Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
Week 4: Chapter 3 — Prayer
Read Chapter 3 of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Key Scriptures: Luke 18:1; Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 6:5-13
Previewing Week 4 of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life
Read 3 of 8 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 13-week guide when you’re ready.
If the Bible is God speaking to us, prayer is us speaking to God — and Whitney shows that a robust, Christ-centered prayer life is neither mystical nor complicated, but a learnable, practiceable discipline available to every believer.
Discussion Questions
8 questions1.Whitney opens by acknowledging what most Christians feel but rarely admit: that prayer is the discipline we believe in most and practice least consistently. Why do you think prayer so often wins on paper and loses in practice in our daily lives?
2.He points out that every revival in church history has been accompanied by a recovery of serious, persistent prayer — and that prayerlessness is never described in Scripture as a minor oversight but as a serious sin (1 Samuel 12:23). Does calling prayerlessness a *sin* feel harsh to you, or right? Why?
3.Whitney draws on the model prayer Jesus taught in Matthew 6 (the Lord's Prayer) as a *template* for prayer, not merely a recitation. How might praying through the categories of the Lord's Prayer (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) reshape the typical shape of your own prayer life?