Introduction
An Introduction to the course can be found on our Life Groups main page with a video to watch.
Visit this page: https://allsaintschurchdedworth.com/church-life/life-groups/
Course material
All the materials we are using have been produced by: 24-7 Prayer www.prayercourse.org
Please do check out their website for further resources
Week 1
1. Introduce the Session
5 minutes
Key verse
“Lord, teach us to pray” – Luke 11:1
- In this first session of The Prayer Course, we’ll unpack the importance of prayer and the different topics covered across the course.
- Begin by opening in Prayer
2. Watch the Video
20 minutes
Bible passages
Luke 11:1-4, Matthew 6:6-8 (MSG), Romans 8:26-28
Summary points
- We can ask Jesus to help teach us to pray
- Prayer is like a toolbox – there are lots of different ways of praying
- Keep it simple. Keep it Real. Keep it up.
3. Discuss Questions
20 minutes
Q. What did you find most helpful or most challenging in the video?
Q. What do you find difficult about prayer? What do you find easy? Why do you think prayer can often feel hard?
Pete says the best piece of advice is to “Keep it simple, keep it real and keep it up.”
Keep it simple: “your prayer life is at its best at its simplest”
Q. What do you mostly talk to God about?
Keep it real: “Don’t role-play before God”
Q. Do you feel like you have to act a certain way before God when you pray? Why or why not?
Keep it up: “Don’t give up praying too soon”
Q. Do you find it challenging to persevere in prayer? How can we be encouraged to keep going?
4. Do it
15 minutes
Split into small groups, and share one way you’d like to grow in prayer and your relationship with God over the course.
Leader’s note
You also might like to write down your goals, so that you can revisit them at the end of the course.
Week 2
1. Introduce the Session
5 minutes
Key verse
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” – Matthew 6:9
- In this session we’ll explore how we can enjoy God’s presence in praise and worship.
- Begin the session by opening in prayer.
2. Watch the Video
20 minutes
Bible passages
Acts 4:24-31
Summary points
- Start by recognising God is God.
- Worship puts things back into perspective.
- Use P.R.A.Y – Pause, Rejoice, Ask, Yield.
3. Discussion Questions
20 minutes
Q. What did you find most helpful or most challenging in the video?
Q. Why do you think that we most often associate prayer with asking, rather than worship and adoration?
“In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him” – C.S.Lewis
Q. Do you enjoy spending time with God? When are the times that prayer feels most enjoyable?
Q. Pete says that prayer is primarily about relationship with God: “It’s relational, not transactional”. How does this change your perspective of coming to God in prayer?
Q. In the Acts passage, the early church put their own crisis into perspective by worshipping. What are the practical things you could do this week to foster an attitude of worship in your daily routine?
4. Do it
15 minutes
Practise thanksgiving and praise by reflecting on Psalm 8.
As a group, read Psalm 8 out loud together. You might like to delegate different verses to different people, or encourage just one person to read it out. Then, take time to
Pause and Rejoice:
Pause: Take a moment in silence and invite the Holy Spirit to help you reflect on what you’ve just read.
Rejoice: Encourage group members to speak out prayers of adoration. Invite everyone to reflect and to thank God for one or two things in their lives. They might like to use the Psalm as inspiration, too.
Leader’s note
If you have time and it feels appropriate for your group, you might like to continue the PRAY steps by asking and yielding.