Leaders Guide Week of November 29, 2015

Looking Back on Why Pray? Isaiah 40:28-31

Leaders, this sermon is a little different approach to prayer than many are used
to. Many times, were told to do things like pray because we should, but the
motivation to pray is deeper than that. Its richer. Hopefully, this sermon will
allow for some thoughtful reflection in your group on the disconnect that
sometimes exists between what we believe and how we pray.
It might be a challenge to keep your group focused on this particular angle of
prayer since a topic like prayer prompts so many different thoughts, stories,
questions, etc. It may be helpful for you to share your own experience or
potential disconnect between one of these 3 truths and how you pray (question
2 in looking back). That would invite others to follow suit.
I would encourage you to close with a time of prayer. Spend time affirming who
God is, our position of dependence on Him, and acknowledging His activity in the
world both thanking Him for it and asking Him to help those who may be on
your heart.
Grateful for you all!
Matt
LOOKING BACK
Why Pray?
Isaiah 40: 28-31
Why pray? If were honest, many of us often ask the question. Sometimes our
motivation comes from a place of duty and obligation, and though that isnt bad,
Scripture paints a fuller picture. Our theology leads to our activity. And what this means
is that how I pray reveals what I believe. In a familiar passage to many of us, Isaiah
40:28-31 sets forth three critical truths God is big, we are small, and God helps small
people. We find that when we embrace those realities on a heart level, they affect how
we pray in a profound way.
Thinking It Through (agree/disagree/consider/contemplate)

If you are not praying, then you are quietly confident that time, money, and talent are
all you need in life. ~Paul Miller
Prayer is being predisposed to dependence on God.
~Lloyd Shadrach

God will answer all of your prayers exactly like we would answer all our prayers if we
knew what he knew. ~Tim Keller

Working It Out
1. How I pray reveals what I believe How have you seen that to be true in your life?
2. Of the three big ideas in Isaiah 40:28-31 (God is big, we are small, God helps small
people), which do you struggle to believe the most right now?
3. Can you recall a time when God did not answer your prayer or not in the way you
wanted? When you look back now, do you see Him working in the midst of the silence
you felt?
4. Why do you think trust is so important to God?
LOOKING AHEAD TO:
Its the Most Anticipated Time of the Year
Luke 2:3-4, Gal. 4:3-5
Its the most ANTICIPATED time of the year! I mean how it could not be?? The food, the
music, the Christmas lights, the time with family, the presents We look forward to it all
year. Well, the original Christmas was much anticipated as well. In fact, when we look at
historical accounts and the Biblical narrative, we find that there has been no other event
in history so anticipated. God had been preparing the world for Christs birth for
thousands of years, setting the stage perfectly for His entrance into this world as a
baby. Christs birth reveals a lot of things about who God, but one of them, to be sure,
is that Gods timing is perfect.
Working It Out
1. What historical factors do you know of that contributed to the perfect timing of the
birth of Jesus?
2. How have you seen Gods timing to be perfect in your own life?
3. In what ways have you been confused or frustrated by Gods timing in the past (or
present)?
4. What do we do when we dont understand Gods timing?