Sisters 2024: Praying Like Jesus

Seek His Face – Sisters 2024 Main Session

Scripture References

Primary text

• Luke 11
• Luke 10
• Psalm 63

Other references

• Psalm 105
• Galatians 3:26

Overview

Pastor Amy centered the night on one conviction: prayer is not a task but an invitation into intimate relationship with our Father. Using the disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray,” the Mary-and-Martha contrast, and David’s cry in Psalm 63, she showed that God calls us to seek His face, not merely His hand. When prayer shifts from transaction to communion, it becomes the soul’s greatest delight and the place we are changed.

Main Points

Prayer problems we carry in

• Feel insecure: “I’m not good at praying”
• Get discouraged when nothing seems to change
• Lack motivation or feel prayer is boring yet important
• Overwhelmed by how much there is to pray about
• Pray but rarely sense God speaking back
• Struggle with inconsistency, busyness, distraction, doubt

Prayer is primarily relational, not transactional

• Jesus begins the model prayer with “Our Father,” signaling family intimacy before requests.
• Transactions treat God like a repairman; relationships treat Him like a loving Dad.
• Mary (relationship) sat at Jesus’ feet; Martha (transaction) demanded outcomes and missed the moment.

“What if prayer is more about the Person you’re with than the outcomes you might get?”

Seek His face

• Key word revealed through study: seek.
• Relational prayer “seeks His face always” (Psalm 105), longing to know and be known.
• When we behold God, we “taste and see that the Lord is good” and discover His love is “better than life.”
• Psalm 63 models the hunger:

  “You, God, are my God; earnestly I seek You… my whole being longs for You.”

Practical ways to seek God in everyday life

• Pray Scripture and pray while reading Scripture—slow down and converse with Him line by line.
• Pray as you go: ongoing dialogue, questions, thanks, listening.
• Spontaneous praise—sunsets, songs, sudden gratitude.
• Keep a prayer list to stay faithful for people and needs.
• Invite partners or groups to pray with you.
• Most critical habit: turn off and tune in—silence the phone, step away from noise, be still before Him.

What happens when we enter prayer

• Access to the Father’s “classroom” (teaching), “counseling room” (healing), “operating table” (heart surgery), “mission headquarters” (assignments), and “throne room” (worship & petition).
• “Prayer is home”—the place of union, communion, refuge, and joy.

Invitation & commitment

• Amy led women to lift hands if they wanted a deeper, non-transactional prayer life, then prayed for fresh devotion.
• She offered the gospel: through Jesus’ death and resurrection anyone can become a child of God and know the Father; many responded in faith.

Key Truths

• The heart of prayer is intimate relationship with the Father, not religious duty.
• Relational prayer seeks God’s face before it seeks His hand.
• Every prayer—yes, even the mealtime blessing—matters when the heart connects to God.
• Distraction is the chief thief of a vibrant prayer life; intentional stillness is the remedy.
• Knowing God through prayer reshapes every part of life: mind, heart, mission, and worship.

Response

• Turn off digital noise and be still with God each day.
• Open your Bible and talk to Him through every passage you read.
• Replace “to-do list” prayers with moments of adoration and listening.
• Start or join a prayer partnership or group for shared encouragement.
• Keep a simple list and intercede faithfully for people and situations.
• Approach every ordinary moment—driving, cooking, walking—as a chance to whisper thanks or ask questions of your Father.

Closing

Pastor Amy urged every woman to leave transactional praying behind and begin seeking the Father’s face. Hands were raised across locations, committing to a deeper, continual life of prayer.

“Child, draw near—bring your mess, your needs, your dreams. I am your Father.”

Those without a relationship with God were invited to believe in Jesus, become daughters of God, and step into the home that prayer truly is.