Week 3 - Ask
Fortitude Curriculum
P.R.A.Y.
Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
Prayer means many things to many people, but at its simplest and most immediate, it means asking God for help. It’s a soldier begging for courage, a soccer fan at the final, a mother alone in a hospital chapel. The Lord’s Prayer invites us to ask God for everything from “daily bread” to the “kingdom come,” for ourselves (petition) and for others (intercession). In this section, we explore the extraordinary, miracle-working power of prayer but also the questions we face when our prayers go unanswered.
PETITION
Petition in prayer is asking for God’s help for ourselves. When we petition, it consists primarily of asking God to meet our needs. Much like in the Lord’s prayer we bring to God our list of needs and wants.
I recently spoke with a friend about this subject. He shared that he really struggles with asking God for his needs and wants. He said, “God knows what I need, why should I ask Him? And, I feel selfish when I ask Him for the things that I want and need. I would rather He provide for someone else than me.”
Maybe you have felt the weight of this as well. Maybe you struggle to ask God for your needs and wants. I encouraged my friend with this scripture:
Matthew 7:7-11
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks and the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish would give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
This passage shows us that we are to not only ask God for our needs and our wants, but to continue to ask…to continue to ask, seek, and knock. When we ask, God does not see us as selfish but as His children…and His desire is to provide for us. Not only does God want to meet our desires, but His provision often looks better than we could have ever imagined.
Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
So how do we do it?
Pray With Others - While it is important to pray for the things you want and need, there is real power when you invite others to be part of those prayers as well. Pastor Micah has shared a story about his wife Shireen’s debilitating migraines that she experienced. They prayed together over this situation and it did not change. It wasn’t until they shared the experience with their Lifegroup and invited them into prayer with them that the migraines finally subsided.
Learn to Pray Incrementally - When we pray for big things like your family member to be healed from cancer, or a prodigal child to return, or for your business to go from surviving to thriving it is important to not only pray for the end result but for the incremental changes along the journey to that end result. For instance, If I am praying for my wife to be healed it is important to pray for her complete healing, but I am also praying for the next doctor's appointment, a good night's rest, and for her food to settle.
Learn to Pray God’s Promises - When we go to the Father and pray, it is easy to just pray vague prayers. God wants us to ask for specifics when we pray. The Bible is full of God’s promises and we can take those promises and pray them specifically. For instance, If I am praying for my children I could either say “God help my kids to be good people and to do well in school or I could pray “God, help my kids to have wisdom at school and in their everyday lives. Help them to grow in stature and be men and women of influence for your Kingdom and give them favor with both God and man.(Luke 2:52)
Pray Consistently - If you feel like you are not good at this, you are not alone. Jesus told stories to encourage us to continue to pray over and over again.I think about Matthew 7 where it says ask, seek, and knock…specifically knock. If you go to someone's home and knock one time, they may not hear you. So what do you do next? You knock again. And if you are desperate to get in for whatever reason, you may knock even longer and louder. This should be our approach to petitionary prayer. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking!!!
INTERCESSION
Intercession is defined as intervening or mediating between two parties as the equal friend of both. Much like petition, when we pray for others we influence the heart of God and His desire is to provide.
God has designed the world to work in such a way that our free will would work in partnership with His will. In other words, things just aren’t automatic and predetermined in life. Our choices make a difference. Lets face it, we can walk out of our homes and do something terrible or we can do something incredible, it is our choice. In the same way, our free will in prayer makes a difference. We get to make choices in prayer that actually impact the world around us. God then delegates His power to the things we intercede for in prayer.
Why Should We Intercede?
Romans 8 says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans (Rom. 8:26-27) and that Jesus, seated at the right hand of God intercedes for us as well (Rom. 8:34). So if they are interceding for us, why is it necessary for us to intercede as well?
God has designed the world in such a way that our free will would work in partnership with His will. In other words, things just aren’t just automatic and predetermined in life. Our choices make a difference. Lets face it, we can walk out of our homes and do something terrible or we can do something incredible, it is our choice. In the same way, our free will in prayer makes a difference. We get to make choices in prayer that actually impact the world around us. God then delegates His power to the things we intercede for in prayer.
So how do we do it?
- Get Informed - Engage with the facts.
- Know what is going on in your neighborhood, your city, your country or even the world.
- Phone a friend and ask how you can be praying for them.
- Get Inspired - Engage with God’s word.
- What is God saying about this person or this place.
- Consistently reading and memorizing Scripture will help you understand what God is saying now. He will never contradict what He is saying with what He has already said.
- Claim the promises of God in Scripture in your prayers.
- Get Indigent - Engage your heart and get fired up.
- Let your heart break for the things that break His heart.
- Get In Synch…engage with the Saints.
- Get in synch with other Christians.
- Pray together. “Where two or more of you are gathered in my name….”
- Invite others into the things you are praying for in your own life and be available to do the same for them.
UNANSWERED PRAYER
Prayer is one of the most wonderful things in the world. However, sometimes it can be quite painful too; especially when you feel like your prayers go unanswered. We pray and we pray and it feels like it simply doesn’t work…and that can feel devastating. It can honestly move us from a place where we believe our prayers can save the world, to wondering if our prayers can even save those closest to us.
