relationships. What would happen to those relationships if there was no communication taking place?

Based on the quality of your communication with God, is your relationship with Him...