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How Do I Ask?

Give us each day our daily bread.

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” LUKE 11:3, 5-13 NIV

If we’re going to learn how to pray, we need to learn how to ask

So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you LUKE 11:9-10 NIV

Give Us

Learning to ask cultivates gratitude

Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 THESSALONIANS 5:17-19 NIV

Each Day

Learn to ask everyday for everyday things

I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need. LUKE 11:8 NIV

I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word. PSALMS 119:147 NIV

Our

Learning to ask challenges my desire for control

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? MATTHEW 6:25-27 NIV

Daily Bread

Learning to ask invites God to respond and provide

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. JOHN 5:6-9 NIV

My Notes

Personal Reflection Guide

Take a few moments to slow down, and imagine you are entering into the presence of God. Picture God’s face. He is happy to receive his child and hear from you. First, reflect on recent blessings and answers to your prayers. Thank God for his help in each instance. Next, think about problems you are facing today. Which ones have you worried about but not prayed about? What has kept you from asking God for his help? Finally, what expectations or disappointments have you had from God about your prayers? Ask God where your perspective needs to change and to reveal where it’s better to give up control and seek his resolution. Write down your reflections in the space below.

Discussion Questions

  1. PERSONAL REFLECTION: Begin group time by completing the Personal Reflection Guide, (link found on the top of sermon notes). Use this time to pray the Lord’s prayer slowly and attentively. (Tip: playing some soft background music is helpful here!)
  2. REAL WITH SELF: What kinds of things do you tend to worry about? Are those things you have asked for help with? If not, what makes it difficult to ask? If so, what are you hoping will happen when you ask for help?
  3. REAL WITH GOD: Read Luke 11:9-10. How do you feel about asking God for things? How does it change your perspective knowing that he insists on you asking him for all kinds of things?
  4. REAL WITH GOD: When is a time in which you asked God for his help? What happened? How has that changed your trust in him or willingness to ask him for help again? How has talking with God changed your relationship with him?
  5. REAL WITH OTHERS: What are you praying for that God has yet to answer? Why do you think God does not always answer your prayers immediately? How have you experienced growth in your life by persevering in prayer?
  6. TAKE ACTION: Make a plan to pray first thing in the morning or before you go to sleep. Set your alarm 1 minute earlier and pray the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. When you pray “Give us this day our daily bread,” ask God for one specific thing that you’d like His help with. It doesn’t have to be long, it just needs to be honest.