Almost Like Praying

Main Point: It’s far too easy for us to talk about prayer, but God has invited us to come to Him and ask for the things we need. He invites us to talk to Him personally, and as we know Him we can trust that He hears us when we pray.

The Music Video: Almost Like Praying

Lin-Manuel Miranda is best known for creating and starring in the Broadway blockbuster Hamilton. Miranda is a native New Yorker, but is mostly of Puerto Rican descent, having spent a month every year of his youth at his grandparent’s home in Vega Alta. Wanting to do something about the devastation Puerto Rico faces from Hurricane Maria, Miranda collaborated with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan, Mark Anthony, and Despacito artist Luis Fonsi. Lin-Manuel started working on this song just two days after Maria’s landfall, and his draw to theater provided inspiration. In the titular hook, Miranda borrows the line it’s almost like praying from West Side Story’s song “Maria” in an effort to reclaim the name Maria from the devastating hurricane.

PASS OUT TO EVERY STUDENT

Transitional Statement:
It seems that in times of hardship, prayer is often brought up as a response. The idea that something is “almost like praying” creates an interesting conversation. Do we take advantage of the opportunity God has given us to interact with him personally in prayer? What would our lives look like if we seized this opportunity with boldness, and believed that prayer changes things?

Let’s talk about this a bit and then look and see what God’s Word says on the subject.

Divide into Small Groups:
Let’s go ahead and split up into our discussion groups, and then afterward we’ll come back together for a final word.

CLICK HERE for a quick training article on how to maximize your small groups using our small group format—a great resource to equip your small group leaders.

Discussion Questions:

1. ASK A FEW: Did anyone take Spanish in school? If so, talk about your experience in Spanish class.


2. ASK A FEW: Has anyone seen Hamilton? Whether you have or not, what is your favorite musical?


3. AROUND THE CIRCLE: When difficult circumstances happen in your life, what is your default response?


4. ASK A FEW: Why do you think it’s hard for people to pray?


5. ASK A FEW: What do you think Lin-Manuel Miranda means when he sings, Say it loud and there’s music playing, Say it soft and it’s almost like praying?


6. ASK A FEW: When you pray, what is the thing you pray for most often?

Read the following passage:

Matthew 7:7-11

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!



7. ASK A FEW: Looking at these verses, how does Jesus want us to respond when we face needs or challenging circumstances?


8. ASK A FEW: Why does Jesus compare himself to a dad? What point is He trying to get across?


9. AROUND THE CIRCLE: Share something that you have prayed for, but God has not answered.


10. ASK A FEW: There are three ways God can answer a prayer. He can say yes, no, or not now. When you have not heard a yes, does this discourage you from praying? Looking again at what Jesus has said, why should we persist in prayer?


11. ASK A FEW: Why do you think God calls us to pray, even knowing sometimes we will never see the result of our prayers?


12. AROUND THE CIRCLE: How can you take advantage of a God who invites you to personally interact with Him, and to ask Him for the things you need? What would that look like for you to make this a more consistent part of your life?

Manuel has a sincere passion to help the people of Puerto Rico, and the proceeds of this song went toward that end. However, it seems often in the face of tragedy, you and I often do not know how to respond. In these situations, we talk about prayer, or even say to others that we are praying for them, but do we take the time to pray? Would you say you are guilty of this?

(Pause and give them a moment to consider this question.)

If we believe prayer makes a difference, if we believe Jesus’ invitation for us to ask is because He wants to do good things when we ask, what truly could be more important than taking the time to pray?

(Pause and give them a moment to consider this question.)

Let’s have several of us close out in prayer, asking God to help us be people to have the faith to go to Him in prayer no matter what our circumstances are. Let’s ask God to speak to us when we pray, telling us what we can do, but also asking Him to help us trust Him no matter how He chooses to respond when we pray.

CLOSE IN PRAYER

Written by Rob Chagdes