Date: June 16, 2019
Hannah: Faith That Prays
The Point: Pray with confidence; God hears.
Get Into the Study
Use the following illustration prior to asking Question #1.
Everyone is talking about the blockbuster movie, Avengers: Endgame. It broke the worldwide opening gross sales record by almost double, earning $1.2 billion. Beginning in 2008, Marvel Studios employed a strategy of connecting solo superhero films together to tell a larger story. This increased the anticipation and excitement for Endgame as the final chapter. The rush to buy tickets when they went on sale crashed AMC’s ticketing website
In anticipation of the release of Avengers: Endgame, some die-hard fans attended a 22-movie marathon of the prior movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) before the first showing of Endgame, April 23-25, 2019. Attendees at the El Capitan theater in Hollywood, CA were rewarded with live guest appearances by stars of the MCU. Bloggers enjoyed the sense of community and camaraderie among other fans.
Ask: When have you actually enjoyed waiting for something?
Toni Sanders provides technical support and training. Toni, a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Seminary, and her husband lead a senior adult Bible study group for their church in Orlando, Florida.
Live It Out
Use the following story as you conclude the session.
The FCC is proposing a block on robocalls, that would allow phone companies to “block unwanted calls to their customers by default.” According to the call-blocking company YouMail, 4.9 billion robocalls were placed in April 2019, which is a rate of 14.9 calls per person that month. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai told reporters, “The American people are fed up with illegal robocalls. It is the top complaint we receive from consumers each and every year.” Robocalls are those persistent, usually unwanted calls that often come from falsified locations and regularly push illegal scams. The FCC would like to see phone companies using an authentication framework that identifies calls coming from undisclosed and falsified locations to filter like email providers filter spam.
Unlike robocalls, our calls to God, in the form of prayer, are not unwanted. In fact, we are encouraged to be persistent in prayer (Luke 11:5-13; 18:1-8). This week, let’s approach God with confidence in His willingness to hear us and confidence in His ability to answer our prayers.
Nikki Wilbanks is a stay-at-home mom, writer, Bible study teacher, and commercial real estate appraiser/investor. She is a graduate of Pepperdine University. She lives with her husband and two children in Murfreesboro, TN.
Daily Discipleship Guide [Additional Resource]
The following download supports the Day 5 devotional found in the Daily Discipleship Journal.
Read the devotional for Day 5: God is worthy of our praise. Then, check out the article “Names of God” from the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Record a few of these descriptions that most resonate with you in the space provided in your Daily Discipleship Guide.
Click here for the article “Names of God.”
Additional Questions
Icebreaker
- When problems in life arise, what are some ways we respond?
- What are some of the more unusual prayers you’ve heard?
- How did you learn how to pray?
1 Samuel 1:1-2, 9-11
- When we bring our problems to God, how does that change things?
- How does Hannah serve as an example of confident faith?
- When have you felt like God must have forgotten about you?
1 Samuel 1:17-18 26-28
- How do parents give their children to the Lord?
- How has prayer helped you find peace?
- What gives you confidence that God hears your prayers?
1 Samuel 2:1-3
- How does saying “thank-you” help the one who expresses thanks?
- When have you seen God answer a prayer in such a way it was obvious He was at work?
- What are some practical ways to show your gratitude to God?
Member Extra
Send the following link to your group members as either a teaser before the group meets or as a follow-up thought:
Video
Here’s a brief video giving you an overview of this session: Living by Faith, Session 3.
Magazine Article
This article complements the study. Share this link with your group members.
- HomeLife – Keeping It Real
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