Delighting in God’s Presence

Group Guide

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Begin with Communion.

As your group gathers together, begin by sharing communion as a meal. Feel free to use the following template as a way to structure and guide this time:

1. Pass out the elements. Make sure everyone has a cup of juice and bread. Consider just having one piece of bread that everyone can take a small piece from. If you don’t have bread and juice, that’s okay. Just make sure everyone has something to eat.
2. Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. Once everyone has the elements, have someone read this passage out loud.
3. Pray over the bread and juice. After the reading, have the Leader or Host bless the food and pray over your time together.
4. Share a meal. Share the rest of the meal like you normally would beginning with the communion elements.

Next, transition to the main discussion for the night by having someone read this summary of the teaching:

It’s pretty significant that the one time we’re told the disciples ask Jesus to teach them something, they say, “Teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). After everything they saw Jesus doing—preaching, performing miracles, healing, casting out demons—what caught their attention was the devotion and commitment Jesus seemed to have when it came to prayer.

When Jesus answered his disciples’ request, the first thing He told them to do was address God as a Father. “Our Father in heaven…” as the prayer goes. Many of us know it by heart, but this was a radical move on Jesus’ part. In a culture full of both reverence and uncertainty about the divine, Jesus was demonstrating to His disciples a very simple, yet radical truth: God is knowable. He’s not simply “up there” in the clouds, nor is He passively waiting for us to approach Him with the right words, mantra, or sacrifice. God is near, and we can talk to Him the same way a child would talk to their father.

The starting point of prayer is delight. We can’t develop the kind of prayer life Jesus had until we get our heads and hearts around the truth that God wants to be near us in prayer more than we want to be near Him. To truly delight in God requires a proper theology, a patient consistency, and a practicing community.

Now, discuss these questions together as a Group:

1. If you were able to attend the Sunday gathering or if you listened to the teaching online, what stood out to you?
2. How would you assess your current prayer life? Is prayer something you feel is a strength in your discipleship to Jesus, or is it something you’d like to grow in?
3. Is prayer hard for you? Why or why not?
4. What prayer rhythms and practices are currently a part of your daily routine?
5. Now read Luke 11:1-4 — What stands out to you from this passage?
6. How do you feel about addressing God as a “Father?” Does this come naturally to you, or do you view God more like a “traffic cop?”
7. Why do you think Jesus teaches his disciples to begin with worship? Does this match the way you normally pray?
8. What do you hope to get out of this Prayer Practice series? What are some things you’d like to learn more about or experience?

Practice

Each week, you’ll have two practices to choose from. One will be a Base Practice, something that’s easy for anyone to do. Another will be a Reach Practice, something that might stretch you out of your comfort zone. The goal each week is to pick one practice to try, either the Base or the Reach.

This week’s Base Practice is to establish a daily prayer rhythm, and the Reach Practice is to try Abiding Prayer. Have someone read pages 8-11 of the Prayer Guide. Then discuss these questions:

1. What resonates with you from this week’s practice? Where do you feel resistance?
2. What would success look like for you as you engage in the practices this week?

Pray

Spend some time praying for and encouraging one another.