REFERENCE BIBLE VERSE
James 5:15-16 | And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (ESV)
OBJECTIVE
As we continue to encourage one another to supplement our faith with our actions, it is important to remind ourselves that prayer is our strongest weapon – especially when we are weak or discouraged.
CONTENT
PRAYER AS OUR WEAPON
- As we encourage one another to perform shema, there are many times when doubt and anxiety often arises. At times like these, we need our strongest weapon that connects us to God: Prayers.
- Our prayers connect us with God, strengthen us for the fight, and keep us grounded. When we are wrestling with something and we feel like we’ve reached a dead end, the best thing we can do is to look towards God and bring us to understand our God who makes a way when there seems to be no way.
- When we realize that we are continually in a spiritual warfare, it is important for us to recharge whenever times get tough. Before we can go out there and share God’s love to others, it is equally as important, if not more important, for us to continuously be filled with God’s love. Without it, we will get exhausted by relying on our own power. To combat this, prayer gives us the hope and the power to overcome our weaknesses and to be healed whenever we are down.
HOW DO YOU PRAY
- Prayer is talking to God as Father
- Remind yourself that God always hears us, but he doesn’t always give what we ask for. Despite that, He knows and wants the best for us.
- We don’t need to use long or eloquent prayers, God knows what we need before we ask him.
- The Psalm can teach us how to pray.
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION QUESTION
- Pray in group using 5 Finger Prayer guidelines (10 minutes)
- Many times it’s hard for us to know where to start prayer so here is The 5 Finger Prayer by Pope Francis which is a good reminder for us to remind who we should pray for.
- The Thumb. It is the closest finger to you so pray for those who are closest to you. The thumb should remind you of your family.
- The Index Finger. Pray for those who teach you. The people who share their wisdom with you.
- The Middle Finger. The tallest finger to remind us to pray for your leaders, the governors and those who have authority. For they need God’s guidance.
- The Ring Finger. It’s the weakest finger to remind us to pray for the weak. They need your prayer the most.
- The Pinkie. The smallest of all fingers should remind you of yourself.
- Each person can be assigned to a topic and then they take turns to say their prayer. When they are all done, give some time for them to pray for themselves.
- Pray for one another in your satellite (30 minutes)
- Step out of your comfort zone and ask around if your friends need anything to pray for.
REFERENCES