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Q4. (1:18) Why is a revelation of "his incomparable great power for us who believe" essential to a vital faith? How do you develop this faith in yourself? How do you pray for it for others? Once we receive this revelation we know what the Lord can do, who He is and what He can do through us for others. We now have the revelation of the power that dwells in us. This same resurrection power that was in Jesus is in us too. We develop this faith in ourselves by continually asking the Lord to reveal it to us. We should pray that this same revelation truth be given to others so their hearts are enlightened also.

Q3. (1:18) What is the result in prayer and faith if believers think that God is poverty-stricken? How does knowledge of a “glorious inheritance” motivate our lives? Our prayers? How can you pray for others to glimpse this inheritance? If we believe God is poverty-stricken then faith will not operate in prayer. We will be talking words without the joyful expectation of answered prayer. To have knowledge of the “glorious inheritance” as Paul did not only motivates our lives with great expectations in hope but motivates our prayer lives so we pray that others may experience the same. God is limitless to what He can do in this world for us through the sacrifice of Jesus. Through Jesus we inherit the Kingdom of God and all that goes with it. I would pray as the Holy Spirit leads me for others along with praying that the eyes of their understanding and ears be open to His words and promises for who would come to Him and receive the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to understand the revelation of it all.

Q2. (1:18) How has your “hope” changed your way of living? What is the result of Christians with only a meager or minute hope? How would you pray for hope to be borne in others? My hope took the place of worry and sleepless nights. It was replaced with joy for the things to come in this world and for what is promised in the next life, “eternal life.” Those Christians with only a meager or minute hope have just that. It is a fleeting moment of faith that satisfies the moment. The rest of life is still a burden that they carry. Eternal life to them may only be a question mark of belief in their hearts. I would pray for others to experience what I have and use detailed prayer when praying for them. In this prayer I would give thanks to God for answering my prayers for others and reminding Him of how thankful I am for all He has done for me. I would remember the details of what God did and speak them to Him as gave more thanks for what He would do for the others I was praying for.

Q1. (1:17-18). What do you learn from Paul's manner of prayer for the Ephesian believers? If Christians stopped praying for people to receive a revelation of God, would people come to know God on their own? Would God work in them at all? How important is this kind of prayer? He remains constant, thankful to God and mindful in his detailed prayer. His prayers are not quick and do my duty type. Paul is into the mission of Jesus Christ for the people. If we stop praying I believe the Spirit of God is still active with each individual. God is not willing that any should perish. Our prayers are important because when we pray in the will of God He is sure to answer and give even more. Prayer changes things. Specific prayers and thankfulness before God are necessary and pleasing. Thankfulness shows our faith in action because we know God will answer. Specific prayers are needed because each situation has its own spiritual needs.

Q4. (22:43) Did Jesus get "special treatment" because he was the Son of God to have angels help and strengthen him in his spiritual struggle? Do we get that help, too? Angels are assigned to each one of us. I believe the treatment of the angels was their assignment to Jesus from the Father. Not special treatment but rather as directed from the Father to assist Jesus in the fulfillment of scripture and to bring about the Father's perfect will. All of us receive angelic assistance when we need it. It is a benefit of the children of God.

Q3. (22:42) When Jesus prayed "not my will, but yours be done," was the Father pleased? Why is the Father not pleased when we are passive and uncaring and dispassionate in our prayers that his will be done? What is required for us to pray the prayer of submission with authenticity? Yes the Father was pleased because Jesus had already opened up about how he felt before submitting himself to the Father’s will. Being passive, uncaring or dispassionate in our prayers shows an apathetic spirit. A quick word to get it over with is not a true relationship of expressing desires and individual wills. Jesus was not quick in this. He openly agonized in these moments and gave himself wholeheartedly over to the Father’s will. To be one with the Father is to be as Jesus was on earth and is now in heaven. To pray as Jesus did we have to be in total submission to the Father’s will even if our will is for a different desire of things to come.

Q2. (22:42) Why did Jesus pray that the Father take the cup from him? According to Mark and Matthew, Jesus repeated this prayer three times. Why was he so intense about it? What did this mean? Why was Jesus resisting the Father's will? Or was he? Jesus knew the time had come for Him to drink from cup that was filled with the Father’s wrath. He prayed “3” times to the Father, If you are willing, take this cup from me. Crucifixion was the practice in those days for executing a convicted prisoner. He was about to become a prisoner and knew it. I believe Jesus asked the Father if it was possible that He not have to drink from that particular cup. This thought in itself would cause intensity in prayer, and agonizing. I don’t believe Jesus resisted the Father’s will but sought His will to find if there was another way He could still be the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind, remain in His will and stay pleasing to Him.

