Title: Prayer: More Than Lip Service
Series: Victorious Living
Text: Matt 6:9-13

Prayer can become a mere act of lip service if we lose sight of its purpose. What is prayer about and how should we approach God?

1) Prayer is about worshipping God (v. 9-10)

How do we usually approach God in prayer? How does the way we approach God reflect our relationship with Him (e.g. is it transactional or conditional)?

God will always answer our prayers, just perhaps not in the way we prefer (often termed as “unanswered prayer”). How do we respond when God does not answer us in the way we prefer/expect? Why? How can we be assured that God still loves us as His children despite these “unanswered prayers”?

While it is not wrong to present our requests to God, we need to understand that our primary focus when we pray is on God and not on us. Our prayer life should honour God and glorify Him. How does knowing this affect how we usually pray and respond when God answers us?

2) Prayer is about expressing our need for God (v. 11-13)

What is the difference between merely presenting our needs to God and expressing our need for God while we present our needs to Him? Discuss.

We need to be mindful that we do not just pay lip service to God in our prayers – saying that we need God but actually thinking that we are fine. What are some reasons why believers may not recognise their need for God? How can believers guard against the tendency to be self-sufficient? What may help believers to realise their dependency on God? What are some areas in our lives where we need to acknowledge our need for God more?