Back to the Basics
By Cynthia Hyle Bezek
Note: This Bible study is formatted for small group open discussion. If you use this study by yourself, we suggest you journal your answers to the discussion questions. Also, please use suggested translations where indicated. Biblegateway.com is an excellent source for translations you may not have on hand.
I was only in my mid-20s when a friend from church startled me with a question: “Will you mentor me in prayer?”
I have no idea why she thought I could help her. I was by no means a prayer warrior myself. However, I wanted to be more effective in prayer—and I knew there was more than I had experienced.
So I told her, “I am no prayer expert, but I’d love to learn with you. Want to try to learn together?”
We started by reading books about prayer. Great books about prayer. But that didn’t make us more effective. We bought prayer journals and journaled our requests, leaving plenty of empty space for where we hoped to record answers. But honestly? That didn’t help us much either.
It wasn’t until we set aside regular time—every Tuesday night—to actually pray together that things changed. That’s when we started to grow more confident and effective in prayer.
The articles in this issue of Prayer Connect provide inspiration and great ideas about prayer. But there is no way to truly become effective at prayer except by doing it. So I hope you will do this Bible study, let the Holy Spirit encourage you through God’s Word, then actually set aside some time and do it.
Discussion Questions
When we feel as if we don’t pray enough, our usual response is to treat the symptom. We want to pray more, so we try harder and exert greater self-discipline. However, that approach rarely helps. We need to address the root issue. We need to see our own weakness and God’s strength. Dr. Ronnie Floyd says, “When we pray, we depend on God. When we do not pray, we depend on ourselves.”
What do the following Scriptures tell you about self-reliance versus God-reliance? Proverbs 3:5–7; Jeremiah 9:23–24; John 5:19; John 15:1–17; Philippians 4:13.
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In what specific situation do you need to rely more on God and less on yourself?
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How will that affect the way you pray?
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Barbara Ho points out that confident prayer comes from knowing and understanding who God really is. After each of the Bible references, write what the verses say about God.
Exodus 34:6–7:
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Psalm 25:8:
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Jeremiah 32:17:
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Acts 17:24–28:
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Romans 11:33:
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Ephesians 2:4:
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1 John 4:8:
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Which attribute of God do you need most right now? How can meditating on this aspect of God give you more faith and confidence in prayer?
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Jeff Eckart encourages us to expand our prayer repertoires by trying new things when we pray. One of his suggestions is to learn different ways of expressing ourselves to God by praying the Psalms. Read the following psalms and list the insights, encouragement, or fresh ideas for prayer they give you. Psalm 19; Psalm 27; Psalm 42; Psalm 51; Psalm 91; Psalm 100; Psalm 131; Psalm 145.
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Action Steps
Eckart suggests other things to try as you experiment with increasing your prayer repertoire. Put a check by one or two that you will try in the next week or so. Plan to share about your experience with a friend, family member, or your small group.
- Pray through some psalms.
- The next time someone asks, “Who’d like to pray?” be the one to volunteer.
- Vary your prayer posture. Try kneeling, standing with arms raised, or lying prostrate on the floor.
- Meditate on a portion of Scripture and write down what you sense God is saying to you.
- Write out your prayers.
- Try singing your prayer song to God—improvise and make a “new song” to Him.
Choose one of the five areas of prayer that Dr. Floyd discusses in his article: battles, miracles, healing, intercession for others, open doors. Then spend a week especially concentrating on praying those kinds of prayers every day. Write your area of focus below. One week from now, record anything you notice about your experience in praying with this focus.
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In her sidebar, “Mentoring in the Basics,” Carol Madison writes about her experience in mentoring others in prayer. Why not ask God if there’s someone He’d have you mentor? Or, if you don’t feel prepared to mentor someone else, perhaps there is someone who would like to grow in prayer with you. You can grow together! Not sure where to start? You could choose from the topics Madison suggests in her article.
CYNTHIA HYLE BEZEK is a contributing writer to Prayer Connect and the editorial director for Community Bible Study .
