Jesus expects his disciples to pray. Whether first century or 21st century followers, we pray so we might connect with God through speaking and especially through listening. Theologian M. Shawn Copeland said it well in Practicing our Faith when she wrote, “Prayer requires our attentiveness, our readiness, our active and watchful waiting to hear, to receive, to cooperate in what God imparts to us. For our conversations with God are never onesided” (p. 68).

In this three-session Bible study, we will explore three aspects of prayer. We will learn some about what Jesus and the early evangelists thought and taught about the importance of being persistent in prayer. We will look at passages in the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament) that exhort us to “wait upon the Lord” and we will explore the relationship between prayer and waiting. And, we will seek to understand the power of prayer to change us and perhaps our circumstances too.

The goal of this study is to deepen our relationships with God, ourselves and one another by attending to the word and will of God for our lives and our world.

Interested in this study? Past summer Bible studies are free to subscribers to Gather’s free e-newsletter.

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