A Bible Study
by Sandra Higley
This Bible study is formatted for small group open discussion. If you use this study by yourself, we suggest that you journal your answers to the discussion questions.
What’s the Catch?
Matthew 21:22 tells us that if we believe, we will receive whatever we ask for in prayer. Yet how many times have we prayed—desperately and in earnest—only to experience disappointment? If prayer is an actual weapon of warfare with divine power (2 Cor. 10:3-5), why don’t we see more answers?
The word for power in those verses is dunatos (our word dynamite comes from this root word). Other places in the New Testament dunatos is translated possible: “With God all things are possible” (Matt. 19:26). God invites us repeatedly to partner with Him to do the impossible—so what’s the catch?
The key to praying powder-keg prayers is simple: pray God’s will. God is looking for men and women of radical faith who will ask for His will to be done on earth—right here, right now.
Discussion Questions
You can be bold and tenacious when you are praying God’s will. Prayers in sync with His heart will not be denied. Based on 1 John 5:14-15, what gives us confidence as we approach God?
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To pray God’s will, you have to know God’s will—and that’s simple, too. He has already revealed Himself to us in His Word. Praying Scripture is praying His heart.
Obviously, we won’t know, this side of heaven, how all of our prayers were answered. But generally speaking, do you think your current prayer life is effective? Why or why not?
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Describe your greatest struggles when it comes to prayer.
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Cheri Fuller speaks of God’s Word as the ultimate guide to shape our prayers because in Scripture we discover what He wants for every area of our lives. Praying God’s Word means we give up our desires—our control—in exchange for His. Read Isaiah 55:8-9 and discuss what giving up control feels like to you. Do you fear it?
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According to Thomas Trask, when it comes to defeating Satan, the power of the Word of God is unbeatable. He cites Jeremiah 23:29. Read this verse as well as the following passages and discuss why praying God’s Word is fundamental to powerful prayer (Ps. 33:4, 119:105; Prov. 30:5-6; Isa. 55:11; John 6:63, 15:7, 17:17).
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Declaring Scripture aloud sharpens our focus, confirms God’s Word to our hearts, and strengthens our trust, according to John Maempa. He says that the spoken Word releases power that provides deliverance, victory, and freedom. How do Proverbs 18:21a and Mark 11:23 confirm this?
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In his article, Dana Olson talks about a common condition rampant in the church: Arrested Prayer Development. His prescription for this ailment consists of reading a few verses each day, reflecting on what you’ve read, and then asking the Lord how to pray, based on those verses. How might this method alter the way you pray now?
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Action Steps
Ready to give it a try?
Use the following Scriptures to shape prayers for your own life or for individuals the Lord brings to mind: Ephesians 1:17-19, 3:6-18; Colossians 1:9-10; 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17, 3:5; 2 Timothy 2:22-23; 1 Peter 1:22.
Sandra Higley is the author of several Scripture prayer guides in bookmark form, including Prayers of Repentance, Partnering with God in the Struggle over Sin, and Life-Giving Prayers for Your Church. You can order them from prayershop.org.
