Sabbath School Lesson for May 9-15, 202 6
Introduction of Lesson 7, Practical Prayer
Memory Text: “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8 NKJV
Prayer needs to be practical, in order for us to see the value of its ability to connect us with God. Several Bible characters saw their persistent, fervent prayers answered in such a way that helps us desire that kind of personal connection for ourselves.
Psalm 67 affirms that pouring our heart out to God with trust and steadfast faith will bring us protection and strength to overcome great obstacles. Elijah, Hannah, and Daniel received such responses when they prayed for miraculous answers to seemingly impossible situations.
Jesus also outlined a prayer for the disciples that encompassed all the elements we are encouraged to include in our prayers even today. Staying connected to Jesus (the Vine) through praying such prayers will help us thrive and flourish, despite overwhelming difficulties.
This week, we will explore:
- Sunday: Elijah–Praying in Crisis
- Monday: When Prayers Seem Unanswered
- Tuesday: Jesus Teaches Us How to Pray
- Wednesday: Praise, Confession, Requests, Thanksgiving
- Thursday: Other Questions About Prayer
Sunday: Elijah–Praying in Crisis
The prophet Elijah was blessed by having life-threatening situations turned around. His confrontation with priests of Baal at Mount Carmel stands out as a dramatic ending to a seemingly impossible prayer request. God answered Elijah’s prayer by having fire come down to consume his offering, despite the fact that water had been poured over the altar beforehand, magnifying the power of God before all the Israelites.
Keep in mind that King Ahab was considered the most evil king of the northern kingdom up to that time (1 Kings 16:33). It was no wonder that when his pagan wife, Queen Jezebel, learned of what had happened at Mount Carmel that Elijah was frightened so much by her death threats against him that he fled to the wilderness to hide.
Sulking and complaining to God in the barren wilderness, it was demonstrated to Elijah that God’s voice is not always in loud, dramatic tones. After sending angels to quietly provide food and water to the starving prophet, and then experiencing a strong wind, an earthquake, and a dangerous wildfire, Elijah heard God’s still, small voice, assuring him that he wasn’t alone–that there were seven thousand faithful saints in Israel who hadn’t bowed down to other gods–just what Elijah needed to hear to go on fighting for God against the evil forces who were after him. Read Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 18 and 19.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
1 Kings 19:1-18
- Why does God use so many ways to speak to us, when we bravely and honestly share with Him what’s on our hearts?
- When have you prayed about something critical and found that God answered your prayer in an unexpected way?
- What helps us hear God’s voice, whether small or loud? How can we better recognize God’s answers to our prayers?
Monday: When Prayers Seem Unanswered
Hannah serves as an example for all who are called to wait for the answer to their prayers. What many don’t realize is that often the waiting deepens our faith and connection with God. This seemed to be the case with Hannah. Despite years of not being able to bear children, her trust remained strong that she would not only have a child, but that he would be a boy who she would gladly give back to God to be raised by Eli in the temple, so he would serve God there all his life.
Her unselfish prayer was rewarded and she bore Samuel, who later became a great prophet in Israel. We find how she prayed persistently and fervently, leaving us with a model for prayers that go unanswered for years, but are finally answered in God’s perfect timing and way.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
1 Samuel 1:10-17 and Psalm 62:8
- How can we trust God, even when our prayers are not answered right away, like Hannah’s?
James 1:6, 4:6, Matthew 6:10, and 1 Thessalonians 5:17
- What helps guarantee an answer to our prayers?
Tuesday: Jesus Teaches Us How to Pray
Jesus’ vibrant prayer life didn’t go unnoticed by His disciples. Craving the strength their Master received after His prayer sessions, they asked Jesus one day how they might best approach their heavenly Father. After all, John the Baptist had instructed his disciples in how to pray (Luke 11:1). They, too, wanted to know what kind of prayers God expected of them.
The prayer Jesus gave them was a simple outline of what should be included in our conversations with God. We should acknowledge that He is our holy Father, long for God’s kingdom to come into our hearts, surrender our lives to Him, trust Him to supply all our needs, and finally, ask for forgiveness and the ability to forgive others and to fight all temptation. In addition, we notice how the Lord’s Prayer began and ended with praise and thanksgiving to God.