The Bible is quite honest about unanswered prayer; about half of the Psalms are not happy and cheerful but full of bitter lamentation. The word Israel means “the struggle” so we are part of a faith that is all about wrestling it out. Jesus Himself said, you will have trouble (John 16:33). Even Jesus dealt with unanswered prayer. In fact, He still is…did you know that Jesus lives with unanswered prayer to this day? He prayed that His church would be united and while there are great strides moving in that direction (especially here in Omaha), that unification has still not happened yet.
It is helpful for me to think of prayer like a traffic light. Sometimes when we pray it is a green light, a miracle that happens immediately. Other times, it's a yellow light, meaning wait, not yet, persevere and keep asking. However, sometimes it is a red light, and for reasons we do not understand, God seems to be saying no. That can be very hard. These are the times we really need to hold onto God’s love. There will be things we go through in life that we do not understand. Those are the times when we can let our Father hold us, love us, and comfort us. He will help us to trust Him even when we do not understand.
It is important to note that there is a difference between God’s silence and His absence. Even if we cannot hear Him or we don’t understand why He won’t answer our prayers, He is still present and promises never to leave us. We can be confident in that.
Deuteronomy 31:6-8
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. nHe will not leave you or forsake you.
So how do we do it?
Choose to Be Vulnerable - Jesus was overwhelmed in the Garden of Gethsemane “even to the point of death.” He brings Peter, James, and John…the three closest to Him and leans on them for their support. When we suffer there is a temptation to hide away in isolation. Jesus' example here is quite the opposite.
Pursue Prayer - Jesus knew that His friendships were important but that His Father’s presence was the great need of His soul. He prioritized His connection to the Father and often snuck away to be with Him. Jesus knows that one word from the Father can bring more comfort than a thousand from friends. We too should prioritize our connection to Father God in prayer.
Be Radically Honest with God - It is essential that we are honest with God when we pray. We can often fill our prayer times with the same words and the same prayers, but God wants us to be honest with Him. He desires all of us and that means bringing our raw emotions to Him in the place of prayer.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
- How has the reality of unanswered prayer affected your relationship with God?
- Are you experiencing a “green”, “amber” or “red” response to any specific prayers at the moment? Share your experiences together.
- Have you ever had a feeling that you needed to pray for something or someone? What happened?
Week 3 - Ask
Fortitude Curriculum
P.R.A.Y.
Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread.
Prayer means many things to many people, but at its simplest and most immediate, it means asking God for help. It’s a soldier begging for courage, a soccer fan at the final, a mother alone in a hospital chapel. The Lord’s Prayer invites us to ask God for everything from “daily bread” to the “kingdom come,” for ourselves (petition) and for others (intercession). In this section, we explore the extraordinary, miracle-working power of prayer but also the questions we face when our prayers go unanswered.
PETITION
Petition in prayer is asking for God’s help for ourselves. When we petition, it consists primarily of asking God to meet our needs. Much like in the Lord’s prayer we bring to God our list of needs and wants.
I recently spoke with a friend about this subject. He shared that he really struggles with asking God for his needs and wants. He said, “God knows what I need, why should I ask Him? And, I feel selfish when I ask Him for the things that I want and need. I would rather He provide for someone else than me.”
Maybe you have felt the weight of this as well. Maybe you struggle to ask God for your needs and wants. I encouraged my friend with this scripture:
Matthew 7:7-11
Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks, finds, and to him who knocks and the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish would give him a snake? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
This passage shows us that we are to not only ask God for our needs and our wants, but to continue to ask…to continue to ask, seek, and knock. When we ask, God does not see us as selfish but as His children…and His desire is to provide for us. Not only does God want to meet our desires, but His provision often looks better than we could have ever imagined.
Isaiah 55:8-9
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
So how do we do it?
Pray With Others - While it is important to pray for the things you want and need, there is real power when you invite others to be part of those prayers as well. Pastor Micah has shared a story about his wife Shireen’s debilitating migraines that she experienced. They prayed together over this situation and it did not change. It wasn’t until they shared the experience with their Lifegroup and invited them into prayer with them that the migraines finally subsided.
Learn to Pray Incrementally - When we pray for big things like your family member to be healed from cancer, or a prodigal child to return, or for your business to go from surviving to thriving it is important to not only pray for the end result but for the incremental changes along the journey to that end result. For instance, If I am praying for my wife to be healed it is important to pray for her complete healing, but I am also praying for the next doctor's appointment, a good night's rest, and for her food to settle.
