Jesus and Me, Part 2: The God Who Listens

Brian Behrends, Creative Pastor

Colossians 1:15–17
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together

Psalm 8:3–4
When I consider your heavens,
      the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
      which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
      human beings that you care for them?

3 Prayers That Changed My Life

1. me
2. me
3. me

Luke 18:9–14
To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’
      “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
      “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men.
John F. Kennedy

Isaiah 6:8
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
      And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Small Group Questions

1. On a scale of 1–10, how good are you at communicating what’s actually going on inside you?
2. Who in your life do you communicate most easily with and why them? What makes that relationship feel safe?
3. Which of these three prayers (Save me, Shape me, Send me) do you find most natural to pray? Which is most difficult? Why?
4. Are most of your prayers inviting God to change the world around you or the world in you? Why do you think that is?
5. What are you most afraid of if you actually said, “Here am I, send me”?
6. How could you practically step into God’s call this week?
7. How can we pray for you right now and throughout the week?