• God desires to answer our prayers!

• God is our Father -- He is good, He is kind, He is all-knowing.

• Ask God to cultivate within you a fresh passion for persistent prayer.

• Jesus urges us to be a persistently praying people.

• God can be trusted with our prayers.

• Trust your heavenly Father.

• You are never a bother to God!

• Persistent prayer asking God to use you will reap great reward when His Kingdom comes. So pray with eternity in mind!

• Leave room for the mystery of a God Who has purposes beyond our understanding.

• Sin will keep us from prayer, and prayer will keep us from sin.

• Pray with persistence, because it is a great privilege to be involved in God’s business!

• Prayer keeps us close to God, and gives us greater insight into the One we love.

• Persistent prayer will keep us from the evil one.

“There is nothing so simple and plain as praying, if a [person] really has a will to pray. [Yet] there is nothing, unhappily, that [we] are so unwilling to do.”

-- Bishop J.C. Ryle

1. What is prayer in its essence?

2. Why is prayer so important?

3. Discuss the issues that keep us from praying.

4. What would most motivate you to pray?

• This week, I will ask the Lord to renew my commitment to persistence in prayer.