Teach us to pray - 14 October 2009 |
|
Here are some of the questions for week 3 of the Guided Reading Course.
John Calvin, Institutes, III.xx
1. How does Calvin seek to persuade us of the importance of prayer? (III.xx.1-2)
2. How would Calvin respond to the claim that prayer is superfluous since God knows what we need? (III.xx.3) What do you think of his counter-arguments?
3. What would Calvin say to a believer who found it hard to concentrate during prayer? (III.xx.5) Have you ever found this yourself? If so, do you find his advice helpful?
4. Why, in Calvin’s view, must prayer be accompanied by ‘an earnest—nay, burning—desire to attain’ what we pray for? (III.xx.6) Do you ever neglect prayer because you don’t feel any immediate or pressing need to pray?
5. Why is prayer for forgiveness so important? (III.xx.8-9).
6. Should we be sure that God will answer our prayers? Why or why not? (III.xx.11-14)
7. How does God regard imperfect prayers? Why? (III.xx.16)
8. What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? Why is this so important? (III.xx.17-19)
9. Why is it wrong to seek the intercession of the saints? (III.xx.21, 27)
10. What dangers should we be alert for in public prayer? What steps should we take to avoid them? (III.xx.29)
11. What does Calvin think about singing? (III.xx.31-32) Do you agree?
12. Why should prayer be ‘in the language of the people?’ (III.xx.33)
13. Why is the Lord’s Prayer useful? (III.xx.34)
14. How, according to Calvin, is the Lord’s Prayer structured? (III.xx.35)
15. What is the significance of addressing God as ‘our Father in heaven’? (III.xx.36-39)
16. What does ‘hallowed be your name’ mean? Why is this petition important? (III.xx.41)
17. How does Calvin understand God’s ‘kingdom’? What should be our priority in praying ‘your kingdom come’? (III.xx.42) How is this related to the following petition, ‘Your will be done’? (III.xx.43) Do these priorities shape your prayers?
18. What does it mean to pray for our ‘daily bread’? What attitude should underlie this petition? (III.xx.44) Do you find it easy to maintain such an attitude at all times?
19. How, in Calvin’s view, are the fifth and sixth petitions related to Jeremiah 31? (III.xx.45-46)
20. What does it mean to ‘forgive our debtors’? (III.xx.45) Have you done this?
21. How should we envisage that God will answer the sixth petition? (III.xx.46)
22. ‘This prayer is in all respects so perfect that any extraneous or alien thing added to it, which cannot be related to it, is impious and unworthy to be approved by God’ (III.xx.48; cf. III.xx.49). What does Calvin mean by this? Do you agree?
23. What do you make of Calvin’s practical advice about times of prayer? (III.xx.50)
24. What does Calvin advise in order that ‘we shall easily learn to persevere in prayer’ (III.xx.51)? How is this related to Calvin’s advice in the case of unanswered prayer? (III.xx.52)
25. What aspects of Calvin’s teaching on prayer have challenged you most strongly? Are you planning to introduce any changes to your habits of prayer?
Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Guided Reading Course, Minister's Blog