Pattern For Prayer [Part 1]

Pastor Daniel Cormier shares Part 1 of our new 2023 Spring series examining the Lord’s Prayer with a message entitled "Our Family Prayer".

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Reflection & Discussion

Warm-up. What’s your favourite breakfast food?

Read: Matthew 6:9-13. Ask God to bless your study.

1. If you could create a father, what one character trait would be most important to you? Knowing that the word Abba means “Dearest Father,” how does this affect the way you pray?

2. In what sense is God a Father? What gives us the right to call God our Father? Why is it that only Christians can really do so?

3. Why does Jesus instruct us to address God as our Father rather than my Father (v. 9)? How important do you think church family and friendship are to our spiritual formation? Why?

4. How do the first three requests of the prayer focus on God’s glory? How do the second three focus on our good?

5. Do your prayers emphasize God’s caring presence or God’s glorious power? How does knowing that God is both paternal and powerful improve or change your prayers?

6. If someone said they have trouble calling God “Father” due to an earthly father who abandoned or abused them, how would you respond? How secure do you feel in the Father’s love?

Try this week to address your prayers to Abba (Dearest Father). It may seem strange at first, but remember that you are taking on your lips the very same word Jesus used in his prayers.