Learn to Pray God’s Promises - When we go to the Father and pray, it is easy to just pray vague prayers. God wants us to ask for specifics when we pray. The Bible is full of God’s promises and we can take those promises and pray them specifically. For instance, If I am praying for my children I could either say “God help my kids to be good people and to do well in school or I could pray “God, help my kids to have wisdom at school and in their everyday lives. Help them to grow in stature and be men and women of influence for your Kingdom and give them favor with both God and man.(Luke 2:52)
Pray Consistently - If you feel like you are not good at this, you are not alone. Jesus told stories to encourage us to continue to pray over and over again.I think about Matthew 7 where it says ask, seek, and knock…specifically knock. If you go to someone's home and knock one time, they may not hear you. So what do you do next? You knock again. And if you are desperate to get in for whatever reason, you may knock even longer and louder. This should be our approach to petitionary prayer. Keep on asking, keep on seeking, and keep on knocking!!!
INTERCESSION
Intercession is defined as intervening or mediating between two parties as the equal friend of both. Much like petition, when we pray for others we influence the heart of God and His desire is to provide.
God has designed the world to work in such a way that our free will would work in partnership with His will. In other words, things just aren’t automatic and predetermined in life. Our choices make a difference. Lets face it, we can walk out of our homes and do something terrible or we can do something incredible, it is our choice. In the same way, our free will in prayer makes a difference. We get to make choices in prayer that actually impact the world around us. God then delegates His power to the things we intercede for in prayer.
Why Should We Intercede?
Romans 8 says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us through wordless groans (Rom. 8:26-27) and that Jesus, seated at the right hand of God intercedes for us as well (Rom. 8:34). So if they are interceding for us, why is it necessary for us to intercede as well?
God has designed the world in such a way that our free will would work in partnership with His will. In other words, things just aren’t just automatic and predetermined in life. Our choices make a difference. Lets face it, we can walk out of our homes and do something terrible or we can do something incredible, it is our choice. In the same way, our free will in prayer makes a difference. We get to make choices in prayer that actually impact the world around us. God then delegates His power to the things we intercede for in prayer.
So how do we do it?
- Get Informed - Engage with the facts.
- Know what is going on in your neighborhood, your city, your country or even the world.
- Phone a friend and ask how you can be praying for them.
- Get Inspired - Engage with God’s word.
- What is God saying about this person or this place.
- Consistently reading and memorizing Scripture will help you understand what God is saying now. He will never contradict what He is saying with what He has already said.
- Claim the promises of God in Scripture in your prayers.
- Get Indigent - Engage your heart and get fired up.
- Let your heart break for the things that break His heart.
- Get In Synch…engage with the Saints.
- Get in synch with other Christians.
- Pray together. “Where two or more of you are gathered in my name….”
- Invite others into the things you are praying for in your own life and be available to do the same for them.
UNANSWERED PRAYER
Prayer is one of the most wonderful things in the world. However, sometimes it can be quite painful too; especially when you feel like your prayers go unanswered. We pray and we pray and it feels like it simply doesn’t work…and that can feel devastating. It can honestly move us from a place where we believe our prayers can save the world, to wondering if our prayers can even save those closest to us.
The Bible is quite honest about unanswered prayer; about half of the Psalms are not happy and cheerful but full of bitter lamentation. The word Israel means “the struggle” so we are part of a faith that is all about wrestling it out. Jesus Himself said, you will have trouble (John 16:33). Even Jesus dealt with unanswered prayer. In fact, He still is…did you know that Jesus lives with unanswered prayer to this day? He prayed that His church would be united and while there are great strides moving in that direction (especially here in Omaha), that unification has still not happened yet.
It is helpful for me to think of prayer like a traffic light. Sometimes when we pray it is a green light, a miracle that happens immediately. Other times, it's a yellow light, meaning wait, not yet, persevere and keep asking. However, sometimes it is a red light, and for reasons we do not understand, God seems to be saying no. That can be very hard. These are the times we really need to hold onto God’s love. There will be things we go through in life that we do not understand. Those are the times when we can let our Father hold us, love us, and comfort us. He will help us to trust Him even when we do not understand.
It is important to note that there is a difference between God’s silence and His absence. Even if we cannot hear Him or we don’t understand why He won’t answer our prayers, He is still present and promises never to leave us. We can be confident in that.
Deuteronomy 31:6-8
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. nHe will not leave you or forsake you.
So how do we do it?
Choose to Be Vulnerable - Jesus was overwhelmed in the Garden of Gethsemane “even to the point of death.” He brings Peter, James, and John…the three closest to Him and leans on them for their support. When we suffer there is a temptation to hide away in isolation. Jesus' example here is quite the opposite.
Pursue Prayer - Jesus knew that His friendships were important but that His Father’s presence was the great need of His soul. He prioritized His connection to the Father and often snuck away to be with Him. Jesus knows that one word from the Father can bring more comfort than a thousand from friends. We too should prioritize our connection to Father God in prayer.
Be Radically Honest with God - It is essential that we are honest with God when we pray. We can often fill our prayer times with the same words and the same prayers, but God wants us to be honest with Him. He desires all of us and that means bringing our raw emotions to Him in the place of prayer.
APPLICATION QUESTIONS
- How has the reality of unanswered prayer affected your relationship with God?
- Are you experiencing a “green”, “amber” or “red” response to any specific prayers at the moment? Share your experiences together.
- Have you ever had a feeling that you needed to pray for something or someone? What happened?