Welcome to Prayer Basics

In this lesson you will learn reasons why you pray, reflect on what Scripture says about prayer and on your own attitudes toward prayer.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify three main reasons why we should pray.
2. Recognize in Scripture God’s desire for, and response to, prayer.
3. Articulate your own motivations and goals for prayer.

In this lesson you will learn why and how God wants you to pray. You will examine Jesus’ model for prayer and what that means for your own prayer life.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain why it’s God’s desire that we ask for what we want and need.
2. Identify the six requests that Jesus taught us to use as a model for our own prayers.
3. Examine your own attitude toward how you pray and what you pray for.

In this lesson you will learn that true prayer is about more than simply the words you use. It will equip you to talk to God in ways that are natural and unforced and to go deeper in learning how to pray according to God’s Word.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Pray confidently and authentically even when you don’t know the right words to say.
2. Identify ways to turn Scripture into prayer.
3. Practice prayer that is natural and relational.

In this lesson you will identify the common obstacles to prayer and several helpful strategies for overcoming them. This lesson offers a practical “clinic” on prayer in everyday life.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify five common challenges or obstacles to praying.
2. Recognize several practical, scriptural strategies for overcoming obstacles to prayer.
3. Implement new strategies for overcoming obstacles to prayer.

This lesson is intended to inspire you to pray for others in creative and practical ways, and to reap the benefits!

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain why and how one of the best ways to love someone is to pray for them.
2. Identify several of the blessings we receive when we pray for others.
3. Practice intercessory prayer.

In this lesson you will examine several biblical mandates for united prayer and a very special promise Jesus made for believers who pray together. You will also learn several practical ways to make praying with others easier and experience the blessing God intends it to be.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Articulate the biblical imperative for united prayer.
2. Identify several strategies for praying with others.
3. Enrich your prayer life by praying effectively with others.

In this lesson you will learn what Scripture has to say about prayer with fasting—what it is and what it isn’t. You will identify practical ways to safely and meaningfully include fasting in your prayer life.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Explain when and why fasting matters for prayer.
2. Recognize the biblical reasons for and blessings of fasting with prayer.
3. Identify ways to incorporate fasting into your prayer practice.

In this lesson you will dive deeper into the challenges presented by unanswered prayer and learn about what to do when you encounter it in your own life.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Identify several individuals in Scripture who experienced unanswered prayer.
2. Explain how to reconcile unanswered prayer with the promises God has made about prayer in the Bible.
3. Implement a practical approach for facing unanswered prayer in your personal life.

In this lesson you will examine what God’s Word has to teach you about persevering in prayer and gain practical insights for your own perseverance.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Recognize how often perseverance in prayer is modeled in Scripture.
2. Explain how persevering in prayer honors God and exercises your faith.
3. Practice waiting with God rather than for God.

In this lesson you will consider how to live increasingly in God’s presence through prayer—a relationship that God deeply desires. You will examine the examples of several very different individuals throughout history who have prayerfully “lived in the moment” with their risen Savior and have been greatly blessed as a result.

When you complete this lesson, you should be able to:

1. Recognize that prayer is not an isolated event, but a way of life.
2. Apply a simple, practical definition of prayer in your own life.
3. Practice a childlike, dependent relationship with God.

This activity offers a brief introduction to the lesson and informs you of the lesson’s objectives.

Viewing this activity is required for course completion.

This activity provides the main teaching content for the lesson. You may choose to watch the video, listen to the audio, or read the transcript. Closed captioning is also provided for any video segments. In each case the content is the same.

This activity is required for course completion.

This quiz activity checks your understanding of the concepts learned so far. It is not a timed activity, and the quiz can be attempted as many times as needed.

Earning a quiz score of 70% or better is required for course completion.

This activity allows you to spend time in Scripture and connect it to the topic of each lesson. Spend some time carefully reading the passage provided in the activity, utilizing the simple three-step method of Receive, Reflect, and Respond.

• Receive simply involves reading the text and asking, “What does the text say?”
• Reflect challenges you to ask, “What does the text mean?”
• Respond invites you to apply the meaning of the text to your life.

Instructions for reflection

1. Get and use a hard copy journal or an e-note-taking tool such as Notion, OneNote, or Apple Notes. You can also complete these activities in the course workbook, which can be downloaded in lesson one.
2. Spend time reflecting on the questions provided in the activity. Make it a time of prayer by sharing your thoughts and reflections with God.
3. Write down your answers, thoughts, and other revelatory ideas in your journal that God reveals during your time of prayerful reflection.

For reflective journaling activities such as this one, find a quiet place in which you will not be disturbed by other people, noises, or other distractions. Silence e-devices and quiet your mind by reading Bible passages or praying before attempting the activity.

This discussion activity is designed to help you articulate what you have learned in each lesson. It may also help you collect ideas from other course participants about their understanding of prayer. Since this course is asynchronous (i.e., other learners complete the course at different times), you may not see many discussion submissions or receive replies to your posts. Therefore, consider your submissions to this discussion forum as a way to share your insights about what you have learned to inspire or challenge others in their learning journey, and to enable others to do the same for you.

While other learners may not see or respond to your comments in the short term, encouraging others and engaging with others enhances your learning experience.

This activity is required for course completion.

These application activities are designed to help you consider how to put your learning to use in your own context. When you finish this course you will have an action plan that will help you deepen and improve your prayer life!

Complete these activities digitally in the downloadable workbook, or write them in your own journal. Find the link to download the digital workbook in lesson one.

At the end of each lesson there are links to additional Our Daily Bread Ministries resources you can watch, listen to, or read that will enhance your understanding of the course content.

This material is optional and not required for course completion.

This activity sums up the concepts learned in each lesson and looks ahead to what comes next.

This activity appears in the course wrap-up section at the end of the course. It allows you to review what you have learned in the course and identify actions you will commit to in order to implement the course concepts.