Page 71 - The Importance of Prayer Student Textbook

9.5 Let’s Personalize This Lesson…

I am thankful for a commentary series entitled The NIV Application Commentary and their
emphasis on life application of the ancient text to today’s world. They emphasize it is not enough
to know and expound on the original meaning of the ancient text. They believe that there must
be a bridge built between the world of the Bible and the world of today. They ask you to take
what you learn about Jerusalem, Ephesus, or Corinth and apply these truths to New York, Las
Vegas, Harare, and Lusaka. In order to achieve these goals, you must do the following.

Identify contemporary situations, problems or question that are truly comparable to those faced by the
original audience. Because contemporary situations are rarely identical to those faced in the original
text you must look for analogies (a thing which is comparable to something else in significant respects)
that you can make life applications to the ancient text.

Look for personal applications but think beyond private concerns and look to society and culture at
large. Always remember that there may be several legitimate ways to make application of a passage to
contemporary life. But you will need to avoid making application in a general way which fails to bring
about change to life and the culture.

In this section I have tried to introduce you to several prayer nuggets. Some will be new to you and
others you have already found. Look at different ways you can personally apply these prayer nuggets to
your life and begin to pray them for spiritual breakthrough.

Conclusion

My heart is broken as I conclude this work because this textbook is just the tip of a giant iceberg that is to be
explored. There are so many topics that I have not covered that really need to be discovered. However, just
as those gold miners got a little taste of finding some gold nuggets in the Gold Butte Mountains, my prayer is
that this introductory course has ignited a fire that will never burn out. I have not provided you a laundry list
of formulas and methods to be followed in order to manipulate God into answering your prayers. However, I
have tried to show you that you have a loving heavenly father who gave us his very best, when He sent Jesus
to pay the price for our sins. And by simple turning to Christ in faith we can be saved. After we are saved, He
so longs for us to abide in Him. He longs for us to move beyond a Father babe in Christ relationship with Him
and for us to grow in His grace. (Hebrews 5:12, 2 Peter 3:18) But don’t miss what Henry Blackaby said, “I
think God is crying out and shouting to us, don’t just do something, stand there! Enter a love
relationship with Me. Get to know Me. Let Me love you and reveal Myself to you as I work through you.
A time will come when the doing will be called for, but we cannot skip the relationship. The relationship
with God must come first”. I pray that you will embrace the yoke of the Master and let His truths
transform you. A. W. Tozer said that prayer cannot be taught it can only be done. Yes, this syllabus has
been written to try to exhort you to step up your praying, but it is only secondary as you are the only
one that can pray. The scriptures are replete with exhortations to pray, but you are the only one who
can pray.

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