Prayer | Stuff You Don't Have to Pray About: A Prayer Series for Non-Prayers - Part 3

Send us Fan MailSTUFF YOU DON’T NEED TO PRAY ABOUTA Prayer Series for Non-Prayers - Part 3Springcreek Church | Senior Pastor Keith StewartOctober 30, 2022There are some things that you don’t have to pray about because God has already settled them in His Word, He has already provided it, or it’s something He’s expecting you to do. Could it be that some of the prayers we pray are actually a hindrance to our spiritual growth?DISCUSSION QUESTIONS1.)  Pastor Keith began this message by citing the critique of the Christian sentiment of “thoughts and prayers” in relation to national tragedies and mass shootings. He pointed out that critics are wrong when they claim prayer is ineffectual but that critics also have a point when that’s the only thing we do in response to suffering. Now that you’ve heard the entire message and have seen what God has to say about those who only offer prayers, how does this change your perspective on criticism by the world? How can the faith community respond in times of national crisis without falling into the same camp as those who offer pious platitudes without any effort to address the issues? What else might you say? What else might you do?2.)  It may be shocking to see how many times God told His people to stop praying. He said it explicitly to the children of Israel, Joshua, and Jeremiah. Other times, the Bible makes equally clear there are sometimes greater priorities than prayer, like obedience or reconciliation in a troubled relationship. How does this teaching shift the way you think about prayer? How have you seen prayer used as an excuse to procrastinate or even refuse to do what God has clearly laid out for you? Has this ever happened to you? What was that like? How did it get resolved?3.)  Sometimes people treat prayer like it’s a request for God to do everything for us and absolve ourselves of any responsibility in the matter. But this is clearly not what the Bible teaches at all. Why is that such a tempting thought? Why is personal responsibility a good thing? Have you ever found yourself wanting God to do something for you with no effort on your own?4.)  Pastor Keith talked about the two paths to inner peace (this was in his discussion on dissonance). One way or another, we will rid ourselves of the uneasy feeling. When what we believe does not align with how we actually live, the feeling of dissonance, a lack of peace, and a feeling of uneasiness settles in. One path to inner peace is to change our behavior so that it realigns with our beliefs (and God’s values). But the other path to inner peace is to change our thinking to match our behavior (which often involves compromising our beliefs). This is why the feeling of peace is never a good way of determining whether or not you’re where God wants you to be. Can you think of a time when you faced this dilemma? What was the issue? Which path did you choose for peace?5.)  Obviously, we don’t have to pray and ask for the things God has already provided for us in Christ Jesus. Pastor Keith mentioned a couple of them, like not needing to beg God to not abandon us. He is with us always. 2 Peter tells us we’ve been given everything we need for life and godliness – we lack nothing that we truly need to live a life pleasing to God. Paul, in Ephesians, tells us that his prayer is that we come to fully comprehend the power available to us in Christ. So everything we’ve already been given, we don’t have to pray and ask God for these things. We just need to realize it and make use of it. What else has God already promised to us in Christ? As a group or on your own, come up with a list of all the things that God has promised to us as our present possessions in Christ.https://www.springcreekchurch.org/#realspringcreekchurch #prayer #pray #answers #love #bore #chore