Scripture: James 5:13-20 Prayer for ourselves and others

James exhorts us to pray in the midst of suffering and celebration. Paul tells us to pray without ceasing. Again and again we hear the power of prayer exhorted. But exhortation doesn’t necessarily answer all our questions. There is great power in prayer, and it is an essential part of our faith life. But what if that power is bigger and wilder than what we imagine with our well loved platitudes.

Quick Q&A:

• Does God always hear our prayers? Yes
• Why doesn’t God answer every prayer? God always answers, just not always in the way we expect or with what we hoped for; sometimes the answer is no, or not right now.
• If God is in control of everything, do our prayers matter? Yes.

Full Sermon: What Happens When I Pray? October 13, 2019

Reflect: When you pray, what do you expect to happen? How do your expectations affect the way you follow up on prayer?

Small steps:

• Check out the 5-finger prayer to use with a child in your life.
• Set aside at least 10 minutes for prayer every morning this week.
• Keep a journal with what you pray for on the left pages and what happens on the right.

Long Strides:

• Read The Cloud of Unknowing and reflect on how it describes prayer.
• Gather a group of friends and commit to share prayer time together once a week. Reflect together on how your prayers are answered.
• Take a 3-day silent retreat to listen for what God might be saying in response to your prayers.