Pray!

Talking with God.
Pray!
We need more people of prayer.
How often ought we pray?
Too busy to pray?
Praying when we suck at prayer.
“Devotions”: Times we especially focus on God.
What about those Christians who pray to saints?
Don’t let foreknowledge weird you out about prayer!
Vain repetition?
Formal prayer: How to get distant with God.
Pagans and prayer.
Does God listen to pagans when they pray?
The power of prayer.
“You can’t do this without prayer.”
Asking.
Coming to God with empty hands. Much as you don’t wanna.
Can we really ask God for anything?
“In Jesus name” and why it doesn’t always work.
Do we really get whatever we ask in Jesus’s name?
When God tells us no.
“Unspoken.”
The bargain with God.
Sucking up to God.
Power through prayer.
Praying for stupid things.
Praying for the dead.
God is not too busy for your prayers.
The “Help me have faith” prayer.
Attitude.
The prayer mood.
Praying or singing yourself into an “altered state.”
A few tongues to set the mood?*
Needlessly long and wild prayers.
Angry prayers.
Prayer… and morning people. (Groan.)
The storehouse of merit?*
Too stressed to pray.
The prayers of a jerk.
Bible prayers.
Praying the scriptures.
Praying the psalms.
The Lord’s Prayer. Make it your prayer.
Ge 20.1-18. Prayer in the Abraham and Abimelech story.
1Ch 4.9-10.The prayer of Jabez.
Ne 1.5-11. The prayer of Nehemiah.
Mn 1.1-15. The prayer of Manasseh.
Lk 18.9-14. The Pharisee and Taxman Story.*
(Also see Jesus’s prayers.)
Boldness.
Boldness in prayer. ’Cause God’s listening.*
The Midnight Friend Story.*
The Persistent Widow Story.*
Fasting.
Getting hungry for God. Literally.
Why do Christians fast?
Christians who don’t want you to fast.
God doesn’t owe us anything for fasting.
“Fasting” from one thing at a time.
The Daniel fast.
Shrovetide, Lenten fasting, and naysayers.*
Faith.
The prayer of faith. Or not.
Pray like Elijah.
Prayer instead of wisdom.
The “Help me have faith” prayer.
God-mindfulness.
God-mindfulness. ’Cause he’s always here.
How we Christians imagine God’s presence.
Hearing God.
Hearing God. It’s vital!
Start listening to God.
Hearing God. But doubting you do.
“If you don’t listen to God, there are consequences.”
When we hear God, but misunderstand him.
When the heavens are brass?
God’s still small voice?
“Signs it’s God’s voice.”
Unidirectional prayer: We talk. God doesn’t. No point.
Can’t hear God? Read your bible!*
“Why pray?”—a common question of those who don’t listen to God.
The “Where are you?” prayer.
Intercession.
Intercession: Praying for others… and answering for God.
“Can I pray for you?”
The prayer warrior.*
Praying for shrubbery. [The hedge of protection.]
Praying for our rulers.
The National Day of Prayer.
Praying for your homeland without getting all nationalist.
Jesus’s prayers.
Jn 11.41-42. Jesus’s Lazarus Prayer.
Jn 17.1-5. Glorifying Jesus.
Jn 17.6-10. Jesus’s mission to the world.
Jn 17.11-12. Jesus prays for the Father’s protection.
The Lord’s Prayer. (Pray it!)
The Lord’s Prayer. Make it your prayer.
Mt 6.9-10. Our Father who art in heaven.
Mt 6.9, Lk 11.2. Hallowed be thy name.
Mt 6.10, Lk 11.2. Thy kingdom come.
Mt 6.11, Lk 11.3. Daily bread.
Mt 6.12. Is it “debts” or “trespasses”?
Mt 6.13, Lk 11.4. Lead us not into temptation.
Mt 6.13. Deliver us from evil.
Mt 6.13. For thine is the kingdom…
How to pray the Lord’s Prayer.
“Whenever you pray, pray this.”
Prayer’s one prerequisite: Forgiveness.
The “Not what I want” prayer.
The “Your will be done” prayer.
Meditating on God.
Meditate.
Meditation, and the fear of evil spirits.
The Jesus prayer.
Using your imagination to meditate.
“Be still and know that I am God.”*
Music.
Two types of worship music.
Posture.
Prayer and posture.
Facing Jerusalem.
Groaning in prayer.
Praise.
Giving compliments to God.
Props.
The prayer journal: Keeping track of our conversations with God.
Get in the closet.
You know you can write out your prayers, right?
Prayer books: Prayers for every occasion.
Prayer walks.
Public prayer.
When you gotta pray in public.
Keep (most of) your prayers private.
The person who just bursts into prayer.
And now, a word of prayer.
The street-corner show-off.
Praying too loud—in tongues.
Prayer in the public schools.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with you.”*
The National Day of Prayer.
Repentance.
The prayers of repentant sinners.
So you feel unclean. Pray anyway.
The “Forgive me” prayer.
The “What do I lack?” prayer.
The “sinner’s prayer.” And how to lead one.*
When the sinner’s prayer doesn’t work.
The sinner’s prayer isn’t proof of your salvation.*
Punishing ourselves. (Don’t!)
Too guilty to pray.
Praying for capital and non-capital sins.*
Rote prayer.
Memorize any good prayers lately?
The Francis prayer: Praying like “St. Francis” did.
The Jesus prayer.
The rosary: Meditation… oh, and prayers to Mary.
De profundis.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Sanctus.
St. Patrick’s Breastplate.
Te Deum.
The serenity prayer.
Amen!
Thanks.
Thanksgiving. The prayer, not the day.
Saying grace.
Saying grace… and a little bit more.
Tongues.
Speaking in tongues.*
Tongues build up the individual.
Praying too loud—in tongues.
Forbidding tongues.*
When the Spirit touches you… and you fall down. [“Slain in the Spirit.”]
Miscellaneous prayer behavior.
Short, potent, authentic prayer.
Let the church not say amen.
The passive-aggressive prayer.
Quit praying to Satan!
“Prayer’s about changing us.”