Sunday, July 31, 2016

Bible Study: “Praying Like Jesus” Week # 7


 
 

PRAYER:


Lord, Jesus Christ, I sing praises to Your Name today and forever. I love to sing praises to You. I will pray to You in my songs, especially in my heart. This is a personal prayer, a prayer of song, as David wrote many years ago. Even Habakkuk song praises to You, my Heavenly Father; as a singer, he song this prayer (Habakkuk 3:1-19), "A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth. Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. God came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise. And his brightness was as the light; he had horns coming out of his hand: and there was the hiding of his power. Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.He stood, and measured the earth: he beheld, and drove asunder the nations; and the everlasting mountains were scattered, the perpetual hills did bow: his ways are everlasting. I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction: and the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble. Was the Lord displeased against the rivers? was thine anger against the rivers? was thy wrath against the sea, that thou didst ride upon thine horses and thy chariots of salvation? Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with rivers. 10 The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high. 11 The sun and moon stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at the shining of thy glittering spear. 12 Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger. 13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah. 14 Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly. 15 Thou didst walk through the sea with thine horses, through the heap of great waters. 16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops. 17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.19 The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds' feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments." AMEN.

 

Lesson 7: Jesus sang some prayers.

Scripture Reading:     Mark 14:26, Matt. 26:30; Psalm 27; Habakkuk 3:1-19; Ezra 3:11; Psalm 150; Psalm96:1; Zephaniah 3:17

 

Jesus sang. Have you ever thought about that? And, amazingly only a few hours before his crucifixion Jesus sang. Following his time with his disciples in the upper room, Jesus sang with his disciples a hymn (Mark14:26). Most likely this song was the traditional Passover hymn based on Psalms 115-118. Singing hymns and prayers was part of Jewish tradition. Five-hundred-seventy-five references to praise, singing, and music are found in the Bible. At the very center of the volume is a 150-song hymnal knows as the Psalms, the Jewish book of hymns and prayers.  This great collection of songs and prayers express the heart and soul of humanity. In them, the whole range of human experiences is expressed. Honestly, the writers pour out their heart, their true feelings, and their hurts. The Psalms proved the expression of praise, worship, and confession to God.  The key verse is the final verse of the Psalms, Psalms 150:6: Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah! (HCSB) Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord (NIV) Let everything alive give praises to the Lord! You praise him! Hallelujah!  Music is a vehicle that stirs the emotions and expresses our hearts. Singing prayers was adopted by the early church.  Read Ephesians 5:18-20 Throughout the Christian tradition, believers have sung the Psalms, written new songs to sing.

 

Why is singing such a powerful prayer tool?

• Singing causes our bodies, our minds, and our spirits to work in concert.

• Singing seizes our attention and helps focus our thoughts.

 

Prayer can and should include some singing, especially those songs that help us focus on God, his attributes and character. Some of those songs for me are; "Holy, Holy, Holy," "How Great Thou Art," "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," "Great Is the Lord," "How Majestic Is Your Name." "In Your Presence O Lord," "Amazing Grace," "I've Got the Life of God in me," Jesus, Jesus, Jesus," "Speak to my Heart," "Because He Live," "Oh magnify the Lord," "God is so good!" "I Sing Praises to Your Name." There are many, many, more. AMEN.

 

The hymnal and song books are wonderful tools in our prayer time. Use them often. Listen to the worship and praise songs of others. Join with them as they sing to God. But, when we pray we need to do more than just sing or listen to music. As wonderful and powerful as music is, we still need to listen for the still, small voice of God that comes in the quiet times. My daily morning quiet time is the best time of the day for me. I sing, read, and pray during my devotion time with God.

 

Have you ever song your prayers to God? Singing praises to God is a powerful way of worshipping Him.

God's Passion for Singing:

God's heart for setting words to melodies is evident from even a casual reading of the Psalms. Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. (Psalm 96:1)

Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! (Psalm 47:6)

In just four verses we're commanded to sing seven times.

All told, the Bible contains over four hundred references to singing and fifty direct commands to sing. The longest book of the Bible, the Psalms, is a book of songs. And in the New Testament we're commanded not once, but twice, to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to one another when we meet (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Why does God so often tell us not simply to praise him but to sing his praises when we meet? Why not just pray and preach? Why sing? Why are God's people throughout history always singing? Why words and music and not just words alone? Why does God want us to sing? One reason is that God himself sings. In (Zephaniah 3:17) God exalts over his people "with loud singing."

On the eve of his crucifixion, Jesus sang hymns with his disciples (e.g. (Matthew26:30.) (Hebrews 2:12) applies (Psalm 22:22) (Psalm to Jesus when it says, "In the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise." And Ephesians 5 tells us that one effect of being "filled with the Spirit" is "addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart" (verses 18–19). We worship a triune God who sings, and he wants us to be like him.

 

Week # 7         PRIVATE DEVOTIONS TIME: Public Prayer (Matthew 11:25)

"25 At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

 

Week # 7         NOTABLE PRAYERS: Daniel (Daniel 9:4)

"And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;"

 

Week # 7         QUESTIONS:

1).        Why is singing a powerful tool?

2).        What kind of prayer was Daniel's prayer in (Daniel 9:4)?

3).        What is your favorite personal song of praise?

4).        Have you started a daily quiet time with God?

 

Week # 7         PRAYER FOCUS:

I will pray for God to put a new song in my heart for Him, and for all my praises to flow to Him.

 

Week # 7         PRAYER REQUEST:

Pray for divine protection over our nations during the critical upcoming elections. (Proverbs 3:5; Psalm 91).

 

Week # 7         APPLY IT:  A Daily Quiet Time with God

 

Week # 7         THOUGHT4TODAY:

Turn your sights toward what is true, noble, lovely, and right-and be encouraged.

 

Week # 7         Reading Assignments………………..Book of Genesis Chapters 31-35

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Casting All Your Care Upon Him

Casting All Your Care Upon Him
1 Peter 5:7

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