Tag Archives: Prayer

PRAYING with THANKSGIVING –

Lesson 1 – I Thessalonians

How does it make you feel when someone expresses their gratitude to you for a trait which they admire about you?  It is always nice when you receive a word or note of appreciation for a gift or a specific act of kindness or helpfulness, but when your family or a friend recognizes and then tells you about a quality in your personality or character that they respect, it can be so encouraging.  It is an extra blessing when together you can give thanks to God through prayer for His work in your life.

When Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, that is exactly what he did. He started his letter by telling them that he “always gave thanks to God for them and for their faithful work, loving deeds, and the enduring hope that they had because of Jesus”. When you think about the intense persecution that these believers experienced and the enormous challenges that they faced every day, these words of commendation must have given them new confidence and courage.  This letter is the earliest correspondence that we have recorded in the New Testament, so it was no doubt read to many groups of believers who were choosing to put their continuing faith in Jesus Christ. Along with these words of admiration, Paul also told them that he prayed for them faithfully. Knowing the specific ways that their mentor and friend was praying for them must have not only strengthened their own faith and given them comfort, direction and perseverance, but it also helped them know just how they could be praying for him and for others.

Paul obviously believed that prayer made a difference. It has been said that “the greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is to pray. It is not the only thing, but it is the chief thing. The great people of the earth today are the people who pray – not those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; not those who can explain about prayer; but those who take time to pray!”  (S.D. Gordan)  Do you agree?

I’M PRAYING FOR YOU

What do the New Testament Epistles Teach about Prayer?

Before you actually decide to do this particular Bible study you might want to think about it carefully! It has the potential to be very encouraging and comforting, but it could also be quite convicting and challenging. In either case, if it is taken seriously, then it will be life changing. You just might find that God will touch your heart and teach you more than you even imagined about how much He desires to have you, His beloved child, choose to spend time in His presence.
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Do You Agree? – An Insight for Lesson 12

“The war between God’s will and your own will has not yet ended. The desire for God to exercise His power to deliver your personal dreams is not yet gone. The temptation to think that you know better still has the power to capture you. So ask Him to rescue you from you. Pray for…Continue Reading

Sharing an Insight – Lesson 6

It is quite easy to grasp the need to “pray with thanksgiving, with perseverance and hope, and with expectation and humility.”  After all we’re asking God to do what He has promised to do for all those who put their faith in Him.  But why does Paul suggest that He “prays with joy”?  What makes…Continue Reading

Sharing An Insight – Lesson 5 –

No doubt you have noticed that there are some people who just make you feel “at home” when you are invited to their house.  There is no pretense or excuses for the way things look and there is a genuine warmth and generosity that pervades the conversation and the silence, the atmosphere and the actions. …Continue Reading