Desiring Prayer
Martin Luther once said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” As a new year begins, many of us sense how spiritually breathless we’ve become. We live in a loud, hurried, and distracted world, and prayer is often the first thing we leave behind. In Acts 1, Jesus tells His disciples not to rush forward, but to wait. They gather in the quiet of the upper room, devote themselves to prayer, and the Holy Spirit comes.
As we begin the new year, we’re invited to do the same. Not because we’re waiting for the Spirit — the Holy Spirit already dwells within us — but because we long to become more aware of His presence. In Desiring Prayer, we launch 30 Days of Prayer by slowing down, learning to listen, and rediscovering that prayer isn’t about getting God’s attention — we already have it. It’s about becoming present to the presence of the Holy Spirit who is already with us. Join us as we start the year in prayer and learn how to pray again.
Discipleship Questions
Before answering, reread Luke 18:1–14 slowly. Pay attention to how each person prays and how God responds.
1. In both parables, Jesus highlights how people come before God in prayer. What differences do you notice between the persistence of the widow and the posture of the tax collector, and what do they reveal about the kind of prayer God desires?
2. The Pharisee prays confidently but remains focused on himself, while the tax collector comes humbly and simply asks for mercy. What distractions—pride, comparison, busyness, or self-reliance—most often pull your attention away from being fully present with God in prayer?
3. Jesus says the tax collector went home justified rather than the Pharisee. As you begin this season of prayer, what might it look like for you to come before God with honesty and humility, trusting His mercy rather than trying to impress Him?
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