Kay Arthur - Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days

Kay Arthur

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota

Cover photo Monique Rodriguez

LORD, TEACH ME TO PRAY IN 28 DAYS
Revised and updated
Copyright 1982/2008 by Kay Arthur
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Arthur, Kay, 1933
Lord, teach me to pray in 28 days / Kay Arthur.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-7369-2360-6 (pbk.)
ISBN-10: 0-7369-2360-8 (pbk.)
1. PrayerChristianity. I. Title.
BV215.A77 2008
248.32dc22

2008023046

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 / BP-NI / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

A re you hurting, Beloved?

Does the pain run deep?

And when I call you Beloved, do you believe it?

Do you ever find yourself wondering whether you are truly loved by anyoneeven God? Then again, perhaps pain isnt the issue in your life right now. Even so, you feel torn by confusion, stress, or doubts. Perhaps youre so pressured, so burdened, and so weighed down that you wonder how youre going to make it.

The news is bad

the situation difficult

the crisis overwhelming

the insecurity debilitating

the decision-making process scary.

On any given day you can find yourself concerned about any or all of the following: yourself, your spouse (having one, not having one), children (wishing, wanting, having, wishing you didnt), your friends, your finances. The future. The past. The present.

What will you do? How will you make it? Where will you turn?

There are answers to those questions, loved one, and you can find them in the Word of God and in prayer, as you cast all your cares on Him because He cares for you.

The Word of God is the foundation for everything else in our lives. According to Jesus Himself, man lives by every word that comes out of the mouth of God. The Word of God is God-breathed. Thats the very term the apostle Paul used in his letter to young Timothy:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16).

The word inspired in this passage comes from a Greek word that literally means God-breathed. When God speaks on any given issue, what He speaks is truth. What He commands is to be obeyed. God has spoken and it stands. We are to believe and obey.

Yet being a Christian is more than merely believing promises and obeying commands. At its very essence, Christianity isnt a religion, its a relationship. And as we all know, a relationship requires a high commitment to communication.

Thats where prayer comes in. It is through prayer that you and I communicate with our heavenly Father.

Think about the everyday needs and demands in our lives: the decisions we must make, the wisdom we need, the resources we require, the relationships that need so much tending, discernment, and sacrifice. Is it any wonder the Bible says, Pray without ceasing?

We need the strength, wisdom, and love of the Lord in our lives, and we need these things desperately.

Though Scripture sets forth all of the goals and standards for everyday life in principle, it usually doesnt fill in the practical details. Thats why we need to talk and listen to our heavenly Father.

This, Beloved, is prayer. And thats what this study is all aboutlearning to pray Gods way, according to His Word. Its about learning how to talk to God anytime about anything and everything. Or to put it in words that resonate with our spirit, prayer is about communion with God.

This journey of learning youre about to embark on has already been completed by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world, many of whom have written to Precept Ministries with testimonies of what a help and an encouragement it has been in their lives.

I offer this book with the prayer that God will use it mightily to teach you to pray according to His will, and that His words on prayer will abide in you. Remember, Jesus said, If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7).

I am so excited about the truths you are going to learn from the precious Word of God in the following pages, and the incredible difference I know they will make in your life and in your relationship with the sovereign ruler of the universe. In just four short weeks we will learn Gods basic precepts on prayerprinciples that will give you a thoroughgoing biblical understanding of this crucial area of life.

What you learn in this study, dear child of God, will be yours to put into practice for a lifetime, just as Jesus intended when He taught His own disciples how to pray.

W hen the apostles of the early church suddenly found themselves embroiled in a controversy that consumed both their time and energy, they had enough spiritual presence of mind to know something had to be done. This was a very serious situation for the infant church. The apostles were in danger of missing the priority of their highest callingsthe Word of God and prayer.

As a result, they summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word (Acts 6:2-4).

What wisdom! The apostles had to be careful lest they become so occupied with serving God that they neglected the Word, which is knowing God, and prayer, which is communicating with Him. Serving God, valuable as that might be, is no substitute for knowing Him and communicating with Him. Real service flows out of relationship, not obligation.

A healthy, strong, and vital relationship is based on communication: speaking, listening, and understanding. This is why, when the pressures of leadership over the affairs of the early church became too much, these leaders knew they had to take immediate steps to change their situation. And thats just what they did, taking action that gave rise to the very first church deacons.