Prayer is something that Christians talk about a great deal, but often in a way that betrays our view that it is not of greatest importance. We may pray before meals, when our friends are sick, or when a crisis hits us, but do we make prayer a part of our everyday life – essential to us like eating and drinking? Paul reminds us of the importance of prayer when in the midst of his theologically rich introduction to his letter to the Romans he breaks into a mini-dissertation about prayer. We see what makes prayer effective and what benefits prayer gives to us. All of this in “Paul’s Prayer for the Church.” (Romans 1:8-10)

I. Essential Elements of Prayer
A. Thanksgiving
B. The Son’s Mediation
C. Constancy

II. Benefits of Prayer
A. Relying on God
B. Submitting to God
C. Connecting to God’s People

Questions for consideration: (1) What have you been thankful for this week? What is it in your life that tends to distract you from thankfulness? How can you resist that? (2) Why is constancy so important in prayer? What is it that causes you to forget to pray? What helps you to be in prayer regularly? (3) We often think about prayer as asking God to do things for us. How can we keep our focus on the Lord and submitting to His will in prayer?