Glencairn Church

Going Deeper is designed for use with your small group, a friend or on you own. Its aim is to create time for you to spend with God and his word. Do as much or as little as you like. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact one of our pastoral staff.

1. Pray for each other, our church and our leaders, for personal and corporate renewal, and to allow God’s word to transform us. Share a recent entry from your Life Journal with the group.

2. This Sunday we looked at the richest single source about prayer in the Bible – Matthew 6. Jesus teaches his disciples about prayer and talks about two models – one that’s based on technique and power, and the other on relationship and grace. What thoughts or questions did the message raise for you? Which ones encouraged you or posed a challenge to you?

3. How would you describe your experience with prayer? Share a highlight you’ve had in prayer (an answer, miracle, a closeness). What has been frustrating for you in your prayer life? See if you can come up with an agreed-upon definition of prayer in your group. Was that easy or hard?

4. Read Matthew 6:5-8. Why does Jesus invite us to pray in private? What are the dangers of praying in public? How do we know when our prayers start moving in the direction of trying to control God? What ultimately is the purpose of prayer?

5. Jesus warns against “babbling”, which is intense petition. What does that look like? Why is it important to view our relationship with God as Father? How does that affect our prayers?

6. Read Matt 6:14-15. Why do we refuse to forgive someone who has wronged us? What does that say about us? Harbouring a grudge against someone is a common human experience, so how can we become a forgiving person?

7. Read Matt 6:9-13. Notice that half of this prayer has nothing to do with our needs (“Give me this…”). What does that say about our ultimate need? Prayer is not about control or power, but of surrender, (Jesus lived this out in Gethsemane). Reflect on the truth that we have a God who needed to pray and surrender. How might that impact the way you pray?

7. Take a moment of silence to consider how God is speaking to you. Is He asking you to make changes or to do something new? What concrete steps of response do you want to take? How can your group support you in these steps?