Prayer for Normal People - Introduction
Following Jesus can seem complex. I recently went into a Christian bookstore and looked around. There were hundreds of books on Christian life. There were books on how God sees us, how we see Him, how He sees the world and how the world sees us through Him. There were books on the Bible and Bibles with books in them, in the form of written commentary. There were books on prayer, community, missions, and worship. It was a dizzying array of material.
On one hand, thank God we have so many books from great men and women of God who want to share their wisdom and insights! On the other hand, it can seem daunting to build a life devoted to Christ when there is so much layered richness to it – so much to grasp and learn.
My Christian life has sometimes consisted of cartwheeling between various strategies for living a God-centered life. I suspect I’m swept up by these strategies because I want to feel I have control. At its essence though, my life as a believer must be about yielding to God, trusting Him, and listening for His voice. I find myself needing to put down the books and worship music and podcasts and simply spend time in His presence. He is the teacher. He is in control. I can trust Him to speak to me.
If you are like me – the reminder to stop and listen to His voice is timely! We are tethered to a mind-boggling universe of data. I feel like I sit in front of a firehose of information and opinion. It clutters my mind with the untidy debris of a fragmented world feverishly intent on grabbing my attention. I think it’s time to stop and listen.
So, for the next 5 weeks we are going to explore what it means to surrender and spend time in God’s presence. To help us along the way we are using (ironically) a book. It is a short and helpful book called “How to Pray” by Pete Greig. Greig unpacks the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6 into a simple acronym that is easy to remember and follow. PRAY - Pause, Rejoice, Ask, and Yield. If you read the book as you use the guide you will get a great deal out of our study together.
Our task is not to examine every aspect of prayer. Instead, we will stop and reflect, wonder and worship, ask and believe, yield and relinquish control. Let’s repeat it again and again until it sinks deeply into our hearts and habits.
Other Books on Prayer
Here are some other resources that might be helpful. Just remember that practice is more important than instruction when it comes to prayer. ;)
• The Circle Maker - Batterson
• With Christ in the School of Prayer – Murray
• The Practice of the Presence of God – Lawrence
• Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting - Prince
• Prayer – Richard Foster
Guide Author
The Lifegroup leadership team is sometimes asked who writes the material for the discussions. My name is Mark Kruger and I’ve attended Lifegate since 1995. I have worked providing discussion material for Lifegroups since 2019. I am a writer, speaker, and business owner with a background in theology, music, technology, and political science. I’m assisted each week by my editor – my daughter Jasmine Kruger – who has a background in creative writing and is my inspiration.
Prayer for Normal People - Introduction
Following Jesus can seem complex. I recently went into a Christian bookstore and looked around. There were hundreds of books on Christian life. There were books on how God sees us, how we see Him, how He sees the world and how the world sees us through Him. There were books on the Bible and Bibles with books in them, in the form of written commentary. There were books on prayer, community, missions, and worship. It was a dizzying array of material.
On one hand, thank God we have so many books from great men and women of God who want to share their wisdom and insights! On the other hand, it can seem daunting to build a life devoted to Christ when there is so much layered richness to it – so much to grasp and learn.
My Christian life has sometimes consisted of cartwheeling between various strategies for living a God-centered life. I suspect I’m swept up by these strategies because I want to feel I have control. At its essence though, my life as a believer must be about yielding to God, trusting Him, and listening for His voice. I find myself needing to put down the books and worship music and podcasts and simply spend time in His presence. He is the teacher. He is in control. I can trust Him to speak to me.
If you are like me – the reminder to stop and listen to His voice is timely! We are tethered to a mind-boggling universe of data. I feel like I sit in front of a firehose of information and opinion. It clutters my mind with the untidy debris of a fragmented world feverishly intent on grabbing my attention. I think it’s time to stop and listen.
So, for the next 5 weeks we are going to explore what it means to surrender and spend time in God’s presence. To help us along the way we are using (ironically) a book. It is a short and helpful book called “How to Pray” by Pete Greig. Greig unpacks the Lord’s prayer from Matthew 6 into a simple acronym that is easy to remember and follow. PRAY - Pause, Rejoice, Ask, and Yield. If you read the book as you use the guide you will get a great deal out of our study together.
Our task is not to examine every aspect of prayer. Instead, we will stop and reflect, wonder and worship, ask and believe, yield and relinquish control. Let’s repeat it again and again until it sinks deeply into our hearts and habits.
Other Books on Prayer
Here are some other resources that might be helpful. Just remember that practice is more important than instruction when it comes to prayer. ;)
• The Circle Maker - Batterson
• With Christ in the School of Prayer – Murray
• The Practice of the Presence of God – Lawrence
• Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting - Prince
• Prayer – Richard Foster
Guide Author
The Lifegroup leadership team is sometimes asked who writes the material for the discussions. My name is Mark Kruger and I’ve attended Lifegate since 1995. I have worked providing discussion material for Lifegroups since 2019. I am a writer, speaker, and business owner with a background in theology, music, technology, and political science. I’m assisted each week by my editor – my daughter Jasmine Kruger – who has a background in creative writing and is my inspiration.