Prayer comes out of relationship with God. Jesus gave us a template to show us how to pray to our heavenly Father. The vital ingredient for any relationship is time. Unless we invest time in a relationship it does not grow but fades. The time we spend with the Father is never wasted.

1. Why and How Do I Pray?
Bible Readings:Acts 4: 1-31 (page 773)
Luke 11:1-13 (page 735)
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

2. Prayer is Relationship
When Jesus told His
disciples “When you
pray, say: Father . . .
Jesus was not giving them
a magic formula or title
which they should use
when praying.
He was pointing to a
relationship.
The relationship that
God wants with each one
of us is that of a father
and child.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

3. Prayer is Relationship
The Friend at Midnight.
Jesus tells a funny story
to show the opposite of
what God is like. It is a
cultural form of teaching.
Jesus assumes that you
know that God is just,
loving and kind.
How much more will
God answer your prayers
because of His
relationship with you.
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The Friend at Midnight
Tuesday, 21 April 2015

4. Prayer is Relationship
Developing a relationship
with God is just like
developing a friendship
with anyone else.
The key ingredient is a
four letter word.
T.I.M.E. “Time” .
To develop a friendship
you need to spend time
with your friend.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

5. Prayer is Relationship
What do I say to God?
''Father''
• Start praying by
thanking God for Jesus
and what He has done.
• Keep the words simple,
short and natural.
• You don't have to use
special words or say the
‘right thing’.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

6. Prayer is Relationship
What do I say to God?
• “Hallowed” Holy is
Your Name.
• This tells us we need to
spend time thinking
about just how great
and wonderful God is.
• Jesus is telling us to
spend time praising
God and remembering
who He is.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

7. Prayer is Relationship
“What do I say to God?”
• “Your kingdom come”.
• This a short hand way of
saying to God ''Lord
this world is in such a
mess that You need to
come back.”
• Ask God to do
something about a
situation.
• Think and talk about
what You can do to help
someone you know.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

8. Prayer is Relationship
“What do I say to God?”
• “Give us our daily bread”.
• This is short way of
reminding us that we
depend on God for for the
things we need to live.
• Thank the Lord for His
goodness to you.
• Ask the Lord for what you
need.
• The things you need are
not just daily physical needs
but emotional and spiritual.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

9. Prayer is Relationship
“What do I say to God?”
• “Forgive us our sins
for we also forgive
everyone who sins
against us”
• This is confession
time.
• Think over your
actions, thoughts and
words since the last
time you sat down
with the Lord.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

10. Prayer is Relationship
“What do I say to God?”
• “Lead us not into
temptation,”
• God doesn't tempt
anyone.
• So what Jesus means is,
“Ask your heavenly Father
for protection against
evil”.
• Ask the Lord for
protection from accidents,
and dangers for yourself
and for your family.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

11. Prayer is Relationship
• In the “Lord’s Prayer” Jesus
gave a very short and compact
model of how we can talk to
our heavenly Father.
• Its is very helpful as you begin
your friendship with God.
• Give God an opportunity to
talk to you.
• Listening to God is an
important aspect of our
relationship with God.
• The most important thing is
expect God to talk to you.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015

12. Prayer is Relationship
• Regular prayer - spending
time each day talking
with the Father is the
most important use of
your time you can ever
make.
• It is always a struggle to
make the time for God
but you will never regret
it.
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Tuesday, 21 April 2015