Module 1: Prayer — Meeting 2

Meeting 2

SHARE about your experiences in prayer since your last meeting. Discuss how God met with you through the prayer exercises and through His Word. Remember, by the end of this module, the goal is to establish a prayer rhythm that fits the disciple’s personality and schedule. Use the questions below as discussion starters if needed:

For the Disciple:

1.    How did you feel about your experience with prayer? Were you comfortable? Was it confusing?

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2.    What worked well with your prayer time? What did you like that you would do again?
 

3.    What didn’t work well with your prayer time? What would you like to change or try next time?
 

4.    Where did you go for your prayer space(s)? What time(s) of day did you pray?

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5.    What questions do you still have about prayer?

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1.   What worked well for you in your daily and weekly prayer practices?
 

2.   What’s something you, personally, would like to change or try next time for your prayer times?
 

3.   What suggestions do you have for your disciple as they experiment with more prayer practices?

For the Discipler:

TO CLOSE:   Spend time in prayer for each other. Share prayer requests—things you would like to see God work in—with one another. Prayer requests can be about big things, like a new job opportunity or for a loved one to heal from sickness, or little things, like for God to relieve you from a throbbing headache. They can be about you, friends, co-workers, or even entire countries. Cover each person’s requests in prayer, with one person going first, and the other following. Consider making this a regular way to close your discipleship meetings.

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What Is Contemplative Prayer?

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Contemplative prayer is less about saying words to God and more about being with him. Where conversational prayer is like talking with a friend, contemplative prayer is like sitting quietly beside someone you love, enjoying their presence without needing to fill the silence. Christians have practised this kind of prayer for centuries, drawing on Scripture such as Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God," and Jesus’ own habit of withdrawing to quiet places to pray (Luke 5:16).

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For many people, silence is the hardest part. Our minds race, our phones buzz and our to-do lists shout for attention. That is normal. Contemplative prayer is a practice precisely because it takes time to learn. Each time your mind wanders, simply notice it and gently return your attention to God. That returning is the prayer.

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Simple Contemplative Practices to Try This Week

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• Breath prayer. Choose a short phrase and pray it slowly with your breathing, such as "Lord Jesus Christ" (breathing in) and "have mercy on me" (breathing out), or "Be still" and "and know that I am God."

• Centring prayer. Choose one simple word — Jesus, peace, Father — and use it to return your attention to God whenever your thoughts drift. Start with five minutes.

• Praying a single verse. Read one verse slowly several times and let it sink in, without trying to analyse it.

• Silent walk. Take a short walk without headphones and simply notice God’s creation and presence.

• Palms down, palms up. Turn your palms down and release your worries to God; then turn them up and receive what he wants to give.

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Tips for Your Prayer Space and Time

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Keep the space you discovered in your first prayer week, or try a new one if it did not work. Early mornings and late evenings are often quietest. Set a gentle timer so you are not checking the clock, and keep a journal nearby to jot down distracting thoughts so you can let them go. If you miss a day, do not give up; simply begin again the next day.

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For the Discipler: Leading This Conversation Well

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As your disciple shares about their first week of prayer, celebrate every attempt, even the ones that felt awkward. Ask what surprised them and where they sensed God, rather than judging whether they did it "right." Share your own experience with silence, including the days it felt dry. When you close the meeting by praying for each other, keep it natural and simple; you are modelling the kind of intercessory prayer your disciple will learn about in Meeting 3.

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Going Deeper

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Read Psalm 131 and 1 Kings 19:11–13 this week. What do these passages suggest about how God meets us in quietness? Write down one sentence about what you notice and bring it to your next meeting.

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ASSIGNMENT:    Spend next week practicing a new set of prayer practices: Contemplative Prayer. These practices will help the disciple slow his or her mind down to be with God in silence, solitude, and stillness. Contemplative prayers are not so much about talking to God as they are about listening to God and sitting in his presence.

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Continue the Pathway — You are in Module 1: Prayer, Meeting 2 of 4. Previous: Meeting 1 — Hearing God in Prayer. Next: Meeting 3 — Intercessory Prayer. Every essay, worksheet and video for this module is collected on the Module 1 resources page.