Life Guide® BIBLE STUDIES

PRAYER AND LISTENING

6 STUDIES FOR INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS

Jan Johnson

An imprint of InterVarsity Press

Downers Grove, Illinois

InterVarsity Press

P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426

ivpress.com

email@ivpress.com

©2020 by Jan Johnson

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from InterVarsity Press.

InterVarsity Press® is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA®, a movement of students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges, and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, visit intervarsity.org.

LifeGuide® is a registered trademark of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

While any stories in this book are true, some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

Cover design: Cindy Kiple

Image: © Towfiqu Photography / Moment Collection / Getty Images

ISBN 978-0-8308-3123-4 (print)

ISBN 978-0-8308-6442-3 (digital)

CONTENTS

Getting the Most Out of Prayer and Listening

one Conversation with God

Genesis 15:1–16; 17:15–22; 18:1–15

two Praying with Authenticity

Psalm 74:1–23

three The Prayer of Request

Matthew 6:9–13

four Listening to God in Prayer

1 Chronicles 14:8–17

five Praying for Others as Jesus Did

Luke 22:31–34

six Practicing God’s Presence

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

Leader’s Notes

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF PRAYER AND LISTENING

For many people, prayer is a way to ask God to do what they want done. While requests are important, prayer also includes listening as we come together with God to know the “mind of Christ” about ourselves, our situations, and the people in our life (1 Corinthians 2:16). In this way prayer becomes a way of connecting with God. Through this two-way conversation God can “train [us] to be godly” (1 Timothy 4:7). God created us for a relationship with him and wants to make us into the “same kind of thing as himself.”1 Here on this earth, we become disciples of Jesus and “share in the life of Christ.”2 This transformation of your soul is “the hope to which he has called you” (Ephesians 1:18) or, more poetically, “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).

But if we’ve tried to be Christlike, this can seem like a cruel joke. How do we become people who automatically love our enemies and don’t grab the credit? Who naturally gives up power instead of wanting to take control? Some of us have been waiting a long time to become the tenderhearted, conscientious person our family always wished we’d become.

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About Prayer and Listening: 6 Studies for Individuals or Groups

Most Christians have experienced the “laundry list” phase of spiritual life, in which praying means giving God an agenda of needs to handle. But how do you move to having real conversation with God? How do you hear what God is saying back to you? How can you make your experience of God’s presence part of everyday life?

In this six-session LifeGuide Bible Study, Jan Johnson covers the disciplines of prayer and of practicing God’s presence. Going deeper in these areas will help you to draw closer to God in everything you do.

For over three decades LifeGuide Bible Studies have provided solid biblical content and raised thought-provoking questions—making for a one-of-a-kind Bible study experience for individuals and groups. This series has more than 130 titles on Old and New Testament books, character studies, and topical studies.

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