When did you last have a truly honest conversation, the kind where dawn breaks and you still want to keep talking? This sermon asks an even harder question: when did you last talk with God like that. Starting from the disciples request in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 11), it shows that prayer is not the repeating of formulas but a conversation with a Father you are even allowed to pester. Listen if you want to discover why God sometimes answers yes, sometimes no, and sometimes wait.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The disciples already knew many set prayers, yet they asked Jesus, "Lord, teach us to pray." What might have prompted that request as they watched Jesus pray?
- In the parable in Luke 11:5-8, a friend knocks at midnight while the whole family sleeps in one room. What does this scene tell us about how we can come to God with our requests?
- Jesus teaches us to address God as "Father," like a close dad. What in your life, such as an image of God as a harsh judge, painful experiences with a father, or a sense of unworthiness, makes that closeness hard for you?
- The prayer begins with God's concerns, His name and His kingdom, and only then moves to our needs. How would your prayer change if it started with asking, Dad, how are things with You?
- The speaker emphasized that God answers prayer in three ways: yes, no, or wait. How do you respond to a "no" or a "wait," and what might God have taught you through them?
- Just as the little girl in the well most needed someone's presence, we need the Holy Spirit. In what specific situation this week do you want to ask God for His presence, not just for a solution?
