As you consider the next step in your faith this year, I think we could all agree it should center on this: connecting with God because He wants to connect with us. One of the greatest and perhaps most taken-for-granted gifts for connecting with God is prayer. We can never pray too much or too often! It's a next step that we can all take. Whether your next step is praying more frequently each day, being more intimate in prayer, or simply learning how to pray, Jesus shows us the way. Come and learn with us as we dive into Matthew 6 - the Lord's Prayer!

Matthew 6:9-13

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For Adult Homes & Groups

1. Pray the Lord’s Prayer out loud together. Next, pray it again and take your time doing it; have one person pray each petition. Finally, pray the entire prayer together one last time.

2. Which of the lines in Jesus’ prayer is resonating most with you right now in your life? Why? As you share why, pray with one another about those specific reasons.

3. Are there any obstacles in your life that make prayer challenging for you or hold you back from praying more often? Whatever those obstacles may be, see them as continual invitations to talk with God and be in His presence.

4. Martin Luther said, “To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” What is he expressing about prayer? Can we be followers of Jesus without praying? Why or why not?

5. Share what prayer means to you personally.

For Families with Kids

1. Set a shared schedule together as a family and pray the Lord’s Prayer together every day. Make it a priority and an unbreakable habit.

2. Set a goal to start praying specific prayers with each other. Use the acronym P.R.A.Y. or A.C.T.S. as a guide. 

P - praise  R - repent  A - ask Y - yield

A - adoration C - confession T - thanksgiving S - supplication