Foundations

Episode 4

Habits and Origens

What the church believes about prayer matters.

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SERIES: FOUNDATIONS

Episode 4 of 7

These companion notes are designed to help you continue the conversation with God beyond the episode.

SCRIPTURE

What We Studied for this Episode

These are some of the Scriptures we used to prepare and share in this episode. Click the triangle to see the passages.

Matthew 6:9-15 – The Lord’s Prayer

⁹Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.^[a]
¹⁰Your kingdom come,
your will be done,^[b]
    on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us this day our daily bread,^[c]
¹²and forgive us our debts,
    as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
    but deliver us from evil.^[d]

¹⁴For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, ¹⁵but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

English Standard Version (ESV)

James 5:13-16 – James’s instruction on prayer

¹³Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. ¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.^[b]

English Standard Version (ESV)

Acts 1:12-14 – The early church first begins to pray

¹²Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. ¹³And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. ¹⁴All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.^[c]

English Standard Version (ESV)

RESOURCE HIGHLIGHTS

As Mentioned on this Episode

These are the books, articles, podcasts, and other resources referenced during this conversation.

The Bible Project: Tim Mackie

There are two great resources from the Bible Project on the topic of the Lord’s Prayer. Click the image to get to the podcast series, “How does Jesus Teach Us to Pray?” It’s the first of four on that topic, each just around an hour long. For a much faster version, this video goes over the Prayer in about 6 minutes.

REFLECT

Slow down and consider what God may be showing you.

Read slowly through the Scriptures and think back to the conversation. Don’t rush to the “right” answer. What draws your heart?

Notice

What are the patterns of your conversation with God? Do you have a specific way that you pray, e.g. list of prayer requests or ACTS acronym?

Have you ever thought about “prayer requests” as a habit? What are your thoughts on this modern habit?

Consider

Origen’s book, On Prayer describes the posture and the content of prayers as important. Take a moment to consider what the posture of your heart is in prayer. Now think about the content of your prayers as well. Is there anything you want to change or grow in one of those areas?

Respond

Origen provides answers to many common objections to prayer. Do you struggle with any of those questions? For example, why bother to pray if God already knows everything? Write down any objections that may be hanging around in the shadows of your mind. Ask God to expose them to the truth and set you free from them.

PRACTICE

This Week

One simple invitation

Practice confession.

Not to clear your conscience, not to earn favor, but simply to reconnect with your Father. So that nothing hinders your heart leaning into His presence.

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CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION

Share what God is Teaching You

We would love to hear what God. is teaching you through these conversations. Come and share your story, your questions, your reflections, and even your ideas for future episodes.

Email us at unpolishedprayer@gmail.com

If this conversation encouraged you, consider sharing this episode with someone who may be encouraged as well.

A Note About Our Resources

The resources shared on this page are intended to support the conversations on Unpolished Prayer and encourage continued growth in prayer and a deeper understanding of Scripture. While we carefully select resources we believe are faithful and helpful, we encourage every listener to test what they read and hear against the truth of God’s Word.