Jesus’ personal lesson on how to pray confirms that God is not interested in showy, dry, vain repetitions. Public prayers, especially, should avoid “sermonizing” and be short, direct, and sincere. Ellen G. White encouraged public prayers not be more than a minute or two in length. Our private devotions with God is the time and place to earnestly communicate our more lengthy prayers.
Verses for reflection and discussions:
Matthew 6:5-8
- What kind of prayers does God particularly appreciate from His people?
Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:1-4
- What kind of things should we ask of God?
- When might it be appropriate to pray the Lord’s Prayer just as He gave it in these verses?
- What might be missing from your prayers to God, and how can you make them better?
Wednesday: Praise, Confession, Requests, Thanksgiving
We are told in Daniel, chapter 9. how the prophet began to fast and pray for an understanding of Jeremiah’s seventy-weeks prophecy. The outline of his prayer included many of the things Jesus highlighted in His model prayer given to the disciples.
Daniel’s prayer began and ended with praise and thanksgiving for who God was and what He had done for them. In the center of his prayer was confession for specific sins they had committed and a plea for God’s forgiveness and grace. Recognizing their desperate need, Daniel proceeded to humbly make his requests known to God.
With this framework of prayer, it is appropriate and good that we share with God those areas of life that we feel are most challenging. We must then allow Him to address these requests in a way that is most likely to align with God’s will and bring Him honor and glory.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
Daniel 9:4-19
- How does Daniel’s prayer follow the outline of the Lord’s Prayer?
- Although Daniel did not directly sin against God as most of his Hebrew friends, why did he include himself in the sins of His people in this prayer?
- What can we learn about intercessory prayer from Daniel?
Thursday: Other Questions About Prayer
People understandably wonder many things about the spiritually-packed practice of prayer. For instance, since God knows everything already, what use it there for us to share with Him things about our life. One must recognize though that prayer does not bring God down to us (He is already there), but it brings us up to Him.
Similarly, some question whether we need to pray when things are going smoothly in our lives. The truth is we always need God with us, in good times and bad. Recognizing that He is there for us always, and praising and thanking Him for His role in our prosperity, is a way to keep us from having feelings of self-sufficiency. The truth is we always need God and should not neglect telling Him so in prayer.
It’s also typical to wonder what kind of things we should pray for, and what role does faith have in getting our prayers answered. Jesus said, “whatsoever things you ask…believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:24). Therefore, faith, or belief, is required. Thankfully, Paul indicated that we all have a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Praying actually helps our faith to grow, especially when we learn to pray for God’s will and see our prayers answered.
It was John who wrote that we should be praying for God’s will to be done, not our own (1 John 5:14). This is why our devotional times with God should include both Bible study and prayer. Through Bible study, we are able to know God’s will, and then to pray for it.
Verses for reflection and discussion:
Mark 11:24, Romans 12:3, and 1 John 5:14
- How assured can we be that our prayers will be answered?
- What kinds of things should we pray for?
- How can we know God’s will?
Friday: Final Thoughts
It’s helpful to see actual prayers that were answered by God in the Bible to motivate us to pray more. Several contrasting elements make up the prayers of three individuals: Hannah, Elijah, and Daniel.
- Hannah’s bitter situation caused her to be so moved by God’s long delay in giving her children, that she appeared inebriated to priest Eli as she hysterically poured out her heart to God in the temple. By contrast, after a healthy baby boy was given her, her prayers were marked with the intense emotion of joyous exaltation.
- Elijah experienced a contrast in how God answered his prayers. On Mount Carmel, the answer was dramatic and unmistakably loud in its message. But later, as the prophet fled for his life, God spoke to him in a quiet, yet equally definite, voice.
- Daniel’s prayer found in chapter 9 contained both pleading supplication, but also abundant hope that God would hear him. We, too, benefit when we not only plead for great things, but have great hope that they will be given.
Our prayers are likewise varied in how we pray them, in how God answers, and in how much faith and hope we have in the fulfillment of our requests. Just as God has all the hairs of our heads numbered, we can rest assured that He knows the best answers to our expressed longings and needs.
With humility and having studied God’s will in His word, each prayer request that aligns with His will receives a tailored reply that will not only benefit us, but will glorify God.
Next Week: Having Faith
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