Q1. (22:40-41, 45-46) Why did he ask his disciples to pray? What temptation did Jesus know they would be facing? What was the content of their prayer to be? Did they actually pray this prayer diligently? How does the Lord's Prayer word this kind of prayer? Why do you think Jesus wanted to be alone during his own prayer? Jesus knew things were about to change for all of them. He knew the sufferings and temptations of the flesh and told them to pray so they would have strength from the Father to resist all that they were about to face. He said to pray that they would not fall into temptation! I don’t think they prayed diligently. If they had done so they wouldn’t have slept at all. In the Lord’s Prayer we are to ask the Father to lead us not into temptation but to deliver us from evil. I think Jesus needed to be completely alone with the Father in prayer and without the many different distractions each disciple would give Him during His final moments before being taken as a prisoner. He needed solitude to persevere in prayer.

Q4. (2:4) What danger is Nehemiah in? Why does he pray quickly and silently before he answers the king? How does this quick "arrow prayer" relate to the four months of prayer he has just finished? Nehemiah is in a vulnerable position. His position before the King is as a servant at this time. He must weigh his words carefully before speaking. He knows the danger of offending the King and the chance of losing his position as the King’s cupbearer. He prays silently and quickly so that God can assist him in this request. Nehemiah and God had already spoken and covered this and many other grounds together in prayer before this moment came. They knew each other’s heart for sure. It was up to God to help open a door for the restoration of His land for His people. Nehemiah stood in this gap and shot an arrow of prayer to let God know that this was it, the time they spoke of, the opportunity, and he needed His power in this moment.

Q3. (1:11) In what way does Daniel's situation compared to Esther's? Why does God place his people in strategic positions today in the community, in business, in the military, in government? What responsibilities do we have to God that can cause danger to our positions and our lives? Has this ever happened to you? How do you pray in situations like this? Both Daniel and Esther were placed in specific positions as part of God’s plan for His people. God places us in specific positions even today to execute His deliverance in many ways for His people. It is for us to show God strong by maintaining a vocal and action made faith in the presence of others at any risk to ourselves. I spent a few decades in a governmental position where my God, my Lord, showed Himself strong on my behalf. Many threats and works of evil came against my faith but I was delivered of them all. My prayers were sometimes in suffering and fasting before the Lord but every event had its victory. As I moved forward in position I cared for His people with the same Spirit.

Q2. (1:7-11) What is the basis of Nehemiah's appeal? How does he argue his case before God? What do we learn from this about intercession? He reminds God of His instruction to Moses. God said He would scatter His people among the nations if they were unfaithful but would gather them from there and bring them back to the place He had chosen as a dwelling for His name if they returned to Him and obeyed His commands. Nehemiah stood on this as His appeal to God. Nehemiah reminds God that these are His servants, His people. He pleads with God to be attentive to his prayer and those that revere God.

Q1. (1:1-6) Why does Nehemiah pray day and night for four months? Why does he fast and weep? Isn't that excessive? Nehemiah had a heart that was in tune with God's heart and will for the people. Nehemiah shared that passion and love and sought restoration for the people and the land that had been destroyed. When we are burdened with what is on God's heart and have a passion for the things of God then we fast and weep until it is done. Nehemiah was such a man. Four months is a short time in comparision to a stint of 40 years in the desert as Moses spent trying to get the people to the fulfillment of God's love and will for His people. '

What was Daniel's essential prayer? What are the various grounds of Daniel's appeal? How did God answer the prayer (see Daniel 9:20-23)? Daniel's essential prayer was for mercy. He used the grounds of appeal on what God had done before, the gloryGod had previously received for delivering His people from Egypt, the deliverance that shows God's mercy for His people and that God has personally identified Himself with Jerusalem. Jerusalem is where His holy hill is and it is called the City of God. Based on these grounds it came to God as a good petition from a righteous man. God sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel. Gabriel told Daniel that God had given an answer when Daniel had started praying. Gabriel brought God's answer to Daniel.

Q3. (9:5) Since Daniel is such a righteous man in his generation, why does he identify himself with the sins of his people? He didn't commit them. How does this compare to how Jesus sought forgiveness for his people? Daniel was an intercessor as well a prophet for God's people. He stood as a righteous man before God and confessed their sins. God hears the prayers of a righteous person and Daniel knew his God. Jesus came so that He might become the ultimate sacrifice before God the Father for the sins of every person. He gave His life and His blood was available to cover the sins of all who would look for this covering. Jesus covered us with His own blood and Daniel cover the people with the prayers of a righteous man before God.

Q2. (9:3-4a) What is Daniel's demeanor as he prays? How does he prepare? Why is this so important in this case? In what ways might you and I prepare for intercession? Daniel turned his whole self and attention toward God in humility and prayer for the people. He showed his seriousness through a heart full of prayer and confession before a loving and merciful God. He emptied himself of everything to ready himself before approaching the throne to plead for the mercy and deliverance of the people so that they might return home once again. I can prepare myself in same manner of sorts as Daniel by putting away every hinderance that would take away from my complete attention in focused prayer of intercession before God.

Q1. (9:1-3) What encourages Daniel to seek God for the forgiveness and restoration of Israel to its homeland? What trait on Daniel's part brings this encouragement to pass? Daniel is devoted to His God. Daniel knows of the mercy of God and His intention for His people "Israel." As Daniel believed the writings of the Prophet Jeremiah and knew God's will for His people he prayed for their deliverance and restoration to their land after acknowledging and confessing all their sins. Daniel was upright and righteous in God's sight and found favor with God. God hears the prayers of His intercessors, His righteous people.

