War Prayer - Is Your Dad the General?
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In the Words of a War Prayer series, Pastor Daniel will take us verse by verse through The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. These famous words are the model Jesus set for us to pray.
During this series our small groups will be studying through Jesus' prayer. Join a Small Group and continue the conversation and learning through the week!
Small Group Notes for Week Two
Pray that God will bless your time of fellowship in his Word.
- Finish this sentence: “The best thing to happen to me this past week was...”
- How does the Lord’s Prayer differ from prayers we would form if left to ourselves?
- 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?
- 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?
- Why does Jesus instruct us to address God as our Father rather than my Father (v. 9)? How important do you think community is to our spiritual formation? Why?
- How does the fact that God rules in heaven in power over all things make you feel about coming to him with your requests?
- How does the second commandment, “You shall not take God’s name in vain,” and the first petition, “Hallowed be your name,” connect with each other? In what ways do we dishonour God’s name in our lives and how can we avoid doing so?
- Do most of your prayers emphasize God’s caring presence or God’s glorious power? How does knowing that God is both personal and powerful affect your praying?
- 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 you are taking on your lips the very same word Jesus used in his prayers.