Misconceptions about prayer:

1. Prayer is not a magic wand.

2. Prayer is not a fire extinguisher.

3. Prayer is not a tug of war.

4. Prayer is not a ritual to relieve guilt.

5. Prayer is not a chore or duty.

Prayer is a conversation with God.

We need to understand who God is, so we know how to talk to him.

Who is God:

1. He is God, Lord, Creator.

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. —Genesis 1:1 (ESV)

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it? —Numbers 23:19 (ESV)

2. He is our Father.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! —Matthew 7:11 (ESV)

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. —James 1:17 (ESV)

3. He is our husband.

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord. —Hosea 2:19-20 (ESV)

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come,a nd his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure.” —Revelation 19:7-8 (ESV)

4. He is our Friend.

No longer do I call you servants,[a] for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. —John 15:15 (ESV)

And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. —James 2:23 (ESV)

Discussion Questions:

1. Have you ever held any of these common misconceptions about prayer?

2. Does understanding the different roles God plays in our lives make you more comfortable with praying? Why or why not?

3. Which of these roles that God uses to define himself is the hardest for you to communicate with? Why?

4. When do you find it easiest to pray? When is it the hardest?

5. When you pray, do you hear God speak? If so, how do you recognize this as God speaking to you?