Q4. (139:23-24) Why is this prayer of surrender to God so difficult to pray? When was the first time you prayed this kind of prayer to God? What was the result? Can a person be a genuine disciple without praying this kind of prayer? Asking God to search you means He and I are discussing this together. This may be the hard part. God already knows all about us but facing God is hard because then we are aware of His interaction, one that cannot be avoided in our awareness of Him. God is faithful, He will respond. Being a disciple is a life long process. Not all of us have truly let go with 100 percent trust. As He draws us closer and He changes us through the processes of life that He chooses then we give more and more without hesitation as the trust builds. It is hard to pray that prayer at times and other times you know the outcome will give you perfect peace. I am at a stage in life when I find this easier than I ever did. So my answer is yes you can be genuine because He is patient to break your chains of fear and prove Himself. I am given over to the Lord but in the beginning I was afraid of what He would say to me but I served Him daily wholeheartedly.

Q3. (139:13-16) How is an awareness of God's involvement in your prenatal development meant to encourage you? What might this mean to a young woman carrying a child? A young father-to-be? Why is such knowledge overwhelming to us? God's involvement in my prenatal development shows His love and interest in my every cell and in my days to come. This is a beautiful love of our heavenly father for His child. A young woman should delight daily in knowing God is working and planning every moment in her unborn childs life. A young father should follow this same example of love and interest in his unborn child's life with nurturing and planning for this child's future by seeking God's choices for his child in the days ahead. This knowledge is overwhelming because this interest and love is endless from God. You are planned before you are born and put together where no man can see. We are known before we are formed in the womb.

Q2. (139:5, 10). In verses 5 and 10, how does God's hand touch the psalmist? Have you ever felt God's hand on you in a special way? Was it for your good? What was it like? God is all around David in verse 5. Even here God's hand is on David to guide him. God's presence and His hand are there for David's good. I have felt enveloped by God in many circumstances. I felt His hand steady me in some very trying times. Such love is not found from another in this way.

Q1. (139:7) Why do people sometimes want to flee from God? Why do people imagine that God doesn't know what they do? Have you ever felt this way? Those who are aware of sinfulness in their own lives would want to flee from God if they were approaching sin for themselves. Human nature wants to block out God from an evil they are entertaining. But there is never a comfortable spot to rest in when we do wrong or think it. You cannot avoid God when He has awakened you to the sinful state you are in through conviction of His Spirit. I am never comfortable when I have thoughts that would cause me to try and cross His boundaries of protection.

Q4. (20:3) What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? Why is personal righteousness and holiness important in getting your prayers answered? How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer if all gifts from God are by grace anyway? His basis for asking for healing is when he prayed to the Lord and said, "remember Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with whole hearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." Personal righteousness and holiness is important to getting your prayers answered because God's heart is open to his children who walk that way before Him. Unrighteousness is disobedience before God and prayer would not quickly be answered to one in this state. This might hurt us and we might feel confession and repentance have no place in our lives if God just answers our prayers every time we ask. Hezekiah had a good prayer petition based on his walk.

Q3. Why is Hezekiah's healing important for his nation? How did it relate to God's promises to David? At that time of Hezekiah's life he did not have an heir to succeed him on the throne. There would be no one to carry on the line of Davidic Kings. The nation would suffer without a King that could be a strong and godly leader that would lead the nation in the way it should go. I believe Hezekiah prayed with God's original intention in mind, to keep the throne sitted by one who came from the same line as David. God needed to spare Hezekiah's life but not until he had prayed as he did.

Q2. (19:15) How do the first two sentences of Hezekiah's prayer (verse 15) correspond to the first sentence of the Lord's Prayer? How are they important to faith? How are they important to God answering the prayer? They both acknowledge God as being above all things and creator of all. This again reminds us and builds our faith that God is in total control over all things. It gives honor to God when we tell Him we know who He is.

Q1. (19:14) What is the significance of Hezekiah spreading out the enemy's message before the Lord? What is the underlying principle illustrated here? How can we apply this principle to our own lives? What happens when we don't apply this principle? The significance is that this is the Lord's battle. That is why Hezekiah took the action of spreading out the message in the house of the Lord. He gave it over to Him. We cannot fight these battles. This was a direct insult to God. We are to do the same with our own lives as we lay out our petitions before God for the situations that we face or needs we have. If we don't do this we fight without power to succeed. The Lord will give us the victory when we give it to him.

Q1. (19:14) What is the significance of Hezekiah spreading out the enemy's message before the Lord? What is the underlying principle illustrated here? How can we apply this principle to our own lives? What happens when we don't apply this principle? The significance is that this is the Lord's battle. That is why Hezekiah took the action of spreading out the message in the house of the Lord. He gave it over to Him. We cannot fight these battles. This was a direct insult to God. We are to do the same with our own lives as we lay out our petitions before God for the situations that we face or needs we have. If we don't do this we fight without power to succeed. The Lord will give us the victory when we give it to him.