Reflection Paper

Paper Text

Introduction It is now the final week of class and I must admit it was a very informative subject. We learned many aspects of theology, but I want to focus on prayer and its importance as well as the purpose of Bible study. Without a good understanding of prayer and knowing how to study the Bible you will struggle as a Christian.

Part One - Importance of Prayer First let's examine what prayer is. According to the dictionary, it is a solemn request for help or expression of thanks expressed to God or an object of worship. Usually when there is something bad happening in our life, this is when we pray. A family member suddenly becomes ill, the request for prayers are heard. In order to have effective prayer, we should not wait till something bad happens, rather we should be praying daily, John 15:7 says God responds to our prayers when we are abiding in Christ and the Word of God. I remember something my grandmother used to tell me all the time when I was troubled. She would say "turn it over to God, if you are worrying, then you are not praying, and if you are praying, then there is no need to worry." The act of praying builds your personal relationship with God according to Towns. Part of becoming a Christian involves developing yourself to be more Christ like. It is so easy with our busy lifestyles to forget to pray during the good times. To become an obedient Christian, I must practice praying on a daily basis, not just when things are bad, but also to express thanks.

Part Two - Bible Study Now let's look at the purpose of studying the Bible. John MacArthur wrote, "you should have a basic understanding of what the Bible says, and what it means." In reading Towns, we learned, the Bible is God's book to reveal himself to the human race. Each book of the Bible is his Word.

To be a good Christian once again our goal is to become God like. God expects Christians to develop themselves, by studying the Scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15). As Christians we are supposed to share the Word. How can you speak on something you have little knowledge of? To effectively convince the non-believers, you must show them that you know what you are talking about. Just reading the Bible is not enough. You must at least have a basic understanding. Once you have an understanding of the Bible, then you can apply it to everyday life. Just like Apple has "an app for that", whenever you are going through something, the Bible has a Scripture for that. As a child I never understood why my grandmother would always pull out the 'good book'.

Now as I have gotten older and have faced my own trials and tribulations, I know if it had not been for my knowledge of the Bible, I may not have made the right decisions.

Conclusion Finally, I believe studying the Bible and daily prayer go hand in