Over the last 4 weeks we have been discussing the basics of prayer at HWY 111. Here is the breakdown of what we taught and what we challenged the students with each week.
Week 1: You’re designed for eternity. We’ve been created in God’s image; He designed us for eternity, and He wants to have a close, personal relationship with us. Knowing this shows that Prayer is the most basic and important way we stay connected to God and His plans for us. We encouraged the students to make their spiritual priorities the top priority by committing to prayer, building a stronger relationship with God, and following His will for their life.
Week 2: What should we pray about? We wanted the kids to know that God wants to hear every problem and crisis no matter how big or small they are. Unfortunately sometimes emotions like guilt, fear, and doubt can leave us wondering if God really wants to listen to our prayers. By accepting God’s promise that He hears their prayers, it allows us to seek Him no matter what problem, challenge, or need they’re facing.
Week 3: Why should we pray? Prayer makes our relationship with God stronger, helps us understand where He wants us to go, and enables us to be part of what He’s doing in our world. If we ignore prayer, we’ll grow cold in our walk with God and miss out on what He has planned for our lives. We encouraged the students to surrender their future to God, then pursue a strong, close relationship with Him that will keep you in step with His plans for your life.
Week 4: How should we pray? God wants us to see prayer as something that comes from our hearts and allows us to be ourselves whenever we pray. If we try to “be someone else” when we pray, we’ll miss the kind of heart-to-heart relationship God desires to have with us. Go to God with humility and sincerity, don’t allow your prayer life to become inconsistent or meaningless, and ask God to show you His power when you pray.
Alongside this series we introduced a new and important part of HWY 111 family: Tephillâh
Tephillâh is the Hebrew word for Prayer. This was taken from Psalms 65:2 which says “O you who hear prayer, to You all men come” This passage promises us that God does hear our prayers and that we should approach him with confidence. Tephillâh is that place at HWY 111 where we can approach God with confidence, humility, boldness, and persistence and know that He is listening. Tephillâh will be a cornerstone of HWY 111 from now on and will be available to the students whenever the doors are open. We are looking forward to witnessing what God will do through our faithfulness of using Tephillâh each week.
Remember we meet every Sunday Night from 6-8p! Hope to see you this week!