Prayer Study Notes Companion For - s3-us-west …Creative+Prayer... · The first thing you’re going to do is create a personal prayer space. ... “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I

Prayer Study Notes Companion For

Prayer Study Lesson 1 Design Your Prayer Space, The Creative Prayer Journal

Matthew 6:6 (ESV) says, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you .” Heavenly Father, I know spending time with you is important. I desire to devote more time to you. I pray now as commit to spending time with you that you will help me to realize things I need to change to create more open communications with you. Help me to make prayer a priority and to get rid of distractions. I need to quiet my mind so I can completely focus on you. In Jesus’ name, Amen As we begin this prayer journal, we should prepare both our physical and spiritual rooms for this prayer journey. Our first lesson will be about making space for prayer in your physical and heart space. Design Your Physical Space The first thing you’re going to do is create a personal prayer space. It’s hard to spend time in focused prayer when you have interruptions, or you feel like the world is watching you. Below is a suggested list of the things you will need for your Personal Prayer Space: Bible Prayer Journal or blank notebook Pens or pencils Hot cup of coffee or tea Anything else you feel you may need (lotion, candles, music, etc.) I don’t live in a big house, so I don’t have room to convert a closet into a prayer room. I have my supplies gathered in one spot. You may decide to keep it all in a basket or box, so it will be easy to move around like I do. On pretty days, I am more likely to be found spending my prayer time outside instead of in the house. My box of prayer space supplies is ready to transport to whatever physical space I’ve decided to use for the day.

©2016 Kim Steadman, www.TheCreativePrayerJournal.com 1 of 5

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Commit To Prayer Decide where you will spend time communicating with God in daily prayer. ________________________________________________________________ Decide when you will spend time communicating with God in daily prayer. ________________________________________________________________ Decide on your prayer supplies. What supplies will you gather? _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ _________________ Design Your Heart Space As you use your creative prayer journal to pray, don’t let it become a rote, daily exercise. Don’t

allow it become just one more daily task on your to-do list.

God is your Heavenly Father, and He cares very much about you. He also cares about every

person and every need you write and pray. As you talk to Him, remember that he is not only your

friend but your Heavenly Father. Keep Him elevated over any system you may use to pray.

Your relationship with him should take priority over what prayer journal system you use.

If you’ve ever had the opportunity to help design a real living or work space, you know there are

many questions involved in creating the space. Who will live there? How will they use this

space? Do they have any limitations? Should space be multi-functional? If so, what functions?

When designing your heart space for prayer one of the areas we should understand is knowing

how we should pray. Since David had such a close relationship with God, he is a good example

to look to. He knew God on a personal and intimate level. We’re going to look at Psalm 86 and

five ways David illustrates how we should pray: Earnestly, in Faith, Continually, Thankfully, in

Humility, and in Faith.




--Pray earnestly

You can sense David’s earnestness in his prayer when you read Psalm 86. He is aware he

has a great need and if God doesn’t answer, he is doomed. He prays from the depths of his being

his heartfelt prayers. You notice, he wasn’t going through a list or reading a pre-written prayer.

He expressed his inner most feelings. Read through Psalm 86 and write down at least three of the

words or phrases you feel were some of David’s earnest, heartfelt pleas:

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

-- Pray in faith

Faith isn’t closing your eyes to the things going on around you and then leaping into the

unknown. Faith is trusting in what you know about God’s character. He’s revealed to you in the

past His character and presence by answering your prayers. David affirms his trust in God

(86:2). He knows God will answer him (86:7.) In Psalm 86, David has been in a trial for a long

time, and his enemies are bragging that God hasn’t delivered him. David asks for an encouraging

sign. If we think about the times God has already answered past prayers, we have our

encouraging signs already before us. We simply need to remember.

Name three instances where God answered your prayers in the past:

1. _____________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________




--Pray continually

“Have mercy on me, Lord, for I call to you all day long” is David’s prayer in Psalm 86:3 David had a great need. We read here David didn’t just pray his prayer in the morning and then forget about it. It’s not reasonable to think that David stopped living and prayed continually all day long, although there may be times when your spirit needs continuous prayer. Instead, we can sense from David that he kept coming back in his prayerful spirit to his needs again and again throughout the day. Think about your daily routine and answer these questions: Do find you have natural times of the day where you find yourself drawn to pray, besides your designated daily prayer time or do you only pray during your personal prayer time? _____________________________________________________________________ If you pray only one time a day, would you be open to the idea of thinking about other quiet times throughout your day when you could pray? ___Yes or ___No List two other times during the day when you could have times of prayer. Don’t worry about having your journal handy. These would be times of prayer to just pray and talk to God about what’s on your heart.

