The Scrolls is a weekly Bible study written by pastors and other leaders at Central Bible Church, based on that week’s sermon topic. Use The Scrolls as a personal Bible study tool, for family devotions, and for small group discussions. You can read part of it below. The downloadable PDF also includes discussion questions, more in-depth commentary, end notes, and a kids’ page designed for families to study the topic together. This lesson goes with the sermon "For the Win."
Philip Yancey has written an insightful book on prayer entitled, Prayer: Does it Make any Difference? In it he explores many of my personal frets and musings on the matter. I believe in prayer—more about why later—but not because I can prove its effectiveness. I’ve received good things I haven’t prayed for and not received good things I have. What’s more, I’ve likely missed out on good things I could have received had I prayed. After all, James says in King James English, “ye have not because ye ask not” (4:2).
On the question, “Does Prayer Matter?” Yancey writes: “After surveying Jesus’ practice of prayer, I realize that his example does answer one important question about prayer: Does it matter? When doubts creep in and I wonder whether prayer is a sanctified form of talking to myself, I remind myself that the Son of God, who had spoken worlds into being and sustains all that exists, felt a compelling need to pray. He prayed as if it made a difference, as if the time he devoted to prayer mattered every bit as much as the time he devoted to caring for people . . . Jesus clung to prayer as to a lifeline, for it gave him both the guidance and the energy to know and to do the Father’s will . . . Skeptics raise questions about prayer’s usefulness: If God knows best, what’s the point? As one pastor asked me, ‘Should I just stop bothering him with my petty requests for myself and others, and let God get on with the business of running the universe while I do my best to take care of things down here?’ To such questions, I have no better answer than the example of Jesus, who knew above any of us the wisdom of the Father and yet who felt a strong need to flood the heavens with requests. Although Jesus offered no metaphysical proofs of the effectiveness of prayer, the very fact that he did it establishes its worth. ‘Ask and you will receive’ he said frankly, a rebuke to anyone who considers petition a primitive form of prayer. When his disciples failed in their attempts to heal an afflicted boy, Jesus had a simple explanation: lack of prayer” (80-81). Evidently, God’s “business of running the universe” involves, among a myriad of other things, answering our prayers.
I believe in prayer because Jesus prayed and taught his disciples to pray. I also believe in prayer because Paul, following in Jesus’ steps, also prayed. Reading his letters to the Thessalonians is proof enough of that. His letters contain frequent allusions to his prayers for them as well as requests that they pray for him. In the opening of his first letter, he writes: “We,” that is, he, Silas and Timothy (1:1), “always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers” (v. 2). And later in a wish-prayer, he writes: “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones” (3:12-13). Finally, in the closing, he writes: “Pray for us” (v. 25).
In the opening of his second letter, recognizing that his previous intercessory prayer (cf. 3:12-13) has been answered, he accepts the obligation to thank God. He writes: “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing” (1:3). Answered prayer appears to incentivize the apostle to pray even more for his readers. In the same chapter, he writes: “We constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith” (v. 11; cf. 2:16-17). And again in the closing, he asks the Thessalonians to pray for him (3:1-2). Such requests for the prayers of his readers are characteristic of Paul (Ro 15:30-31; Eph 6:18-19; Col 4:3; Phm 22). One commentator writes: “Paul was deeply convinced of the power of prayer. His strong sense of his continual need for divine empowerment motivated his efforts to enlist the prayers of others on his behalf. It also assured his readers that by praying for the missionaries, the converts were participating in the spread of the gospel” (D. Edmond Hiebert, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 360). The fact that Jesus, the Son of God, and Paul, the super-apostle, both felt the need to pray, makes me feel I need to as well.
Central Message of the Text:
Pray that the gospel message will run swiftly across the world and be accepted for what it is, the word of God, and that the Lord will direct your heart into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance, for the sake of your own love and endurance.
Family Talk:
Every year at camp our leaders fill out cards with kids’ prayer requests. Some leaders let the kids do it themselves, and it’s especially sweet to hear the heartbeat of what they are dealing with. We’ll have requests for a sick grandmother or an aunt’s divorce. Last year was especially rich with a deep and sincere request for a “horce” and “a kitty of my own and I want Ukrane to be safe.” Me too, friends!! One of the most incredible disciplines we can foster in our kids is a love for prayer. God hears our prayers! What’s more, He knows our hearts, even our words before they ever leave our lips. Teaching your child to pray at all times and in all circumstances is a foundation they will stand on their whole entire lives. Though it may seem fruitless when they are little, God is at work in your child. Last month I asked one of my kids about an important decision and they started their response with, “God said…” They had been talking to God in prayer and He answered them. Amen! If you don’t know where to start, begin in the morning. Teach your child to hit their knees the moment they wake up thanking God for the day. Gather at the door before you leave for school and pray for God’s wisdom and protection. Light a candle at dinner and prayerfully thank God for His provision. Ask your child to pray for specific needs for the family, to find that lost stuffie, heal their brother or increase the fruits of the Spirit. Pray and teach your kids to do likewise!