ABIDE Prayer Guide
Praying to Our Father
He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say, Father, your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come.” (Luke 11:2)
When the disciples of Jesus asked Him to teach them to pray, Jesus could have told them a number of things. Yet, Jesus told His disciples what was most important for them to know regarding prayer. He told them to pray to their “Father” describing the kind of relationship that God wants us to have with Him through prayer – a deep, intimate relationship where we experience our Father’s unconditional love, grace, truth and power that transforms our lives and builds His Kingdom.
Opening Prayer
Let’s begin ABIDE by taking a moment to quiet our hearts and minds before God. Simply take a deep breath and exhale slowly. You may want to pray a “breath prayer” as you inhale and exhale, such as, “Father, I want to know you.”
Note: If you are leading a small group through ABIDE, pray the first prayer below over those you are leading. If you are praying ABIDE alone, use the second prayer.
Small Group Prayer: Father, we love you and we need you. Holy Spirit, fill us and lead us as we gather to pray and study Scripture. We dedicate this time to you and what you have for us to receive from you as your sons and daughters. Remove any distractions and help us to focus our hearts on you. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Personal Prayer: Father, I give my heart to you. I surrender every area of my life to you. I choose to trust you with my whole heart and with everything in my life. You are my good, good Father who loves me. Thank you for being faithful, all-knowing and all-powerful. Remove any distractions from me and help me focus on you. Holy Spirit, fill me and help me discern your voice as I pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving
Therefore, let us approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
Our Father’s heart for us to know Him intimately through prayer is revealed through Jesus the Son of God. The sending, the death, the resurrection of God’s most beloved Son Jesus removed every barrier that stood between us and our Father. As God’s sons and daughters, our Father wants us to pray to Him with freedom – confident in our relationship with Him because He removed all barriers through His Son Jesus.
Prayer: Take a moment to silently pray and ask your Father to help your heart and mind to grasp the depth of His love for you and His desire for you to know Him deeply. Spend some time thanking your Father for the freedom you have to know Him deeply through prayer.
Prayers for My Heart
What are some ways your Father has worked in your life to draw you into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him in prayer? As the Spirit, brings to mind ways your Father has worked and is currently working in your life related to prayer, thank Him.
Prayer: Father, thank you for____________________________________. I see you leading me to a deeper, more intimate relationship with you. Thank you for pursuing me and working in my life so that I might know you more deeply. In Jesus Name.
Prayers for Other’s Hearts
And that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love. (Ephesians 3:17-18)
As the Spirit brings people (both believers and unbelievers) to mind, let’s pray for them to know God’s love – deeply and in a way that transforms their hearts and lives.
Prayer: Father, we pray for_____________________to be set free from anything that is keeping him/her from knowing you intimately and receiving your deep love for him/her. Reveal yourself to him/her and bless him/her. In Jesus Name.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank you that you are a good, good Father. You are faithful. You are loving. You are holy. We love you. Help us to know you more deeply. Heal our hearts and minds of anything that has impacted the way that we see you, know you and pray to you. We want to be sons and daughters who walk intimately in prayer with our Father. In Jesus Name, Amen.
