discipleship and prayer

1. Lesson 3

2. KEY TEXT
“ ‘I do not pray for these
alone, but also for those who
will believe in Me through
their word; that they all may
be one, as You, Father, are in
Me, and I in You; that they
also may be one in Us, that
the world may believe that
You sent Me’ ”
John 17:20, 21

3. “Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. Not
that it is necessary in order to make known to God what we
are, but in order to enable us to receive Him. Prayer does
not bring God down to us, but brings us up to Him”
E.G.W. (Steps to Christ, pg. 93)
Prayer.
Jesus, our prayer example.
Intercessory prayer.
Daniel’s prayer.
Jesus’ prayer.
Discipleship and prayer.

4. Prayer miraculously bonds finite souls with their
infinite Creator.
The sincere believer trusts in God’s ability to
honor His promises. Never has anyone lodged a
request that intimidates God.
Nevertheless, we must remember that:
“Ask, and it will be
given to you; seek,
and you will find;
knock, and it will be
opened to you”
(Matthew 7:7, 9, 11)
God is more willing to give us what we ask than
our parents are (Mt. 7:7-11)
We must not use vain repetitions or verbiage
(Mt. 6:7)
We don’t know “what we should pray for”
(Rom. 8:26)
Our prayers must be subject to the divine will:
“Your will be done” (Mt. 6:10)
Our forgiveness requests will only be listened if we
are willing to forgive others (Mt. 6:12-15)
It’s good to pray together (Mt. 18:19)

5. “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went
out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35)
Jesus prayed every day, seeking quiet
places to spend time with God in
prayer (Lk. 5:16).
As well as praying every day, Jesus
also prayed during the whole night in
special moments (Lk. 6:12)
Jesus is our example. He needed much
time of prayer to be in communion
with His Father. How much time do I
spend with my Father in prayer?

6. “To the consecrated worker there is wonderful consolation in the
knowledge that even Christ during His life on earth sought His
Father daily for fresh supplies of needed grace; and from this
communion with God He went forth to strengthen and bless others.
Behold the Son of God bowed in prayer to His Father! Though He is
the Son of God, He strengthens His faith by prayer, and by
communion with heaven gathers to Himself power to resist evil and
to minister to the needs of men. As the Elder Brother of our race He
knows the necessities of those who, compassed with infirmity and
living in a world of sin and temptation, still desire to serve
Him. He knows that the messengers whom He sees fit
to send are weak, erring men; but to all who give
themselves wholly to His service He promises divine
aid. His own example is an assurance that earnest,
persevering supplication to God in faith—faith that
leads to entire dependence upon God, and unreserved
consecration to His work—will avail to bring to men
the Holy Spirit’s aid in the battle against sin”
E.G.W. (The Acts of the Apostles, cp. 5, p. 56)

7. “we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled,
even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments… O Lord,
according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury be
turned away from Your city Jerusalem,
Your holy mountain; because for our sins,
and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem
and Your people are a reproach to all those
around us. Now therefore, our God, hear the
prayer of Your servant, and his supplications,
and for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine
on Your sanctuary, which is desolate”
(Daniel 9:5, 16-17)
Daniel was almost 90 years old, so he could not receive any
benefit from the people coming back to Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, he identified himself with the sins of
his people and intensely interceded for his brothers
and sisters.
Intercessory prayer helps us to forget about ourselves and
to identify ourselves with those who we pray for. Then, we
feel an increasing desire to see their souls saved.

8. 1. Time-tested Compassion
Frequently, prayer assumes a self-centered posture. Believers present their
wish lists before God, hoping to get that which they ask for. Though, of
course, we are told to set our petitions before God, sometimes our motives
are not pure. After all, are not our hearts corrupt, wicked, and deceitful?
Might not our prayers, at times, simply reflect the sinfulness that lies within?

9. Intercessory prayer, however, focuses on another person’s needs, thus removing
the likelihood of selfish motivation. Throughout history, intercessory prayers
have represented the highest expressions of spiritual discourse. Untainted by the
desire for personal gratification, these conversations demonstrate selflessness,
compassion, and earnest longing for the salvation of others.

10. REFLECTION
Think about your prayer life:
what you pray for, why, and for
whom.
How much death to self is
involved in it?
How can you learn to be less
self-centered in your prayer
life?
That is, how can your prayers,
even the ones for yourself, be
less selfish?

11. “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should
not fail; and when you have returned to Me,
strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:32)
Disciple-making today requires more than
tract distribution and airtight biblical
argumentation. Praying in a sympathetic
consciousness of another’s distress, and with
a passionate desire to alleviate that distress,
is still the standard of intercessory prayer in
effective disciple-making.
“It is not enough to preach to
men. We must pray with them
and for them. We can not help
them while we hold ourselves
coldly aloof from them. We
must come close to them in
Christlike sympathy and love”
E.G.W. (Review and Herald, March 24, 1903)
Jesus prayed for each of His disciples. He
interceded for them before the Father.
The longest prayer of Jesus is found in John 17.
He does not only intercede for His disciples, “but
also for those who will believe in Me through
their word” (v. 20)

12. Jesus could effectively intercede on
His disciples’ behalf because He was
actively engaged in their lives,
thoroughly understood them, and
passionately desired their good.
Effective intercession today demands
nothing less.
The twenty-first century disciple-
maker will discard time-consuming
pursuits that interfere with his or her
relationships with lost souls. Making
money, achieving fame, even
educational excellence must become
subservient to the greater goal of the
redemption of the lost.
This is an important truth that so
easily slips from sight, because we are
so often caught in the daily grind of
living.

13. The first disciples imitated Jesus and usually prayed for very
diverse prayer requests.
For the coming of
the Comforter
(Acts 1:14)
For release from
difficulties
(Acts 12:6-12)
For our rulers and
authorities
(1Tim. 2:1-2)
For the salvation of
every person
(1Tim. 2:3-4)
For the afflicted
and the sick
(James 5:13-15)
For our growth and our
perseverance in faith
and love (Jud. 20-21)
“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore
be serious and watchful in your prayers”
(1 Peter 4:7)

14. “Christ has urged that His people pray without
ceasing. This does not mean that we should
always be upon our knees, but that prayer is to
be as the breath of the soul. Our silent requests,
wherever we may be, are to be ascending unto
God, and Jesus, our advocate, pleads in our
behalf, bearing up with the incense of His
righteousness our requests to the Father”
E.G.W. (Ye
Shall Receive
Power,
October 23)

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