Based upon notes taken from:
Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement General Conference, Sabbath School Department.
“Our heavenly Father waits to bestow upon us the fullness of His blessing. It is our privilege to drink largely at the fountain of boundless love. What a wonder it is that we pray so little! God is ready and willing to hear the sincere prayer of the humblest of His children, and yet there is much manifest reluctance on our part to make known our wants to God. What can the angels of heaven think of poor helpless human beings, who are subject to temptation, when God’s heart of infinite love yearns toward them, ready to give them more than they can ask or think, and yet they pray so little and have so little faith? . . .
“The darkness of the evil one encloses those who neglect to pray. The whispered temptations of the enemy entice them to sin; and it is all because they do not make use of the privileges that God has given them in the divine appointment of prayer. Why should the sons and daughters of God be reluctant to pray, when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven’s storehouse, where are treasured the boundless resources of Omnipotence? Without unceasing prayer and diligent watching we are in danger of growing careless and of deviating from the right path. The adversary seeks continually to obstruct the way to the mercy seat, that we may not by earnest supplication and faith obtain grace and power to resist temptation.”—Steps to Christ, pp. 94, 95.
What a great privilege we have to come before God, our Father, in prayer. At times we may not be able to kneel down and pray formally to Him, but we can still commune with Him. He who knows how to supply us abundantly above all we can ask or think will hear and answer our prayers, not always as we desire, but as He sees best. As we make prayer a priority and a regular habit, we will turn to Him for guidance as naturally as the plant turns toward the sun. “Not one sincere prayer is lost. Amid the anthems of the celestial choir, God hears the cries of the weakest human being. We pour out our heart’s desire in our closets, we breathe a prayer as we walk by the way, and our words reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. They may be inaudible to any human ear, but they cannot die away into silence, nor can they be lost through the activities of business that are going on. Nothing can drown the soul’s desire. It rises above the din of the street, above the confusion of the multitude, to the heavenly courts. It is God to whom we are speaking, and our prayer is heard.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 174.
May God help us as we study these lessons this quarter to learn to trust our heavenly Father more and to have unbroken communion with Him.
Lesson 1
Sabbath, July 7, 2018
What Is Prayer?
“Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray” (Psalm 5:1, 2).
“Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend.”—Steps to Christ, p. 93.
Suggested Reading: Steps to Christ, pp. 93–104.
Sunday July 1
- TALKING TO GOD
- How did our first parents talk with God, and how did sin interrupt this communication? Genesis 1:27–30; 3:8–10; 1 Timothy 2:5.
“After the transgression of Adam, the Lord spoke no longer directly with man; the human race was given into the hands of Christ, and all communication came through Him to the world.”—Fundamentals of Christian Education, p. 237.
- What privilege has God provided so that we who are sinners can still individually communicate freely with Him? John 16:23 (last part), 24; Matthew 7:7, 8.
“Prayer is the breath of the soul. It is the secret of spiritual power. No other means of grace can be substituted, and the health of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the heart into immediate contact with the Well-spring of life, and strengthens the sinew and muscle of the religious experience. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as seems convenient, and you lose your hold on God. The spiritual faculties lose their vitality, the religious experience lacks health and vigor. . . .
It is only as we look upon Jesus that we desire to be like Him, only as we view His righteousness that we hunger and thirst to possess it; and it is only as we ask in earnest prayer, that God will grant us our heart’s desire.
God’s messengers must walk with Him, if they would have success in their work.
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