Making Prayer Powerful through Alignment

July 20, 2008, Rev. Kevin Kelly

Luke 18:9-14

The Lord's Prayer: Four things to notice…

1. The prayer assumes a personal relationship with God.
2. The prayer is a pattern to follow—not a prayer to recite.
3. The pronouns are plural.
4. The prayer covers six basis topics.

The Alignment Factor: Six things to include in your prayers…

1. God's reputation. (Hallowed be your name)
John 17:22-23; 1 Peter 2:11-12; Romans 1:21-32

2. Kingdom expansion. (Your kingdom come)
Luke 13:18-21; Romans 14:17; Acts 14:21-22

3. God's will. (Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven)
1 Thessalonians 4:3 & 5:18; 1 Peter 2:15; Matthew 26:39

4. Material needs. (Give us today our daily bread)
Philippians 4:6; James 4:1-3; 1 Chronicles 4:9-10

5. Forgiveness (Forgive us our sins as we have forgiven those who sin against us)
1 John 1:9; Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:24-25; Colossians 3:13

6. Protection. (Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one)
John 17:15-18; James 1:13-15; Ephesians 6:18

Look over the six components for aligning your prayers with God's agenda. Is there a component that you naturally include in your prayers? If so, which one and why do you suppose this is the case? Which one of the components are you less likely to include in your prayers? Why?

How does being out of alignment with God and His will affect your prayers? What helps you get realigned with God?

Six Components for aligning your prayers with God's agenda:

God's reputation: What are various ways you have honored God in your life?

Kingdom expansion: What are some of the areas you pray for in order to advance God's kingdom?

God's will: When you pray about God's will in your life is it primarily a prayer for God to reveal his will to you or to help you take action on what he has already revealed?
Material needs: When you ask God to provide for your material needs, what are you expecting him to do?

Forgiveness: How are we blessed by forgiving someone who has sinned against us?
Are you holding on to resentment towards someone? Who? Why? How can this be resolved?

Protection: We always want God physical protection for those we love. Why is it equally important to pray for spiritual protection?

Application

Put to practice what you have learned about prayer this week. At the end of the week, answer these questions: Was it easier or more difficult to pray this week? What were the differences? How did praying the way we talked about in the sermon change your thoughts or perspective on prayer?