Lesson Six: The Time to Pray

For 2019, our theme is “Take it Home”. The last Wednesday of every month we cancel service and encourage every family to have a Family Bible Study night. Here’s the Bible study we provide for each family.

FOCUS VERSE

James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: 15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. 16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

BEGINNING TOPIC

  • Prayer is an essential ingredient to a Christian’s relationship with God. It is impossible to have a relationship with someone without talking to them. Prayer is simply having a conversation with God. As we see in our scripture text, there is no circumstance that doesn’t warrant prayer. It’s always a great time to pray!

SCRIPTURE BREAKDOWN

  • To be afflicted means “to suffer (endure) evils (hardships, troubles).” It doesn’t matter who you are, life is filled with hardships and troubles. When they occur, it is easy to shut everyone out, even God. During the hard times, that is the time to pray. Consider what God says about praying during hard times:

    • Psalms 50:15 “And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.”

  • To be merry means “to be joyful, be of good cheer, of good courage.” Sadly, one of the most difficult times to foster a relationship with God is when everything is going good for us. The hard times have a way of knocking us to our knees, where the good times can cause us to forget to pray entirely. We must learn to praise God in the good times! During the season of blessing, that is the time to pray. Consider what the Bible says about praying during good times:

    • 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

  • To be sick means “to be weak, feeble, to be without strength, powerless”. In the times of physical, spiritual, mental, or financial illness, we don’t have to face it alone. The church is ready to pray and believe for your healing. In fact, our focus verse told us to “pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” If you have a friend who is sick or hurting, that is the time to pray. Don’t be afraid to pray for other people! Consider what the Bible says about praying for other people:

    • 1 Timothy 2:1 “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”

  • To have effectual fervent prayer means “to be active, to be operative, to be at work.” If we want effective prayers, we need to actively pray. Pray in the good times and in the bad times. Pray about the small decisions and the big decisions. Pray alone or for someone else. Whatever the situation, it is always the time to pray.

    • Philippians 4:6-7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

PRAYER TIPS

  • Set aside time each day for focused prayer. If you have a busy schedule and can only pray for a certain amount of time, it may help to set a timer. This will help you to focus on praying and not the clock or the to-do-list.

  • Write down prayer requests on index cards and keep them in a shoe box. When it’s time to pray, take the shoe box with you and pray over every card.

  • If you have no quiet place to pray, play worshipful music to help drown out the noise and focus you on prayer. It will also help to hide your prayers from anyone overhearing you.

Aaron MeehanComment