Emmanuel Evangelical Church Chippenham

From 17^th May 2007:

In this session we will consider the subject of private prayer.

Background

We have started unpacking some of the misunderstood considerations in effective prayer:

We considered “Praying according to God’s will”  and the issue of “Praying with Faith”.

We then looked at confession. We saw that the NT insists that because sin is against God, and sadly continues to be our experience, we must confess - but in the confidence that Jesus has done everything necessary for us to be forgiven: (1 John 1:5-2:2; Matthew 6:12; James 5:16).

We considered the vital place that forgiving others has in our prayer life from Matthew 6:9-15.

We looked at the attitude in which we should pray - and saw the importance of humility in prayer (James 4:1-10; Luke 18:9-14; Luke 20:46-47).

Last time we saw that there is a place for emotion in prayer (Daniel 9:19; Amos 7:2; Hebrews 5:7) and also for paitience (Psalm 27:14; Psalm 38:15; Psalm 130:5-6).

Praying in Private

This week we’re going to look at praying in private.

Look at the following passages to get the whole picture:

1. What & why did the Lord Jesus tell his disciples about private praying in Matthew 6:5-6?

2. Considering the subject of last week's study, what other reason may there be for praying in private?

3. Please read Acts 12:5-16. What were the circumstances in which groups of Christians in the early church prayed in private?

4. What application might these principals and examples have to us?