Engaging With God In Prayer
Luke 11
1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
One of the great uses of social media will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.
85% of people are affected by low self-esteem in the world today.
— Dr. Joe Rubino
Studies show that social media can cause low self esteem and negative thinking.
— Digital Information World
Companies like TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook are fueling a mental health crisis by designing their platforms with addictive and dangerous features.
— 1/25/2024
Just as the [U.S.] surgeon general did with tobacco and guns, we are treating social media like other public health hazards.
— 1/25/2024
60% of people wished they had more respect for themselves.
— Self Love Index Studies
Low self-esteem is linked to violence, school dropout rates, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement.
— Misetich & Delis-Abrams
Rates of anxiety and depression have increased 70% in the past 25 years.
— Royal Society for Public Health, 2022
The average child hears 432 negative statements per day, but only 32 positive statements each day.
— University of Iowa
80 percent of children entering the first grade scored high on the self-esteem inventory. By the fifth grade only 20 percent of the children were scoring high. And by the time they graduated from high school that number was down to just 5 percent.
— Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Soul
Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.
— Author Max Lucado
The GOAL is not to get GOOD at prayer.
The GOAL is to spend time with GOD in prayer.
Pray, and let God worry.
— Martin Luther
The value of prayer is not only that God will hear us, but that we will hear Him.
“Our Father”
Prayer helps me to see God relationally.
Matthew 26
36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.
37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.
38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye hear, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.
40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.
44 And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
Luke 23:46 — And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
Fathers
Provide
Protect/Watch
Encourage/Uplift
Comfort
Correct (Discipline)
Our Father Provides
Philippians 4:19 — But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Our Father Protects/Watches
Matthew 10:29-31
What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
Our Father Encourages/Uplifts
Psalm 40:2 — He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.
Our Father Comforts
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
Our Father Corrects/Disciplines
Proverbs 3:11-12
My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights.
Hebrews 12:9 — We have all had fathers here on earth who corrected us with discipline. And we respected them. So it is even more important that we accept discipline from the Father of our spirits. If we do this, we will have life.
Provide
Protect/Watch
Encourage/Uplift
Comfort
Correct (Discipline)