SESSION 2

SIMPLIFIED STUDY

PREPARING FOR PRAYER

Just as an athlete can’t expect to win by showing up at game time without having practiced, the commitment to pray doesn’t just happen. It requires preparation.

Anne Graham Lotz

BIBLE STUDY

Begin this session by having someone in the group read Daniel 6:10 aloud (see next page), and then work through each of the steps together following the method you learned in the workshop. Once you have spent a few minutes discussing the passage, watch the teaching from Anne.

STEP 1	STEP 2
Read God’s Word Passage: Daniel 6:10	What Does God’s Word Say? (List the facts.)
10 Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
STEP 3	STEP 4
What Does God’s Word Mean? (Learn the lessons.)	What Does God’s Word Mean in My Life? (Listen to His voice.)
STEP 5
How Will I Respond to God’s Word? (Live it out!)
Name: _____________________________ Date: _____________

VIDEO TEACHING

The following outline may help you as you watch the video teaching.

I. A prepared place to pray . . .

II. A prepared time to pray . . .

III. A prepared atmosphere for prayer . . .

IV. A prepared attitude for prayer . . .

GROUP DISCUSSION

Take a few minutes to discuss at least one of these questions with your group.

1. What encouraged or challenged you in this study?

[Your Response Here]

2. What did you learn that was a new thought to you?

[Your Response Here]

WRAPPING UP

Three times a day, when Daniel went to his designated place for prayer, he opened his windows toward Jerusalem. The poignant gesture revealed not only the longing in his heart for his city and his people, but also his exclusive focus on the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God of his fathers. The God who had been with him throughout his lifetime, for over eighty years. The one, true, living God whom Daniel worshiped and served and obeyed.

—Anne Graham Lotz, The Daniel Prayer, page 38

Daniel had cultivated a lifetime habit of prayer and was unwilling to compromise even the smallest detail in his worship to the Lord. Even though he was in captivity and under constant threat, three times a day—without fail—he expressed his thankfulness to God. Today, as you prepare to move forward, consider what it would look like for you to cultivate such an attitude toward God and during the week write out a prayer in response.

MOVING FORWARD

Once you take the first step of preparing a time, place, atmosphere, and attitude for prayer, you are ready for the next step. You must now consider what prompts you to pray the kind of heartfelt cry to God that Daniel prayed for others. We will examine this aspect of the Daniel Prayer in the next session.