Table Talk | August 15 & 16

Published August 16, 2026
Table Talk | August 15 & 16

Growth Group Guide: Make It Stick: Engaging Prayer — The Lord's Prayer

OVERVIEW

This week's sermon explored the Lord's Prayer not as a script to recite, but as a shape to replicate. Pastor Jackson walked through Jesus' example of prayer in Matthew 6 and Luke 11, showing how prayer is less about orienting God to us and more about orienting ourselves to God — to who He is, where He is going, and how deeply we depend on Him.

Key Takeaways

  • The Lord's Prayer is a shape to replicate, not a script to recite. Jesus introduced this prayer with the words "pray in this manner," giving His disciples an example to pray within, not a formula to mindlessly repeat.
  • Pray relationally to the Father. Because of Christ's finished work, believers approach God not as a distant Creator but as a Father — hidden within the Son's perfect relationship to the Father. God is both totally sovereign over all things and totally present to each of us.
  • Pray resolutely toward the future. "Your kingdom come, your will be done" orients us toward eternity. Prayer is a space to catch up to God, not to catch God up to us. When we fix our eyes on what lasts, the temporary weight of our circumstances shifts.
  • Pray reliantly with the family. Jesus' prayer contains no singular pronouns — it is entirely corporate. We have been saved not just from sin but to a family, and praying "us" prayers grows our dependence on God, our encouragement in His work, and our grace toward one another.

Discussion Questions 

Opening

  1. Before hearing this sermon, how would you have described your personal prayer life? What words or phrases come to mind?

  2. Pastor Jackson used the image of fine china to describe how people relate to the Lord's Prayer — either never touching it or using it so casually it loses meaning. Which tendency do you identify with more, and why?

Pray Relationally to the Father

  1. Pastor Jackson said that when we place our faith in Jesus, we approach God "hidden within the perfect Son with whom He is well pleased." How does that image change the way you think about coming to God in prayer?

  2. Romans 8:15 describes the Holy Spirit's role in reminding us that we are truly God's children and can approach Him as Father. Do you find it easy or difficult to believe that God is truly near and attentive to you personally? What gets in the way?

  3. Jesus begins His prayer by orienting Himself to who God is before making a single request. What would change about your prayer life if you consistently started there?

Pray Resolutely Toward the Future

  1. Pastor Jackson contrasted two approaches to prayer: trying to orient God to us versus allowing prayer to orient us to God. Which of those better describes how you typically pray?

  2. In Luke 22:42, even in His most agonizing moment, Jesus prayed "not my will, but yours be done." Pastor Jackson connected this to a consistent prayer life oriented toward eternity. How does keeping an eternal perspective affect the way you pray through suffering or uncertainty?

  3. Have you ever noticed your problems feeling bigger after prayer rather than smaller? How might praying "your kingdom come, your will be done" help reframe that experience?

Pray Reliantly with the Family

  1. Pastor Jackson pointed out that Jesus uses only plural pronouns in this prayer — "us," "our," "we." How often do your prayers include others? What would it look like practically to pray more "us" prayers?

  2. Pastor Jackson suggested that praying for the body of Christ means you can be encouraged when God moves in someone else's life, even when you are not seeing answers in your own. Have you experienced that kind of encouragement? How did it affect your faith?

  3. On forgiveness, Pastor Jackson said, "Forgiven people forgive people." He explained that an unwillingness to forgive others is often evidence that we have not fully received God's forgiveness for ourselves. Does that idea challenge or convict you in any area of your life right now?

  4. The sermon described our temptation toward "salary prayers" — asking God to resolve things so completely that we no longer need to depend on Him. Where do you see that tendency in your own prayer life?

Practical Applications 

This Week, Try One of the Following:

  1. Pray within the shape. Use the Lord's Prayer as a framework rather than a recitation. Move through each section slowly, pausing to speak your own words to God within each part. Text BIBLE to 64567 to receive the prayer guide referenced in the sermon.

  2. Start with orientation. Before bringing any requests to God, spend the first few minutes of your prayer time simply reminding yourself of who you are talking to — His nearness, His power, and His love for you as a Father.

  3. Pray one "us" prayer daily. Choose one person or one part of the church body to pray for each day this week. Notice whether it shifts your perspective on your own circumstances.

  4. Examine your forgiveness. Reflect honestly on whether there is someone you are withholding forgiveness from. Bring that to God and ask Him to help you receive His forgiveness more fully so that it flows outward.

  5. Pray a "daily bread" prayer. Instead of asking God to resolve your biggest long-term anxieties all at once, try asking simply for what you need today — and commit to coming back tomorrow.