Learning (Again) to Pray (3) – Lord Have Mercy

Welcome to CROLCC, so glad you are here with us!  We are in the middle of our series on prayers and honestly prayer is not an easy thing to understand let alone practice.  Yes, we know that it’s supposed to be about having a conversation with God, but most of our prayers feel like a monologue rather than a conversation.  That’s why so many of us give up on prayers so easily and so quickly.  So what I am hoping (and praying) through this series is that not only can we learn about prayers, that we will be excited about praying.  Yes, can you imagine, actually be excited when we pray?

I think some of the reasons we are hesitant when it comes to prayer is that we don’t think we pray well. Or we aren’t so sure if God listens to our prayers.  Have you ever heard a bad prayer?  Many times we have our own evaluation system when it comes to prayers.  We would say, “oh, I don’t know how to pay.”  Or, “oh he sure knows how to pray.”  How do we know if God is listening to our prayers?  In “The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector,” Jesus gives us a prayer we can pray to ensure we know that God is always listening.

Moving Forward

Once you believe you have Jesus Christ as your atonement, you don’t have to worry about your performance. There’s nothing you can add to grace. It’s finished. It’s over. It’s done. Because of Jesus, every time you come to God you can be fully confident he is listening.

Discussion Questions

1. Who is the best listener you’ve ever known? Describe what it’s like to have a conversation with that person.

2. Are you a good listener? Are you better at listening to some people than others? If so, why?

3. Read Luke 18:9–14. Do God’s different responses to the prayers of the Pharisee and the tax collector seem fair to you? Why or why not?

4. Why is it difficult to believe that God listens to your prayers unconditionally? How has that affected your prayer life?

5. Have you ever avoided prayer because you felt distant from God? Explain.

6. What is one thing you can do to improve your prayer life? How can this group support you?