Session #3-Petition (Asking)

Introduction

At the center of Jesus' model prayer, we find the two requests.  The first request (Your kingdom come) is that God's will and desires would be accomplished within our world and the different areas of our lives. The second request (Give us this day our daily bread) is that our needs and desires would be given to us. This is a tension that many of us feel when we ask God for things in prayer. "Am I praying for God's will or my will?" "Are my motivations pure?" "How do I know if this is what God wants me to be praying about?" 

While these questions usually come from a good place, they can end up dampening our prayer life. If we remember that we are praying to Our Father, we remind ourselves that we don't have to edit our requests or worry about praying in God's will. God desires us to ask him about things we want and need, just as a parent longs to hear their child's desires. While prayer is undoubtedly more than just asking for what we want, we shouldn't view asking as a "lower form of prayer." It is at the heart of how Jesus instructed us to pray. 

"Prayer is never just asking, nor is it merely a matter of asking for what I want. God is not a cosmic butler or fix-it man, and the aim of the universe is not to fulfill my desires and needs. On the other hand, I am to pray for what concerns me, and many people have found prayer impossible because they thought they should only pray for wonderful but remote needs they actually had little or no interest in or even knowledge of. Prayer simply dies from efforts to pray about "good things" that honestly do not matter to us. The way to get to meaningful prayer for those good things is to start by praying for what we are truly interested in. The circle of our interests will inevitably grow in the largeness of God's love." - The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard.

What is your reaction to this quote? Does your prayer life include time to ask God for the things that you want? 

Why do you think that asking God for things should be a part of our regular prayer life? How do you think the content of your asking will change as you grow in your faith? 

Read Matthew 7:7-11 Together and Discuss 

What do you notice about this teaching from Jesus? What is the invitation that he is giving? 

How do we make sense of unanswered prayer in light of passages like this in the New Testament? How have you dealt with unanswered prayer in your own life? 

Read Philippians 4:6-7 Together and Discuss 

What kind of person do you think you would be if your first inclination were to share your worries and concerns with God? How would that change your character? 

This Week’s Practice

Dallas Willard describes petitionary prayer as "talking to God about the things we are doing together," so we want to spend some time asking God to work with us to do specific things in our lives. 

In a journal or on a separate sheet of paper, write down 1-3 things you will commit to asking God for over the next week(s). Make sure that you primarily focus on your own life this week, as we will practice asking on behalf of others (intercession) next week. Record how you think God might be answering your prayer. 

Some requests could be quite dramatic, like a new job or career path. Or it could be something simple, like praying that God would provide good weather for your weekend plans. You could also pray that God would begin to change a particular behavior pattern or character trait in your own life (apathy, selfishness, anger, etc.). Whatever your request is, make sure that it is specific and that you are persistent in praying for it. Jesus instructed us to "Ask, Seek, and Knock." All of those words remind us that the work of prayer is as much about perseverance as it is anything else, so make sure that you pray diligently and expectantly, and watch how God might work!