1. _____________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________

--Pray thankfully

David writes (86:12), “I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart.” Similarly,

right after telling us to pray without ceasing, Paul says (1 Thess. 5:18), “in everything give

thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We can’t give thanks for all, until we are

willing to accept all-the good, the bad, and the ugly.

List below three “good, bad, or ugly” things you need to give thanks for. 1. _____________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________




---Pray in humility

If anyone prayed with humility and with a humble spirit, it has to be David. He never flaunts the

fact he is King and should be shown favor. He doesn’t remind God about all the good things he’s

done (killing Goliath was a big thing!) Instead, in 86:3 he prays for God to be gracious to him.

He refers to himself as God’s servant (86:2). He admits he is needy and afflicted. It probably

wasn’t cool for a king to admit all his flaws, but David did.

What are some of your flaws you are ready to admit to God. Name three:

1. _____________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________

3. _____________________________________________________________

Why should we pray?

Because we have needs.

To whom should we pray?

To the one, true God.

How should we pray?

Earnestly, in Faith, Continually, Thankfully, and in Humility



Week 1-Design Your Prayer Space

©2016 KimSteadman.com, The Creative Prayer Journal

WhenYouPray..Matthew 6:6

Prayer Study Lesson 2 Praying Like Jesus, The Creative Prayer Journal

Have you ever thought about all the different ways Jesus prayed? One of the reasons I know The Creative Prayer Journal is so well loved is because we are praying in ways Jesus prayed. Let’s take a look.

1. Jesus prayed alone (Matt. 6:6, Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16) Jesus had a habit of praying alone. He would go to the Mount of Olives or other deserted places to pray. Jesus prayed when he needed to pray. It should make us think a little bit. If Jesus (the perfect one, God’s son) needed to pray, what makes us believe that we don’t need to pray? Prayer should be our first priority, and not our last resort. Why do you think Jesus modeled solitary prayer? I believe he knew we would be prone to pride and showing off. It’s a human fault. For example, when we do something good, don’t we all look for a chance to boast about it? When we are in a group setting, it’s easy to pray TO other people, thinking it matters more about what they think. We may worry if we’re saying the right words or are we making sense. When we pray alone, it’s just God and us. There’s no need to put on a show. Praying alone helps us to avoid distractions. The radio blaring, the TV yapping, or a sweet child tugging at our sleeves are ways our mind can become distracted when we pray. Jesus showed us how overcame distractions. He got away from the crowds. (Luke 4:42, Luke 5:15-16) It’s wise, when we can, to find our prayer time away from people and distractions. There’s one place where we may be alone and quiet, and it may not be a good place to pray. That’s in bed. If we plan on our prayer time being when we go to bed, our prayer time may be short. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to sleep when I’m in bed. Try to choose some place else quiet if you can. Thought question. Where would be a good place for you to pray? ______________________________________________________

2. Jesus prayed with others. (Matt. 18:19, Luke 9:28, Mark 9:2) Jesus also had a habit of praying with others. In Luke 9:28, we read about Jesus taking Peter, John, and James to the mountain to pray. While our relationship with God is personal, it’s not meant to be private. Jesus showed us there are times when we should pray together with others.




It’s so important to pray with others that he even gives us some incentive. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them.” (Matt 18:20, WEB) Also, think about the perfect prayer example Jesus gave us. The famous verses found in The Lord’s Prayer begins with “Our Father.” Doesn’t it sound like he wanted us to pray together? I think it does. He didn’t say “My Father.” He said Our, all of us, together. Do you have a group of prayer partners? It may be a group of people at your place of worship, or a Bible study group or your friend. Thought question. Who are your ‘prayer buddies’? _______________________________________________________ Private prayer is strengthened by group prayer.

