Pastor Park Shin-il's
Excellent Small Group Study Guide on Prayer, Volume 2

When we pray together
Experience forgiveness, healing, and transformation from discouragement to praise.

In 『People of Prayer 1』, we explored the kind of prayer God desires. 『People of Prayer 2』 is a small group study material that derives the theology of prayer that fights and wins against the world through Paul, Nehemiah, and Daniel, and guides us to pray accordingly.
The author shares the many benefits he has learned on his journey of prayer, leading us to a place of prayer where we can hold on to the Lord more deeply when we face our helplessness.
As we pray together, we hope to experience God raising us up, and receive the grace of forgiveness, healing from wounds, and transformation of discouragement into praise.

Everyone has things that captivate them.
If there's something that keeps lingering in your mind even during your daily life, it's probably that.
In Ephesians, there is one word that captured the heart of the Apostle Paul.
All of Paul's letters have one word at the center: Jesus Christ.
Because Jesus Christ is in Paul's heart.
He had a deep understanding of the Old Testament and was an expert in the law.
He, who was like that, came to know more deeply who God is through Christ.
God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places through Christ.
God chose us before the creation of the world.
This shows how great and broad the scale of God's plan of salvation is.
And God has done this glorious thing through Christ: that when we believe in Christ, we become children of God.
--- p.12~13

When living in the world, most people try to achieve maximum benefit and effect with minimum effort and cost.
They say that is the wisdom of living in the world and an efficient life.
But the life of faith is different.
Don't you want to live your life as you please and expect God to praise you for doing well? On the journey of faith, that's neither wise nor efficient.
The Lord knows everything.
Living by faith means living this world as a pilgrim.
Pilgrims do not place their hopes on this world, but live with their eyes fixed on the eternal.
That's why we invest our lives in eternal things, not worldly things.
Where are you investing your life? May your eyes be wide open, deeply grasping the eternal "hope of your calling" (Ephesians 1:18), and be blessed to wholeheartedly dedicate your life to that hope.

--- p.32~33

Nehemiah lived during a very difficult time in the history of the Israelites.
Against this backdrop of history and time, Nehemiah begins rebuilding the city walls, a task that no one would readily undertake.
This decision of his sets him on a path that must pass through adversity and hardship.
When we talk about the theme of the Book of Nehemiah, we often talk about “leadership.”
In fact, the term leader does not refer to only special people.
There comes a time when we all have to stand in the position of leadership.
If we were to summarize the characteristics of a leader, especially looking at Nehemiah, in one sentence, we could say this.
A leader is not someone who tears down, but someone who builds up.
--- p.59

When we live with holy desires and holy concerns, there are times when God opens the door to great opportunities.
The important thing here is not to say what you think first.
Before making any request, Nehemiah first “prays to the God of heaven” (Neh. 2:4).
I prayed first before speaking to anyone.
For Nehemiah, the only true king is God.
Who is our king? Whom do we rely on to live our lives today? My words and actions reveal who I rely on and live by.
Before you say anything carelessly, please pray to the Lord first.
Praying before speaking allows us to live a life guided by God, not a life driven by haste.
Nehemiah prayed before speaking, and God accomplished His mission through that one person who prayed.
--- p.88~89

There is a passage in the Bible that tells us what kind of life a person lived when he or she died.
“He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right or to the left (2 Chronicles 34:2).
It is a great warning to us that God would say such things about a person's life.
God can sum up our entire life in just one sentence.
The Bible speaks of David as “a man after God’s own heart.”
So, if you had to describe Daniel in one sentence, how would you describe him? I'd say, "The man to whom the gates of heaven opened."
The fact that the gates of heaven were open means that Daniel's conversation with God was open in his life.
Why did God open the gates of heaven in Daniel's life? We can find out the reason in Daniel chapter 6.
--- p.108~109

If a ban on prayer and worship were enacted into law, what should Christians do? Numerous discussions and various responses would likely be announced by churches.
But before we even consider a crisis situation like a ban on prayer or a ban on worship, there's something we need to ask ourselves.
“Do I live with a prayer closet in my life?”, “Do I have time for prayer?”, “Do I wholeheartedly attend Sunday service?” If you don’t have such a life of worship and prayer, you may not need or be qualified to ponder the first question.

--- p.134