Further Study: Prayer: The Heartbeat of Revival
“Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. 
You cannot burden Him; you cannot weary Him. He who numbers the hairs of your head is not indifferent to the wants of His children. ‘The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.’ James 5:11. His heart of love is touched by our sorrows and even by our utterances of them. Take to Him everything that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for Him to bear, for He holds up worlds, He rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for Him to notice. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for Him to read; there is no perplexity too difficult for Him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of His children, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which He takes no immediate interest. ‘He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.’ Psalm 147:3. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon the earth to share His watch care, not another soul for whom He gave His beloved Son.”-Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 100.
Discussion Questions:
- Why do we need to pray if God knows everything? Though many answers can be given, perhaps the most important one is that we have been told, time and again in the Bible, to pray. Even if we don’t understand how it works, those who pray effectively know that it does work. You might take a medicine that helps to bring healing to your body, even though you don’t know how that medication works. It’s the same with prayer. What other reasons can you give for the importance of prayer, especially as we seek revival and reformation?
- Read over prayerfully the Ellen G. White quote found in Friday’s Further Study. Look at all the encouragement that is found in there, especially in the last line that addresses the relationship between God and the praying supplicant. What can you do, what choices can you make, to enter into the kind of close communion with the Lord that is described here?
- In class, talk about the reality of the great controversy, and how it’s being manifested in your own church community. Talk about how praying together can help you all work through whatever challenges you are facing.
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Whenever we pray we have to believe that God hears our prayer that's why the first question tells us we have to pray eventhough we don't know how it works God is faithfull n he loves us all that why he does choose to who to ans.as we finish this weeks lesson may we be prayerful people through Gods power
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God knows each n everything but also he didn't force anyone to do something, just why we need to pray, read the further study on Friday for more information.
Prayer is the key.
why?
Prayer is the only way we can talk to our creator but the devil doesnt allow us to pray..
Hmm, Malasa Joseph, your comment encourages thinking. May I ask why it seems the devil does not allow us to pray?
The devil does not want you to pray or understand the importance of prayer because his rights to do things in this world will be limited or stopped, even that the devil is the manager of this world, we the tenants have rights that he cannot deny us, we have the right to choose whom to serve, we have the right to ask for the salvation of others, we have the right to understand the gospel and accept or reject it, the devil deny the right to choose to people, keeping them in ignorance of the TRUTH, badmouthing God, deceiving tons of people with his fake ministers who present God's character like the Greek mythology,so we instead of loving God, we will be afraid of Him, even hating Him, accusing God of all the bad things that are happening in this world under the mismanagement of the Devil, but thanks to the owner and Creator of the world, who keeps sustaining life, so we can be born and be able to choose if we want to continue living for eternity or if we believe that happiness is in the devil's way of living, but to choose and allow others to choose we need to want that, and ask God for us and for our brothers, that all may know God and reject the devil's way of life, Praying we show the universe we are siding with god and that we want god’s truths to be available to all. Prayer to God is a protest against the devil, a protest that the whole universe is watching, that we are asking our rights to know the truth to be granted and respect, that we want our neighbors to be free from this slavery.
The beauty of prayer is that it gives us a secure connection with God that not even the devil can sever. We are brought upto Him and not Him down to us. The darkness of the evil one encloses only those who neglect prayer, my friend. If you don't want to have your connection cut by the devil simply don't neglect prayer.
If we want that our prayers will be answered by God, let us pray that His will shall always be prevailed, not our own will. Remember Christ's prayer "Father Thy will be done"
Dear RAL. Saw your comment and agree with your condition for answered prayer, and wanted to wish you a Happy Sabbath. My thoughts and prayers have often been with you lately. I am so sorry for your loss, but so happy that it doesn't appear to be long before a grand reunion. Bob
There is a fact that seems we are not fully aware of why we need to pray. We are legally slaves of Satan, and God power is limited in our world and our lives by this sad truth. He controls all minds that are not fully connected with God by prayer and surrender to God's will. Prayer is a sign we side up with God, and we give Him the right to intervenes in our lives and our world to destroy the devil's plans to oppose the salvation of men. We pray to accept God's intervention in our world affairs and ours. Prayer is the way we stand and protest the works of the Devil in our world. Not to pray is to accept and be okay with our actual situation in this world and to side up with the Devil, allowing him to continue deceiving and corrupting men, opposing the Gospel and opposing God. If we fully understand this, we will pray and not be asking why we need to pray.
Regarding "slaves of Satan":
Romans 6:16 Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.
21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.
22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
Whose slave are you?
Regarding "protest the works of the Devil," what does God say?
1 John 3:5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin.
6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.
7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.
8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
If we only protest, God's purpose has not been fulfilled in us yet.
you comment makes a lot of sense. you provide a very logical reason for consistent prayers. I really like your thoughts on this subject