Sabbath Afternoon

Read for This Week’s Study: 1 Kings 19:1-18; Matt. 6:5-8; Luke 11:2-4. Matt. 6:5-15; Dan. 9:4-19; Rom. 8:26-27

Memory Text: “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (Psalm 62:8, NKJV).

What is your prayer life like? How often do you pray? How fervently? How expectantly? Do you pray daily or only in emergencies? Are your prayers always asking for something, or do you praise God in your prayers as well?

Also, do you find yourself offering a prayer in the morning before you eat and perhaps partway through your busy day? Perhaps you’ve been part of a regular prayer group or even experienced what it’s like to pray around the clock. Have you experienced the power and presence of God through prayer that changes everything in your life?

Prayer is the constant connection between us (the branches) and Jesus (the Vine). “If we would grow and flourish, we must continually draw sap and nourishment from the Living Vine; for separated from the Vine we have no strength.”--Ellen G. White, Early Writings, p. 73. This is the blessing of abiding prayer. God hears us, and He always answers in His time and in His perfect way--though not always in the way we might expect.

This week let’s study other praying individuals in the Bible and consider practical ways to strengthen prayer in our daily lives.

*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, May 16.