Study Guide: Creating the Laser Beam

Sunday April 2, 2006 | Greg Boyd

Focus Scripture:

Luke 2: 36-38
36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then had been a widow for eighty-four years. a]"> She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

Brief Summary:

Prayer is powerful and effective. It is an important and necessary act of spiritual warfare for the believer. Throughout scripture, we are shown that prayer can change the outcome of situations. Believers are therefore called to pray, not solely out of obedience, but with a sense of urgency and faith. God uses our prayers to bring about his will on earth as it is in heaven. He has chosen us to be co-laborers with him to fulfill his purposes.

Extended Summary:

God uses our prayers to bring about his will on earth as it is in heaven. He has chosen us to be co-laborers with him to fulfill his purposes. It takes faith and perseverance to pray and to walk in obedience.

“As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up-one on one side, one on the other-so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” (Exodus 17:11-13).

Moses had a responsibility to pray for the people of Israel. God also gives us a responsibility and an authority to seek him in intercessory prayer. In the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-10) we are told to ask that God’s will be done on earth as it is done in heaven. This is necessary because God’s will has not been fully revealed in the world. God wants to restore the world through us. We are merely conduits for his will.

How we pray actually affects the outcome of things! This happens individually, but it also takes place collectively through the Church. God has chosen to use us to bring about his Kingdom. Therefore, when we pray, we should pray with reverence and urgency. We pray this way because we know that our prayers are changing the lives of those around us as well as our own. Through our prayer life, God’s Spirit can use us to reveal his heart for the world. The more that we seek to place our will in alignment with God’s, the more powerful and effective our transforming prayers become.

Reflection Questions:

Do you believe that prayer makes a difference? If so in what ways?
How have you seen the power of prayer revealed? Has God brought healing and answered prayers into your life?
In what areas of your life do you feel God is calling you to align your will with his?
If our prayers change the outcome of what is going to happen, how does this affect your attitude towards prayer?