3. Jesus prayed before meals. (Mark 6:41, Mark 8:7, 14:22, Luke 24:30) Jesus prayed before his meals. We see his examples: When he fed the five thousand with the boy’s lunch of bread and fish (Mark 6:41); When he fed the four thousand (Mark 8:6); When he ate with his disciples in the upper room the night before his crucifixion (Mark 14:22); Following his resurrection, when he shared a meal with Cleopas and his wife in Emmaus (Luke 24:30). Thought question. Do you pray before your meals in private? Why or why not? ____________________________________________________ Do you pray before your meals in public? Why or why not? ____________________________________________________




4. Jesus gave thanks. (Matthew 11:25-26)

Jesus gave thanks when he prayed. We read Matthew 11:25-26, “At that time, Jesus answered, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.” If we aren’t taking the time to thank God for his blessings, provisions, and blessings, we may be failing to acknowledge them at all. Thought question. Do you make it a daily practice to thank God for your blessings by taking the time to name a few? ___________________________ If not, would you be willing to start a new daily prayer time? _________________________

5. Jesus sang some of his prayers (Mark 14:26, Matt. 26:30) This thought makes my heart sing for joy (no pun intended). Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus sang? A few hours before he was crucified he sang in the upper room (Mark 14:26). More than likely it was a traditional Jewish Passover hymn based on Psalms 115-118. The singing of hymns and songs was a Jewish tradition. There are over 500 references to praise, singing and music found in the Bible. The book of Psalms, found in the center of the Bible is a collection of songs and prayers. Singing prayers was adopted by the early church as we read in Ephesians 5:18-20. Throughout the Christian tradition, believers have sung the Psalms and written new songs. Why is singing such a powerful prayer tool? It’s because singing helps three parts of our body to work in unison. Your mind, body, and spirit work together for your personal praise concert. When you’re singing, you focus your attention and thoughts on the song, the words, and the message. Do you have some favorite songs that help you to pray and praise?




I have old classics such as “How Great Thou Art” and “Amazing Grace” along with newer songs such as “Eye of the Storm” and “Chainbreaker.” Thought question. Do you have some favorite praise and worship songs you like to sing (or hum?) List some of your favorite below: 1.____________________________________________________ 2.____________________________________________________ 3.____________________________________________________ 4.____________________________________________________



Week 2 – Pray Like Jesus

© 2016 KimSteadman.com TheCreativePrayerJournal.com

Pray

Like

Jesus

Prayer Study Lesson 3 Define Your Desires, The Creative Prayer Journal

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD;

trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” (Psalm 37:1-4, KJV) If I were to ask you to name the desire of your heart, what would be your answer? Do you currently have a reply? How long would it take you to clearly, without reluctance, express your deepest heart’s desire? We all have an endless list of things we want, whether it’s a new kitchen appliance, a new pair of furry boots, a retirement home, a promotion at work or maybe it’s even the appreciation from the family we think we deserve. We add to and remove things from our want list every day. Those around us could influence the list. For example, sometimes a friend from Bible Study group may get a new purse, and we may suddenly have the urge or “need” to buy a purse, even if we have a perfectly fine one, or two, in the closet. Yes, our wants come and go, but what about our true desires? If you’ve never taken the time to meditate on defining your true desires prayerfully, then you may not even know what your desires are. If you don’t know what your desires are, then how can you request them from God? You can’t. Prayer Practice Write down one or two things you desire with your whole heart. Bring them before God in prayer each day for seven days. 1. List three of your heart’s desires that, to your understanding, are within God's moral will. A)__________________________________________________________________ B)__________________________________________________________________ C)__________________________________________________________________




2. Now list your doubts, feelings, emotional blocks or anxieties you have about God answering them. A)_________________________________________________________________________ B)_________________________________________________________________________ C)_________________________________________________________________________ 3. Use scripture and logic to answer these doubts. A)___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ B)___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ C)___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ At this point, you may sense deep spiritual blocks that need to be prayed through. First, ask Jesus for help (Mark 9:24) Next, find a prayer partner to agree in prayer with you to help you to pray through your blocks. (Matthew 18:19-20) After seven days. Have you reached a feeling of breakthrough in your personal prayers? Do you sense God answering? Has He said anything to you about the desires of your heart? Write down what you are sensing from Him. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________




Has God impressed on your heart a course of action that you must take for your heart's desire to be realized? Is there something you need to do to put some action into your prayer? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________



Week 1–Defining Your Desires

©2016 KimSteadman.com The Creative Prayer Journal

“Delight thyself also inthe LORD; and he shalgive thee the desires of

thine heart”Psalm 37:4,KJV

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Prayer Study Notes Companion For - s3-us-west …Creative+Prayer... · The first thing you’re going to do is create a personal prayer space. ... “Have mercy on me, Lord, for I