Page 46 - Teach us how to Pray - Book Layout - PDF

Praying with a focus on ourselves and our needs

 Read the following passages and get answers to the questions:

1. Acts 8:22
2. Philippians 4:6
3. 1 Peter 5:6-7
4. Matthew 6:33

▪ List the things, based on our own needs, we could pray for?
▪ Why may we pray for our own physical and material needs?
▪ Does Philippians 4:6 mean that we could pray for anything?
How do we have to understand this?
▪ What do we learn about priorities in our prayers from Matt
6:33?
▪ Why do we have to make known our requests before God
when He knows everything?
▪ Calvin said, “not because we don’t trust God, but to prevent
that our own faith will fall asleep.”
▪ Thus, for our own sake, we bring our needs before the
Almighty God and our Father who knows what we need.

Larger Catechism on these topics
Q. 183. For whom are we to pray? A. We are to pray for the whole
church of Christ upon the earth; (f) for magistrates, (g) and ministers;
(h) for ourselves, (I) our brethren, (k) yea, our enemies; (l) and for all
sorts of men living, (m) or that shall live hereafter; (n) but not for the
dead, (o) nor for those that are known to have sinned the sin unto
death. (p)

f) Eph. 6:18 g) 1 Tim. 2:1–2.h) Col.4:3. i) Gen 32:11. k) James 5:16. l) Matt
5:44. m) 1 Tim 2:1-2. n) John 17:20. o) 2 Sam 12:21-23. p) 1 John 5:16.

Praying with a focus on God and God’s work
Our prayers are always directed to God. We pray to Him, the living
God. We speak to Him as our heavenly Father because of the
atonement of Jesus Christ. But apart from addressing Him, we also
have to focus in our prayers, on God and His work in us, immediately
around us, and in this big wide world. When we focus in our prayers